Curious about deciphering someone else’s personality traits? While our free personality test is the ideal way to discover this information, it can be fascinating to work it out for yourself. In previous articles, I’ve explored how to assess people’s Thinking, Feeling, Introverted, and Extraverted personality traits. Here, we’ll focus on the Intuitive (N) and Observant (S) personality traits. I’ll share some personal impressions and some research-backed probabilities of real-world behaviors.
My Observations of Intuitive and Observant Types
Based on my experience, understanding whether a person leans toward the Intuitive or Observant trait often requires insightful conversation. As a person with the Intuitive trait, I’ve noticed that there’s a unique “vibe” that’s apparent when I converse with people who share this personality trait. We tend to pick up on each other’s mental direction quickly, with an excited verbal flow. Despite differing opinions, a mutual style emerges, filled with spontaneous imagery and imagined concepts.
However, the absence of this distinct Intuitive vibe doesn’t automatically cast the other person as Observant. There are many factors that can mask personality traits, including shyness and a lack of social confidence (or enthusiasm). It’s hard to evaluate the personality of someone who doesn’t readily reveal it. Moreover, people’s uniqueness can cause them to deviate from “personality type norms,” leading to more challenging interpretations.
For example, I’ve noticed that Explorers (Observant, Prospecting personality types) demonstrate an inquisitive mindset that I normally link with the Intuitive trait. Extraversion and a Turbulent Identity can also fuel animated, imaginative conversations – usually a trademark of the ever-speculative Intuitive mind. On occasion, I’ve met distinctly inventive individuals who, despite seeming Intuitive, proved to be Observant personalities on testing.
This seems like a good point to remind you that no personality trait should be seen as ideal and that all traits span a spectrum. Every individual possesses a mix of traits, and each trait holds its own positive and negative potentials. In fact, my primary personal shortcut for guessing whether a person is Intuitive or Observant isn’t always based on positives. Within my experience, Intuitive types often seem more detached from reality compared to Observant types.
Yet this isn’t determined by a single factor – it’s reflected in an individual’s collective views, ideas, choices, and lifestyle. Compared to Observant types, Intuitive personalities tend to infuse everything with imagination, even if it’s sometimes misdirected (like mistaking fantasy for fact or valuing idealistic rationales more than demonstrable probabilities). Hence, my initial method for differentiating between Intuitive and Observant types requires evaluating their overall relationship with practical reality.
Conversations can reveal where someone typically directs their mental focus, highlighting their practicality, their realism, and, consequently, their Intuitive or Observant inclination. People who are prone to frequent diatribes on abstract or niche topics or to fixating on esoteric details and future possibilities probably lean Intuitive. People who concentrate on matters that are relevant to their everyday lives, show strong connections to their immediate surroundings, uphold practical objectives, and exhibit a lack of interest in improbabilities are likely more Observant. There are exceptions, but for me, this general “practicality/reality-focused” metric has been a good, if rough, trait indicator.
Statistically Validated Ways to Tell Whether Someone Is Intuitive or Observant
Where an individual devotes their real-world time and energy can also signify their personality traits, particularly when that person has the freedom to decide what they do. Anyone may adopt personas and skills out of necessity (for example, at work), but people show their true selves when they’re unconstrained by obligations. Personality traits can be revealed by a person’s broad life arcs, including their many pursuits, responses, and choices over time.
For example, Intuitive personality types are roughly twice as likely as Observant people to say they love writing. A love of writing may be something that you can observe without a lot of direct contact, making it a handy potential indicator. If someone seems to pursue writing as a passion, especially in their free time, it’s somewhat more likely that they’re Intuitive.
You might also see a difference in how Intuitive and Observant people make decisions in their daily lives. Intuitive personalities are about 30 percentage points more likely to say they usually spend time exploring additional options, even if they’re satisfied with a product or service. Observant types are less likely to agree (also by about 30 points) that there’s any point in changing something that works just fine.
An observable, real-world example of this Intuitive versus Observant dichotomy might be whether or not someone frequently switches phone service providers. Whereas an Observant person might not want to spend the time constantly optimizing things, an Intuitive person might be willing to shake things up to chase their perceived ideal.
One of the strongest indicators of the differences between the Intuitive and Observant traits revolves around perception and idealism. Intuitive personality types are about 41 percentage points more likely to say they prefer to spend time thinking about how things should be, versus focusing on managing and making do with how things are. Intuitive types are also about 40 points more likely to say they often drift away into daydreaming. These behaviors (or lack thereof) are likely to surface in many areas of life, even basic conversation.
If someone really enjoys discussing different views and theories about what the world might look like in the future, they’re more likely to be an Intuitive personality (by about 40 percentage points, statistically speaking). The same goes for frequently wondering how technological advancements could change life (about 35 points for this one). This is something to pay attention to when estimating someone’s place on the Intuitive/Observant spectrum.
On the other hand, if you notice that someone regularly loses interest in conversations whenever they become highly speculative, theoretical, or philosophical, it’s more likely that this person is an Observant personality type. While they often use their imagination to conceive and plan with a purpose, Observant types are less likely to delve into imagination for its own sake. Their concepts, curiosity, and visions are more likely to connect to practical goals in some manner – not as a rule but as a statistical probability.
In conclusion, no single snapshot of an individual’s actions or thoughts is definitive proof of the Intuitive or Observant personality trait. Circumstances can trigger a wide variation in behaviors among all personality types. However, with attentive observation to many indicators over enough time, you might be able to form a broader picture of someone’s personality traits. Or you can just ask them to take our test, right?
Further Reading
- How to Spot Introversion and Extraversion in the Wild
- Spotting Personality Traits in the Wild: Thinking vs. Feeling
- What Intuitive Personality Types Aren’t
- What Observant Personality Types Aren’t
- To dig deeper into each of your personality traits, try our free NERIS® Trait Scholar Test.