What would an ENTP in a Si grip be like? How might they end up in one? How does an ENTP develop their Si to become more healthy? (Kinda worried I'm using an immature Si a bit too much recently, and the effects are getting me down)
What is an Si grip like?
Introverted sensing, unlike extroverted sensing, directs attention to your own self rather than your environment itself.
One way to describe Inferior Si would be obsessive. We become very anxious about our health, time and work.
Health
We misinterpret our body and become extremely concerned about our own health. To the point where it’s unnecessarily unhealthy and bordering on paranoia. This is because our focus is suddenly shifted towards ourselves, rather than the external world like our dominant function, Ne.
We’re not naturally attuned to our own bodies and being in the Si-grip suddenly makes us very painfully aware of ourselves and the small things that never bothered us before suddenly make us worry and overthink that there might be something very wrong with us.
We begin to notice the little things in ourselves like our breathing (am I breathing too loudly?), our heartbeat (is it beating too fast?), our hearing (everything sounds muffled), our sight (is the light dark or am I slowly going blind?), we’re constantly checking our weight (am I losing weight too quickly?), that pimple on our face suddenly feels like a serious symptom (should I check with a doctor?), our temperature has been slightly higher than normal in the last few days and there’s a dull pain in our heads (am I dying?).
Time
We will constantly be hitting the replay button and going through our past mistakes over and over and over again, in painful detail, trying to figure out where we went wrong, possibly blaming ourselves.
We also feel pressed for time and try to get things done long before we actually need to get things done. This is done to the point where we’re not managing our time effectively to ensure that we get enough breaks. It’s really just us throwing ourselves into tasks, one after another, ploughing our way through and trying to make sure everything is done as accurately as possible before time is up. This usually results in us crashing and burning.
Work
When it comes to actually doing work, we spend an awful lot of time trying to perfect it and getting stuck at every single detail which wastes time and only sends us down further into the depths of our inferior function. We become scarily neurotic when it comes to completing our tasks and how we go about doing it. Interestingly, this aspect of the Si-grip is actually very difficult to notice from the outside. Other people will usually just see a person who is working hard, ensuring everything is accurate and relevant while also keeping themselves neat and organised. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Constantly overthinking and worrying about ourselves actually has a huge negative impact on our mental health which is why a lot of Ne-doms who have experienced an Si-grip will associate it with depression. It really takes a toll on our minds and drives us insane.
How do you end up in an Si-grip?
Stress is the common answer with any type and their rendezvous with their inferior function.
If an Ne-dom is thrown into an extremely stressful situation, they might just let their Si take over control. Precisely what counts as a ‘stressful situation’ depends purely on the individual. We all differ and difference scenarios will elicit varied responses.
However, from my own experience, as well as other Ne-doms I know, I’ve noticed that situations where Ne becomes useless is usually perceived as a stressful situation and inferior Si will usually insert itself and take over. So this can include situations like constant routine, repetition, restrictions, limitations, overwhelming workload for long periods of time, negative reactions to ideas or progress, so on and so forth.
How to get out of an Si-grip?
Shift your attention outward.
Remember what I said about inferior Si directing attention towards yourself? Well, you’re going to want to change that so you can get your Ne back to doing what it does best.
Now, with an Si-grip, it can be extremely difficult to want to spend time with others. Our inferior function keeps us withdrawn and in solitude when it’s unhealthy, but it’s extremely important to interact with others and your environment during this time. People are great because you can just listen to them and start bouncing ideas back and forth. Look at that. Ne is back in action! If people are bit too ambitious for you at the moment, look towards your surroundings for inspiration. Remember that time you wanted to learn how to crochet? Well, now’s the prime time to do so! Gardening? Now you’re talking.
During my Si-grip, I forced myself to sign up for volunteering at local schools. I would talk to young children for a few hours at a time, play games with them, create crafts and read stories with them. I ended up really enjoying it and it helped reignite my Ne because I was focusing on other people and other activities rather than myself.
All you need is to take a step forward and get your Ne spark back.
Talk to someone.
Spending some quality time with your inferior function isn’t always fun. If there’s someone you trust, like a family member, a friend or a teacher, talk to them. It helps to have some support while you’re trying to improve yourself, and it can make things a lot easier. And if you’ve got an Ne-friend, why not tag along with them? It’s all about getting that creative fire back.
How to develop a healthy Si?
Realise the importance of Si. Although it’s at odds with Ne, my inferior Si has proved to be extremely beneficial once I overcame my Si-grip.
ENTPs, in particular, are notorious for being known as the type who will throw themselves into a project and completely forget about basic needs such as food and sleep. Ne-doms are also likely to have issues with indecisiveness, unpredictability and being overly ambitious with our work ethic.
A lot of this is because we are somewhat detached from our own selves. This would explain why we find it so easy to mess around and not take things too seriously and overlook our physical, cognitive and emotional needs.
It’s important to understand that Si is not meant to limit or restrict us. It’s there to help keep us from drifting completely off course. It gives us a sense of belonging and an awareness of ourselves, allowing us to make better decisions and prioritise when paired with our Ti.
In it’s healthier state, inferior Si helps to refine our big and bright ideas by taking past experiences into account. (You might not want to do that, ENTP. Remember what happened the last time you tried to do something like that?)
It’s the voice of reason that reminds us that we’re tired as fuck and should probably pause that ridiculous project and take a nap.
It keeps us grounded and stops us jumping from one spot to another like a goddamn bouncy ball.
It helps to introduce a sense of routine in our life and, while Ne is running the show, it still gives us the space and freedom to explore our creative ideas from a safe place.
Related: What is an Ne-Fe loop like?
Si grip and Inferior Function of ENTPs




















