How would you describe the way you’ve developed your intelligence?
It's kind of like stocks. Making your money make money, but in this case it's intelligence. Developed first from an understanding of how to get to more intelligence, laying down the foundation, and then riding the wave.
I've told other people before, I might not be the smartest, but I know where to get the answers I need, when I need them (pursuit of knowledge). So it's not like book smarts, or figuring out how to solve seemingly impossible equations, it's about gaining the knowledge necessary and storing a shit load of information for gaining the knowledge to find other knowledge, when needed, and letting that grow bigger, bigger, bigger.
By that I mean, peeling back the layers and gaining access to deeper understandings. I often describe it as using a microscope, and focusing in or out of whatever you're observing to get different views of the same thing.
How does your cognitive thinking and intuition interact with each other?
Great in as far as understanding how systems work. Worked great in say college, when I'd figure out the teacher's grading system and how to pass the class before focusing on the actual subject matter. Even if I struggled with retaining a specific subject, I'd still get an A simply based on figuring out how the professor worked, and playing my cards right (okay to bomb this specific test, if I make it up with x, y, and z).
Where it sucks is when your mind and intuition don't align. Take this most recent example. I had my pick between two fantastic jobs, Job A, and Job B. During the interviews I felt 100% more comfortable with Job B. As a matter of fact, I asked a question during the Job A interview and remember getting a dirty look from the new future boss that instantly took me back. Job A had every red flag in the world going for it, Job B, every green one, but Job A made more sense so I prioritized it.
Well, hindsight is fucking 10/10 (get it, not 20/20). I should have known the second the Job A boss gave me that dirty look, to walk away. But I rationalized the shit out of it.
Or like when I was sitting in the dentist chair waiting for the dude to come in. There was an earthquake and everything in my body screamed to get the fuck up and get out of there, except I convinced myself I was being a wimp and overreacting since I'd never had dental work done. Big mistake ignoring that.
When it's on and it's easy to follow, intuition is my BFF. When it's in contrast with my rationality, it's 50/50 whether I pick the right choice or not.
Should I ask the other NT’s the same question?
Of course, interesting question.