Table of Contents (this page)
- Energy. (15A) (15.2)
- The MBTI. (15B)
- Introduction. (15.10)
- The MBTI and the energy departments as functions. (15.11)
- Introversion and extraversion. (15.12)
- Populations. (15.13)
- Reading the letters of the type. (15.14)
- The order of the letters. (15.15)
- The functions. (15.16)
- The inferior function as the opposite of the primary function. (15.17)
- Our MBTI type and the world ‘out there’. (15.18)
- Keirsey’s temperaments. (15C)
Part IV, Chapter 15. THE MBTI. (15)
Introduction. (15.1)
This chapter is about the interface between the individual with their own particular energy and the world of energy out there, using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as a label and descriptor. It is an introduction to the MBTI from an energy point of view. However, it is a whistle-stop tour rather than a basic introduction. The MBTI is a whole world out there with a lot of information and there are a lot of books about it. This introduction focuses on how it is directly useful to you for your own benefit. In particular, how we are ‘structured/built’ in our psyche affects the way we ‘come at’ or tackle our life, as well as when setting our goals and any work we want to do with our unconscious. And working with the unconscious is a lot of what this book is about.
This chapter has 3 sections,
ENERGY. (15A)
THE MBTI. (15B)
KEIRSEY’S TEMPERAMENTS. (15C)
Energy. (15A) (15.2)
I introduced the concept and short descriptions of the four Departments of Energy, which can be experienced both internally and externally, although not at the same time. See Chapter 3A.
This table shows the relationships between some of the names we use to label these departments of energy under different systems of categories.
Table 15A1 of concordances.
CONCORDANCES | |||||
ELEMENT | MBTI | PEMS | Focus | The ‘Humours’ | parts? |
EARTH | S=Sensing | P=Physical | What | Phlegm | Body |
WATER | F=Feeling | E=Emotional | Who | Melancholia | Soul |
AIR | T=Thinking | M=Mental | How | Sanguine | Mind |
FIRE | N=INtuitive | S=Spiritual | Why | Choleric | Spirit |
I have put the ‘Humours’ slightly differently from the usual. Melancholia seems to me to belong in the Emotional realm, while ‘phlegm’ seems to me to belong in the Earth realm; we consider a phlegmatic person to be practical and down-to-earth. However, I’m not sure how useful the ‘Humours’ actually are in real life, in that I find Keirsey’s Temperaments (1998) much more useful overall. See more below.
The idea of linking the 4 elements with different functions and different aspects of personality has been around for a long time. I have extended this concept to include placing the body in the physical, the mind with the mental, the spirit part of us with the ‘spiritual’/abstract and the soul part of us with the emotional. I find this more useful than considering ourselves as Body plus Mind and then arguing about and confusing Spirit or Soul.
This chapter has an awful lot of letters in it. But they all mean something, and they are all worthwhile persevering with and getting to know them, even for Feeling types who are not that keen on such a lot of data.
The energy departments. (15.3)
We define these energy departments so that we can understand how they work, and most of them are easy to define and correlate. The more we understand them, the more we can use them. However, the most difficult to clarify are the similarities and differences between what we refer to as the ‘Intuitive’ in Jung’s system, and what we consider the ‘Spiritual’ to be as an energy department.
We are fairly used to using PEMS when talking about the energy departments, but we use S,F,T, and N when talking about the MBTI functions within our personality, and we don’t consider whether they are the same thing or different. It makes sense if they are, and otherwise, what? The four energy departments can be experienced both inside us, ie, internally, and outside us, ie, externally. This makes eight departments to consider. See also the Growth Diamond in Chapter 3A.
Note that all these departments can be used in both positive and negative ways.
The physical energy department. (15.4)
This department pertains to those things that we can physically sense; the sensate, the physical and the specific; both internally and externally with the internal physical being much harder to measure, as well as tending to be ignored. We have a problem with how to assign ‘Gut feelings’ which probably belong in the internal Physical and/or the Internal Emotional (and they are not very measurable), and not the Intuitive/Spiritual. The Physical realm’s element is Earth, and the question we are asking is What do we have here? The PEMS letter is P, and the Jungian letter is S. Our Body ‘rules’ this department in us and is very much a ‘what’.
Examples of this Energy Department.
- This is the Extraverted Sensing, aka the Physical Energy Department ‘out there’.
This will involve using the senses in the external world, and often involving working with the hands, although all the senses are available; VAKOG; visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, olfactory, gustatory. Examples would be farming, building, gardening, baking, making food, massage, and so on, in many ways.
- This is the Introverted Sensing, aka the Physical Energy Department ‘in here’.
This involves your own sensing within your body as you use it. It is, of course, far less obvious to others what is happening, but it ‘shows up’ in areas such as the Martial arts, horse-riding and yoga. The discipline of Chinese Medicine, which includes a lot of information about the body and its energy, comes from this understanding. Our ‘gut feelings’ are likely to be in this department. Walking along the beach feeling the warmth of the sun on your body and the sand squish between your toes is in this category.
The mental energy department. (15.5)
This department pertains to our thinking, which is about information, data and logic and the processes of their collection and manipulation. It is mental in that it is carried out in the mind. Its element is Air, and the question we are asking is actually How, (in that it is not Why or What). The PEMS letter is M, and the Jungian letter is T. it is ‘ruled’ by the Mind.
Examples of this Energy Department.
- This is the Extraverted Thinking, aka the Mental Energy Department ‘out there’.
This will involve being aware of and able to manipulate information, data and logic from the world out there. When this area is strong in someone they are intrinsically interested in such things in all kinds of ways, legal, organizational, administrative, accounting, and so on. Playing Scrabble lives here, also editing, and entering data in a database, etc.
- IT. This is the Introverted Thinking, aka the Mental Department ‘in here’.
This involves being interested in manipulating and receiving data, logic and information, but it’s ‘coming’ to them, and they are ‘doing’ it internally. Mathematics and computer programming for the data and the way it is organized are more in this internal department than the external. The programmer might design the database that holds the data. (But what the database is for is still about its Why.)
The emotional energy department. (15.6)
This department pertains to the emotional element in terms of our emotions about whom or whatever. The word ‘feelings’ can be both the senses and the emotions. However, we generally refer to other’s and our own emotions as our ‘feelings’, and I will be using it in this ‘sense’. This department also contains our most important memories, because of their emotional content.
Its element is Water, and the question we are asking is Who? The PEMS letter is E, and the Jungian letter is F. I consider that this department is ‘ruled’ by the Soul part of us.
Examples of this Energy Department.
- This is the Extraverted Feeling, aka the Emotional Energy Department ‘out there’.
This department gives an awareness of the other person’s feelings/emotions. The decision then, is what to do with this awareness. After all, the awareness of others’ emotions leaves one less aware of one’s own.
- IF. This is the Introverted Feeling, aka the Emotional Energy Department ‘in here’.
This is the awareness of one’s own feelings/emotions, with less awareness of others’ feelings.
The intuitive/spiritual energy department. (15.7)
Are these the same or different? What are they referring to?
Jung uses the ‘Intuitive’ as the function that makes the intuitive abstract leaps which are also referred to as ‘chunking up’. An example here would be a person who would see a large group of trees, and simply label that group as a ‘wood’ or a ‘forest’, with the consequence of taking little notice of the specific types of trees that make up said forest. The intuitive type is more interested in the principles underlying (or ‘overarching’) things than in the things themselves. This is a major difference between the Intuitive type and the Sensate type. This type of perception is an abstraction and a generalisation, and this department is often about ‘jumping to conclusions’ which can be logical or illogical and such leaps can be very ‘ungrounded’. These ‘leaps’ can give us insight, and possibilities, but they may or may not be ‘real’. This is also the department of signs and symbols and their meanings because these are abstractions as well. Seeing patterns of things lives here too, as well as our beliefs and values. Notice how much trouble we have with measuring anything that belongs here; it’s the difference between quantity and quality. It’s also the department of what things are about, or the meta-meanings, and from this we can come to understanding that it is also the department of the spiritual as well as what inspires us or is inspiritive or ‘sets fire’ to us. The name ‘spiritual’ seems too limited for this department, and maybe a better name might be ‘Inspiritive’, although it’s not much better. This department’s element is Fire, and the question we are asking is Why or What is the Meaning? The PEMS letter is S, and the Jungian letter is N because the ‘I’ is used for Introversion. Keirsey (1998) uses the term ‘abstract’. I consider that the spirit part of us ‘rules’ this department.
Examples of this Energy Department.
- This is the Extraverted Intuition, aka the Spiritual/Inspiritive Energy Department ‘out there’.
This brings an interest in others’ beliefs and values as well as the possibilities in others and things. This area includes social patterns and coming trends and people strong in this energy department can use these perceptions in an entrepreneurial way, as in, very good at starting something new and being enthusiastic about it, as well as having a lot of trouble executing it, because of the trouble with details (the specifics) that the Intuitive has.
- IN. This is the Introverted Intuition, aka the Spiritual/Inspiritive Energy Department ‘in here’.
The interest here is in one’s own beliefs and values and where they come from, as well as the possibilities within one’s self, and own perceptions, and then others, eventually, often as a contrast. An interest in symbols, symbolism, meaning and patterns in life, the abstract and so on. Inventors tend to be strong in this realm/department.
Using a company as an example. (15.8)
An example of these different energy departments could be a hypothetical transport company.
Its aim or reason for existence would be its own meaning, hence the ‘Why’ in the Internal ‘Intuitive/Spiritual’ Energy Department.
The trucks and all the actual equipment needed for the business is the ‘concrete’/sensate/specific/physical Energy Department. For carrying out the external transport, it’s the External Specific, and for carrying out the internal running of the company, it’s the Internal Specific, eg, trucks for the ‘outer’ and computers for the ‘inner’.
The people/staff/customers involved and their needs. The people running it will be the Internal Emotional, and the customers the External Emotional.
Which all requires data for keeping track of all of this, and that belongs in the Mental Department.
Remember, the internal and the external are different. How many companies spout ‘service’ and deliver anything but, partly because they forget why they’re there, and focus on the money instead, which is what others see. As in, you need all the energy departments all the time, and problems arise when you don’t include them.
The person and their energy. (15.9)
Jung noticed that people were different and had different interests and abilities. He did enormous amounts of research of old writings in Latin, Greek and Arabic, because humans have always been interested in the different types and have always tried to set up systems and categories; see the ‘Humours’ that were much used historically.
Eventually he set up a theory of different types which was further developed and extended by the mother and daughter Myers-Briggs team, and this personality typing system is referred to as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Jung called the energies ‘functions’. These energy departments are not just a way of classifying energy, humans are using them all the time as a response to the energy around them. Humans use energy to function. And these energy departments are on different sides of the brain, as in, our differences are actually built in.
The MBTI. (15B)
Introduction. (15.10)
The MBTI is a method of describing the energy departments within any person, as well as that person’s potential strengths and weaknesses as they learn to use those energies within themself. Hence, the MBTI is very useful for people to gain understanding of themselves and their primary interests, and it also helps us understand that others have their own tendencies and interests, and to allow for that. We are not all the same and are not meant to be either. The categories will show the tendencies but there is ample room for anyone’s individuality within that category.
It also makes sense to me that as energy beings in a world of energy, of course we have those departments of energy within us as well as outside us. In fact, we have to have an awareness of all these departments within us, but we have a personality that gives more emphasis to some departments over others, and this system shows us which ones are ‘strong’ or more interesting to us or have a greater emphasis in us, and which ones give us more trouble. This is useful information to know.
Some people object to the MBTI, claiming that it just categorizes people, putting them into ‘boxes’, or it is misused, which can happen, both in terms of misidentification, as well as bias against particular types.
However, most of this criticism is in the same category as blaming a hammer for hurting people. The MBTI is a tool and a very useful one. But it is not immune to misuse by people just as a hammer isn’t immune to misuse by human beings. We don’t stop using a hammer because it has injured someone, and we don’t even begin to think that the hammer is no good at all. It’s a hammer.
Another misunderstanding that people can have with the MBTI is that they think of it in terms of greater or less of a particular function, but this is not so. The system is showing you which energy departments are ‘to hand’ and which ones are less so. It is simply about the speed with which you access them; some fast, and some slow. Thus, some of the energy departments will seem ‘strong’ in us and some ‘weak’, but strengths can be overdone to the point of making us weak, and weaknesses can become strengths. However, where a department is ‘weak’ in us, we often tend to use its energy incorrectly or negatively, so the challenge is to learn to use it correctly.
Another misunderstanding is the concept that people can change their type as they ‘improve’. Well, to what? No energy department is better than another. Humans may judge these departments and they certainly do, as I have discussed in Chapter 3, but we have energy within us that takes us lifetimes to work out how to handle to our own satisfaction, and there is neither point nor advantage in changing our type.
The MBTI and the energy departments as functions. (15.11)
The MBTI is telling us which energy departments are the most important to us and the order of that importance. We have one from each energy department. So, the MBTI is also only telling us about 4 of the possible 8 departments; the other 4 are still there in you, but not as much as the other departments in that they are neither strong nor weak. These energy departments are acting as functions within us, as in, we are using them to interface with our world, as in, they are built into our own energy in how we face and interact with the energy of life. And some of these functions have priority for us, and some do not. But it sure makes us have different emphases in life; in fact, 16 different types of emphasis.
The MBTI is an observer’s typing or categorization of another’s first extraverted function because that is what we see first in the other. The introverted functions are not ‘visible’ to the other simply because they cannot be ‘seen’ by the other (or often even the owner); it is internal and thus invisible. To repeat, this system is an observation system, and is therefore used by the other person; many people have little idea of their own primary function, especially if it is introverted.
The 16 types are described using four letters. Two of these letters are about the energy departments and the other two letters tell us 1) whether the first energy function is internal or external, or 2) which category the function comes from. I am going to switch to using the word ‘functions’ instead of energy departments, simply because it is less clunky.
The four energy departments act as 2 pairs which function/work within us as;
- The Sensate and Intuitive (Spiritual) which are placed together under the category of Perceiving because one of these is how we take in what we perceive, while,
- The Thinking and Feeling are placed together under the category of Judging. This is not ‘judging’ as in deciding whether something is good or bad; it is more a Deciding, as to whether to use the Feeling function or the Thinking function to make whatever decision is being made.
They end up as 2 pairs because we cannot do Sensing and Intuitive at the same time; it’s either/or. Neither do we do Thinking and Feeling at the same time when we make decisions. Not to mention we either Perceive or Judge first, and not both.
Thus, the functions are arranged as shown in the diagram below with all four of them being able to be Introverted or Extraverted which simply means whether they are internal or external to us.
The diagram 15B2 for these categories is thus…
PERCEIVING | JUDGING | |
Introverted or | N=INTUITIVE | T=THINKING |
Extraverted | S=SENSATE | F=FEELING |
Introversion and extraversion. (15.12)
Our primary function can be introverted or extraverted. What does this mean and can you tell? A lot of people have trouble with this which is not helped by Western society (and especially the USA) deciding that introversion is generally not a good thing because it is considered to make the person less sociable (and in the USA possibly more at risk of shooting others or of being shot, but nobody says these things).
This means a lot of pressure on the naturally introverted to appear extraverted, and hence more introverts will develop their secondary function to pick up the extraversion aspect. However, this can skew the population numbers which are probably naturally about 50:50. Not to mention, all of us have both introverted and extraverted functions within our personality makeup. And our society assumes extraversion a great deal.
The best sort of test is to provide a contrast. One of the more humorous contrasts which has quite a bit of truth in it goes, “if an extravert knows anything, they think they know everything, while an introvert doesn’t think they know anything until they know everything”. Another useful contrast is, if an extravert is put in with a group of strangers, they will find that stimulating, ie, it gives them energy, while an introvert in a group of strangers will find it wearing, ie, it takes energy from them.
Introverts do need more time to themselves. They also find the numinous in the external world. The gift of introversion is depth, but an extravert may find them boring, because they (introverts) only focus on a few things. Introverts know a lot about a little. Introverts often use extraverts as their ‘social gateways’.
Extraverts tend to take on more stimulation from ‘out there’ and can overdo it. However, for them the numinous is in the internal world, and they need to take more time for themselves to find it. The gift of extraversion is breadth, but an introvert may find them a bit shallow and boring. Extraverts are more likely to know a little about a lot.
Populations. (15.13)
Well, you would think that there would be equal proportions for all these 8 Energy Departments, (the introverted or extraverted versions of N, S, F and T) but the actuality is that this is not so.
Introversion vs. Extraversion is about 50:50, as is Thinking vs. Feeling, but Sensate to Intuitive is about 75:25, which is 3:1, although in Keirsey’s estimate, it’s about 4:1. This means that in a classroom of 30 children, ~22-24 will be Sensate and only 6-8 will be Intuitive. This shifts our social valuing because the Intuitive type is in the minority, as in, the Sensate is more valued. Also, an Intuitive child may not necessarily find another of similar ilk in that class. There are 8 different types of Intuitives and there are likely to be only ~6-8 in a classroom of 30.
Reading the letters of the type. (15.14)
The first letter of the type ‘code’ tells you whether the primary function is Introverted/internal or Extraverted/external. If the primary function is Introverted, you’re not going to be able to identify it easily or quickly. It will be the secondary function that will be extraverted. Hence, we need to know the first two functions.
The second and third letters tell you about these first two functions, referred to as the primary and the secondary.
So, how can we tell which is which? We use the last letter, P or J, to tell us which side of Perceiving or Judging the extraverted function comes from.
If the person’s primary function is extraverted, it is quite straightforward to read the letters. Thus, ENFP shows us the person is an Extraverted Intuitive = EN. They are Extraverted, and N=Intuitive comes from the P=Perceiving side. The secondary function is Introverted Feeling = IF.
However, if the person’s primary function is introverted, it is less straightforward to read the letters. Thus, INFP shows us the person is an Introverted Feeler = IF. They are I=Introverted and F=Feeling, but it’s the primary function and comes from the J=Judging side. It’s the secondary function of Extraverted Intuition = EN that you are more likely to spot, and that comes from the Perceiving side. Thus, this person is a ‘J’ type of person, ie, Judging is their first function, in spite of the ‘P’ in the type name. Introverted ‘Ps’ are always ‘Judgers’, and introverted ‘Js’ are always ‘Perceivers’. This gets a bit ‘odd/funny’ when we look at the Introverted ‘SP’ and ‘SJ’ types in Keirsey’s Temperaments (1998), which see below.
Whether you are J or P (which ‘side’/category your primary function comes from) makes a difference in how you intrinsically tackle the world and therefore it makes a difference to what sort of questions we use when we are goal-setting and other working with the unconscious. This is a very important difference that is often missed, yet if we don’t understand that there’s a difference it can and does cause a great deal of confusion.
One of the differences between J or P types is in how we set up our daily routines.
J types with their lead in Thinking or Feeling, tend to set up routines and stick to them. The self-help advice that they give to others will be to change their routines, (just a little), to allow new Perceptions. However, P types with their lead in Sensing or Intuition need to establish routines in the first place, and have a hard time keeping them, because ‘something always comes up’. However, both children and creativity need routines for their safety and development, hence it is wise for P types to develop routines that suit their circumstances and their interests, and then learn to keep them, as in, limit their perceptions and Decide what they want, using Thinking or Feeling to work that out.
Another interesting aspect of the differences between using the Judging side or the Perceiving side for our Primary function is that it looks as though Perceivers are more likely to have their Time Lines (how they organize their personal memories internally) organized from behind them to in front of them (referred to as ‘In Time’), while Judgers are more likely to have them organized slightly in front of them, from their left side to their right (referred to as Through Time).
In the Toltec world, Judgers are labelled ‘Dreamers’ and Perceivers are labelled ‘Stalkers’.
There really is a difference between them.
The order of the letters. (15.15)
We use the letters to establish the primary function, and the secondary function comes from the other side of the Deciding or Perceiving divide.
We are Extraverted or Introverted in our Primary function, and then the opposite, I or E in our Secondary function. Then we are the opposite again, E or I in our Tertiary and then the opposite again, I or E in our 4th function which is referred to as the Inferior function. This ‘EIEI or IEIE’ alternation is simply built-in and correlates with how our brain is built, as I will discuss below.
The secondary and tertiary functions are actually both on the same side of the J or P divide (but are on different sides of the brain), and the 4th function comes back onto the same side as the Primary function and is basically its opposite function.
Thus, to use the ENFP example above, the sequence is EN=Extraverted INtuition as the Primary, IF=Introverted Feeling as the Secondary, then we stay on the same side (Judging or Perceiving) but the opposite extraversion or introversion for the Tertiary function which in this example is ET=Extraverted Thinking, then we go back to the other side, again with the opposite introversion/extraversion, and IS=Introverted Sensing as the Inferior, and that ‘IS’ is the ‘opposite’ of EN= Extraverted INtuition.
Another ‘explanation’.
We start on one side of the J or P divide and then change over to the other side. We also swap the E or I. We always swap the E or I for the next function.
This gets us from the Primary function to the Secondary function.
We stay on this side of the J or P divide and go to the other function within that side. We swap the E or I again.
This gets us from the Secondary function to the Tertiary function.
We change back to our original J or P side to its other function while again swapping that E or I.
This gets us to the Inferior function. It’s the 4th function and it will be the opposite of our Primary function, and on the same side of the J/P divide as it is.
The functions. (15.16)
What are the functions telling us?
Our first 2 functions are our strongest functions. They both actually live on the same side of the brain so that they have a similar accessibility for us.
The Primary function. This is the strongest function in that it is how you face or tackle the world, or how it influences you, and it is your fastest function, or your most accessible, or your ‘lead’ function. We can actually overdo this function, because we need to use our other functions to develop ourselves fully, just as we need to use all departments of energy to get the full picture, not just a partial one.
The Secondary function. This is our next strongest or most accessible function, although it can take a slight internal ‘shift’ on our part to use it. Developing this one gives us more ‘depth’ and skills in life.
The next two functions actually involve a shift to the other side of the brain, and shifting to the other side of the brain takes time (5-10+ mins or so?). We don’t know the ‘other side’ of our brains, so it seems to be much less ‘us’, and ‘darker’, ‘weaker’ and more difficult to name it or get a handle on it. There are often a lot of assumptions here and assumptions always trip us up. We always feel ‘clunky’ and ‘slow’ when we tackle these functions.
However, this does not mean that we cannot become good at doing them, but it does mean that it always takes time to tackle them. The best attitude then is to allow for that time and you will generally need to feel relaxed as well. Another way of thinking about them could be you won’t be so good at them ‘on your feet’ or to ‘wing’ it, but you might get good at them ‘on your bottom’, as in, do it sitting down (as relevant).
The Tertiary function.
There’s always something wrong with this one somehow as far as we’re concerned. It can feel incorrect, wrong, inaccurate, or critical in terms of being derogatory; it never seems ‘right’ or reliable for some reason we’re often not sure of anyway. So, it’s kind of ‘weak’, from inside us as well as outside us to boot, and we tend to hide from it or run away, as in, we ‘put it off’ as much as we can.
The ‘other side’ of this tertiary function (either the inner or outer aspect accordingly) is also a nuisance because we ‘filter’ it automatically somehow. We also sort of disapprove of it or don’t want to know in some manner, so it doesn’t come through to us fully or properly, so we get that ‘wrong’ as well. For example if the 3rd function is IT=Introverted Thinking, its owner will consider that their own thinking is ‘wrong’ somehow, in that what they are thinking internally is incorrect in some manner, but the ‘other side’, which in this example is ET=Extraverted Thinking means some of the data/information from out there just doesn’t get through to the owner or unconsciously they didn’t want to know, which can really trip them up.
Another example would be for EN=Extraverted Intuition as the 3rd function, that person will think that other people’s beliefs, values or meanings, or religion are ‘wrong’ but won’t really know why, and their own ‘other side’ of this 3rd function will be IN=Introverted Intuition, which gets ‘filtered’ for them anyway, and so that person doesn’t actually register their own thoughts about these things, or they disapprove of them or don’t want to know.
The trouble is that facing the tertiary function and its little mate/offsider (ie, both sides of this energy department) often makes us feel as if ‘my eyes glaze over’ ie, it gives us the ‘MEGOs,’ so we feel as if we’ll never get anywhere with them. We can’t even comprehend them in the first place.
But, actually taking the time to really sort out these two functions (the inner and outer of the same energy department) can be exceptionally valuable for our own self-awareness and ability to handle said energy functions and hence grow for ourselves, but it is rarely done willingly. We usually have to get very stuck and in pain before we’ll look at these. Looking at these functions also means that we are allowing what seems to be a rather primitive and ‘weak’ part of ourselves to have its say about how life is for ‘it’ (not ‘us’, ie, it feels like someone else, which is to do with being on the other side of the brain, and harder for us to get at).
This tertiary function seems to be tackled more when people are in their late 40’s to early 50’s, and life has ‘banged them around’ a bit.
The Inferior Function.
The 4th function is referred to as the Inferior function because it always feels inferior, as in we don’t feel very good at it. It’s another function that always stays ‘weak’ in terms of a bit ‘slow’ and ‘clunky’ and takes a while to get started, and it is easy to get overwhelmed if there’s too much of it. This one feels like it’s something we cannot not do, as in, there’s a somewhat obsessive quality about it.
Once again, we can become good at it, but it always needs some time to sort of ‘circle around it’ and ‘get into it’, so allow for that. However, this energy department can also be a source of stress and overwhelm, especially seemingly dropped on us by others, so it’s a good idea to name this energy department fully for yourself so that you can recognize it and be aware. Another thing is that even if we get very good in this energy department, we never seem to get enough recognition from others for it (essentially, it’s our own self who never feels that it’s ‘strong’), and probably need to get a handle on what is happening with our Primary function which is more ‘natural’ for us.
This is also a warning about making a career or vocation out of this function, because it can be overwhelming as well as having difficulties with feeling recognized. This function is not ‘strong’, and you won’t feel strong unless you’re using your primary function somehow. But, again, this is not necessarily easy to do in a society that judges the energy departments.
The inferior function as the opposite of the primary function. (15.17)
One of the more interesting aspects of the Inferior function is that it is Extraverted in Introverts (those people with an Introverted Primary Function) so that it is much easier to spot if you observe what they do, because the Inferior function is something we can’t not do. Hence, you can use it to help you confirm what their type actually is, especially with Introverts. See von Franz (1993).
Introverted Thinkers =IT (ISTP, INTP) have Extraverted Feeling (EF) as their inferior function. They know what other people’s feelings are and may put them ahead of their own which they may have little idea of. They can’t not do this (and can make very good therapists in a thinker’s modality such as NLP) but it may be to their detriment in personal or family time. They tend to ‘rescue’ people in some way.
Extraverted Thinkers =ET (ESTJ, ENTJ) have Introverted Feeling (IF) as their inferior function. This may mean that other people have to walk around on eggshells to avoid ‘hurting that person’s feelings’. It would depend greatly on how much that person has differentiated their values.
Introverted INtuitives =IN (INFJ, INTJ) have Extraverted Sensation (ES) as their inferior function. They will almost always work with their hands in some way, knitting, pottery, gardening, sculpting, building etc, but will be happier if they have control over the ‘design’ element of this.
Extraverted INtuitives =EN (ENFP, ENTP) have Introverted Sensation (IS) as their inferior function. Examples of this could be yoga, horse riding, dancing or a strong interest in the martial arts.
Introverted Sensates = IS (ISTJ, ISFJ) have Extraverted INtuition (EN) as the inferior function. Since the inferior function is generally unsophisticated and undeveloped it can show up as someone who is very superstitious and jumps at the sight of a black cat; they are taking it as a symbol (EN) of bad luck. An IS can also be very keyed in to other people’s religions and the way they find meaning in their life (EN), and may read a lot about such things, forever looking, but never actually deciding on a belief system themselves (IN).
Extraverted Sensates =ES (ESFP, ESTP) have Introverted INtuition (IN) as the inferior function. They are more likely to find their own meanings rather than use others’, but it can still show up as being superstitious or afraid of the future or looking for the concrete meanings of every symbol.
Introverted Feelers =IF (ISFP, INFP) can’t not be interested in external data/information (ET). Many of them write, work with or ‘digest’ information, but they cannot do it quickly, because the 4th function is slow. (An addiction to Scrabble can be an indicator here.) They can have difficulty reading street signs and internalising the information quickly, so may have a hard time navigating quickly (although they can be perfectly OK given the time).
Extraverted Feelers =EF (ESFJ, ENFJ) have Introverted Thinking (IT) as their inferior function. And woe betide them if their internal data or ‘voice’ about what they are or do is self-critical because it will never stop until addressed. Under stress there can be a suddenly cold, inhuman and detached persona as a major contrast to their normally warm and considerate selves.
Our MBTI type and the world ‘out there’. (15.18)
I mentioned above that the populations for Sensate and Intuitive differ, (at least for countries that have statistics) which seems a bit strange, although it’s probably ‘normal’, in that the number of people intrinsically interested in ‘Intuitive/Abstract’ concerns has never been as high as those dealing with the Sensate/Concrete.
But the other thing is that our society judges these energy departments as to what we take notice of and what we don’t, and this affects us greatly in terms of what we are born with and how that is valued within society.
Our society values the Mental/Thinking data/information Department greatly, as also the Physical/Sensate. The Emotional/Feeling is denigrated, and the Spiritual/Intuitive is mostly ‘for the birds’. We even value them differently whether they are Introverted/internal or Extraverted/external.
Thus, a male born with IF=Introverted Feeling as their Primary function is going to have a very hard time using it to earn a living and will have to ‘fish around’ the other energy departments to find an avenue for his abilities. EF males also have a hard time, as do most IN’s, at least until they’ve had more experience in the world.
Of course, a lot of how we are able to appreciate and use our strengths and weaknesses will come from guidance within the family. On the other hand, families can have limitations in only knowing particular areas, so it can be valuable to yourself to know where your interests lie.
The MBTI then is showing you your two strongest functions and your two weakest, with the other four being more or less available to you depending on what side of the brain they are on. This table shows which energy departments live on which side of the brain. TABLE 2.
Table 15B2 of MBTI types with their functions, on which side of the brain. An awful lot of letters.
This table is sorted by Keirsey’s Temperaments. The ‘side’ column refers to the side of the brain that the function resides in. This information is from Lenore Thomson’s wonderful book on personality type (1998) which is full of good things.
MBTI TABLE | ||||||||||
PRIMARY | side | SECOND | side | TERTIARY 1st | side | TERTIARY 2nd | INFERIOR | side | ||
SP | ESTP | ES | R | IT | R | EF | L | IF | IN | L |
Artisans | ESFP | ES | R | IF | R | ET | L | IT | IN | L |
the Now | ISTP | IT | R | ES | R | IN | L | EN | EF | L |
ISFP | IF | R | ES | R | IN | L | EN | ET | L | |
SJ | ESTJ | ET | L | IS | L | EN | R | IN | IF | R |
Guardians | ESFJ | EF | L | IS | L | EN | R | IN | IT | R |
the Past | ISTJ | IS | L | ET | L | IF | R | EF | EN | R |
ISFJ | IS | L | EF | L | IT | R | EN | EN | R | |
NF | ENFP | EN | R | IF | R | ET | L | IT | IS | L |
Idealists | ENFJ | EF | L | IN | L | ES | R | IS | IT | R |
the Future | INFP | IF | R | EN | R | IS | L | ES | ET | L |
INFJ | IN | L | EF | L | IT | R | ET | ES | R | |
NT | ENTP | EN | R | IT | R | EF | L | IF | IS | L |
Rationals | ENTJ | ET | L | IN | L | ES | R | IS | IF | R |
Outside Time | INTP | IT | R | EN | R | IS | L | ES | EF | L |
INTJ | IN | L | ET | L | IF | R | EF | ES | R |
Right or Left brained.
If you’re Right brained, you will be using Extraverted Perceiving and Introverted Judging.
This means access to the energy departments of EN and ES (Extraverted Intuition and Sensate of the Perceiving side) and the IT and IF, (the Introverted Thinking and Feeling of the Judging side).
If you are Left brained, you will be using Introverted Perceiving and Extraverted Judging.
This means access to the energy departments of IN and IS (Introverted Intuition and Sensate of the Perceiving side) and the ET and EF (the Extraverted Thinking and Feeling of the Judging side).
So, here we are, built with 4 of the energy departments on one side of the brain, and the other 4 on the other side, and we need all 8 to develop our Growth Diamond for ourselves. A very good reason to consider asking the other side of our brain ‘who/what is there?’.
Thus, the MBTI gives us a handle on how we face life and ‘handle’ it. It gives us a way of understanding our and others’ strengths as well as the weaknesses. It also helps us understand that no single person has a handle on all of it, no matter what it looks like. There are always strengths and weaknesses, not to mention our strengths can be overdone and become weak and worn out, and the same can be said of our ‘weaknesses’ which can become strengths as we find the courage to face them in ourselves.
Keirsey’s temperaments. (15C)
Introduction. (15.19)
The MBTI is useful in many ways, but the sixteen MBTI types can be sorted into another set of groups which Keirsey labels Temperament. There are four categories of four types each of all the SJs together, the SPs, the NTs and the NFs.
These different groups are labelled SJ, the Guardians; SP, the Artisans; NT, the Rationals; and NF, the Idealists.
The table ABOVE shows the different groups along with their Primary through their Inferior functions. TABLE 2
These ‘temperaments’ give us a remarkable amount of information about what any person wants from life, and how they go about it. They tell us their interests, drivers, orientation, self-image, values and the kind of social roles that each type is attracted to. In short, we get a lot of information about motive and intent. Both your own and others, so it makes sense to set your goals to be in line with your own personality strengths and tendencies.
No matter how much society in general worships godship as the way to prosper and be happy etc, it is simply not the way to find True Self-Esteem and the more satisfied or ‘filling’ sort of happiness that such TSE provides, and that this book bangs on about somewhat. And each person goes about finding their TSE according to their natural tendencies. Hence it makes sense to understand what these natural tendencies might be, and use them accordingly; ‘horses for courses’.
Keirsey’s book “Please Understand Me II” (1998) has all the detail about these different groups and is very interesting reading (if that’s your ‘bag’, of course). What I want to look at in this section are some of the aspects of the different groups that affect goal-setting, along with some social commentary on how the differences affect us.
These are short thumbnail sketches of the different types, and they are very different.
The different temperaments. (15.20)
SP.
The SP Artisan type prefers to be stimulated and excited, to play and to be impulsive. They live in the now, ie, the present. They use their bodies and their tools in sensate, artistic and skillful ways. They comprise a large proportion of sports people, athletes and dancers, as well as those in the entertainment industry. Their general population is about 37-40% of society. Their chief complaint of ‘same old, same old’ is about wanting and needing stimulation and variety and having a low tolerance for boredom. They aspire to being a virtuoso at whatever they are interested in, and they look for a playmate. They are not naturally cooperative.
SJ.
The SJ Guardian type is “centred in the world of visible and tangible things. They are known for relying on common sense, and for holding morally correct beliefs, and are alert to the needs and the perils of others” [Keirsey]. They are more interested in security and protection, and they are cooperative and dutiful. Their general population is about 37-40% of society. They aspire to being an executive in whatever they are interested in, and they look for a helpmate. They look to the past and to ‘rules’ to guide them in the present.
NF
The NF Idealist type is interested in “what can only be seen with the mind’s eye; love and hate, heaven and hell, values, beliefs, fantasies, possibilities, symbols, selves and personalities” [Keirsey]. They like to uncover meaning and significance and they especially like to read between the lines (although not necessarily accurately – that’s a detail). Their general population is about 10-13% of society. Their communication is often laced with metaphor. They look for insight and crave authenticity. They are cooperative, altruistic and credulous (which can be a right pill). They live in the future, aspire to wisdom and maturity and they look for a soulmate and for inner peace.
It’s NFs who tend to write about such ideals which can be inspiring for others.
NT.
The NT Rational types use abstract concepts and love the use of words, especially if extensive and erudite. They excel in the scientific and technological worlds, and prize education. Their general population is about 10-13% of society, and a high proportion of them have some form of tertiary education. The academic and research worlds are generally thick with NTs. These people particularly like Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am”. They pride themselves on their intelligence, ingenuity and rationality. They are not cooperative and look for autonomy. They live outside of time, that is, they are involved in something until that is done, which will take as long as it takes, and can be entirely oblivious to others’ needs for schedules etc. (ie, not easy to live with). They aspire to being a wizard, and they look for a mind-mate.
And all of the above are primary, ‘built-in’ differences, but of course, we ourselves are the one that is right, and everyone else has it just a little bit skewed/odd.
Social commentary. (15.21)
Some comparing and contrasting of the groups.
No group is ‘better than’ another; ‘viva la difference’, (as we set about trying to convert others to our version of the world). All have strengths and weaknesses. It may well make sense to run companies with at least one from each type to contribute as a board of executives, although that would require great maturity and cooperation on their part, and coping with rarely agreeing about anything. It’s also a warning that if there is complete agreement, something is bound to be incorrect, and a point of view will be missing.
Weaknesses. (15.22)
Remember ‘weaknesses’ can become strengths.
Both the ‘S’ groups, SP Artisans, and SJ Guardians are ‘weak’ in the Inspiritive/Abstract energy department, which shows up in various ways in cynicism and lack of meaning. This is quite a lot of the population at 75-80% and they find it difficult to overcome this attitude, as well as reinforcing each other that they must be right, and there is no point to Life (the NT Rationals like to join in as well, so that’s a lot of people agreeing with each other). On the other hand, they consider the NF Idealist types as pretty naïve, even though they (the other groups) could use some of the NF’s idealistic enthusiasm.
The NF Idealists tend to have problems with the Mental and the Physical areas. They may have trouble thinking quickly and/or dealing with a lot of data at once, not to mention the details/specifics of the physical world in and around them.
The NT Rationals have trouble with both the Physical and the Emotional areas and have the classic response of not wishing to deal with either the body or its feelings (senses and emotions) at all, so may not be good at looking after themselves. They also know that they are much cleverer than everyone else, so it’s a problem when someone is better at whatever than they are. But all of us have trouble with comparing and ‘better than’. It’s more about what society deems ‘better’, and ‘scientists’ are high in the academic godship ranks (although the pay isn’t brilliant).
Time. (15.23)
One of the more interesting differences is in how these different groups experience time.
This can be heard in their speech and the way they talk about things.
The SP Artisans live in the Now, as in, the present.
The SJ Guardians live in the Past.
The NF Idealists live in the Future and
the NT Rationals live outside time.
Thus, if someone is talking about aiming at ‘living in the Now’ as an ideal thing to do, that person is probably an NF Idealist who naturally lives in the future. SP Artisans already live in the Now, and actually need to learn the consequences of what they do at any one time. So, such an ideal is not terribly useful for anyone else except another Idealist who finds it hard to do. Neither SJs nor NTs are much fussed about such things.
Cooperation. (15.24)
Two of the 4 groups, SJ and NF are cooperative and the other two, SP and NT are not, and the lack of cooperation can come as a shock to a naturally cooperative person. This is half and half in the population. Essentially, there are advantages and disadvantages in both, but the ‘cooperatives’ can learn to be a bit more rebellious and/or single-minded, and the un-cooperatives need to learn that cooperation can be useful to them. The un-cooperatives do not consider the other at all unless it’s to their advantage, nor do they recognize when others are being cooperative with them.
This brings me to manners and good old ‘unconditional love’, strangely enough.
In section 11.70 ‘The Slap’ I discussed the problem of disciplining children while trying to give them ‘unconditional love’.
The writer Alice Miller (1984) was an NF Idealist, and the NF group is the lone group of children who will essentially bring themselves up, because punishment of any kind – even just disapproval – mortifies them, but it does not do so for the other types. For example, many tradesmen are SP Artisans and have to learn to be cooperative and actually liaise with their clients or they won’t have any, because this does not come naturally.
Hence, it is wiser to work out how to discipline children according to the nature of the child (and your own awareness of course), not according to an idealistic ‘ought/should’ of ‘unconditional love’ which possibly works for 10-13% of society, if that.
‘Unconditional love’ is a nice enough ideal, but clearly many types of children actually need to learn about the consequences of their actions, and if they have no such learnings tend to feel entitled to whatever they want or do at the time. But who wants those who feel entitled to do/have anything they like around them?
Increasingly, our society is admiring and promoting the SP ‘ideals’ of constant stimulation and excitement and a ‘do everything your own way’ mentality that completely ignores consequences, leaving the largely SJ Guardian law enforcement world at a complete loss as to how to deal with it all. NT Rationals generally figure out the consequences a little sooner, largely because the academic world pulls their interest. Telecom companies for example tend to attract both NTs (inventors and engineers for the systems), and SPs (‘cowboys’ and salesmen), and service simply is not natural for either of these types, especially when the CEO is an NT, which happens. This is not to excuse them; it’s much more about making sure that lack of real service is actually more punished/consequential in a way that counts to them.
Sensate/concrete and intuitive/abstract. (15.25)
The greatest difference between the groups lies in the gap between the Sensate (concrete or specific) types and the Intuitive (abstract) types, and communication between them can be quite fraught, as in, the language/words used by them are very different. So much so that in general, long-term friendships, partnerships and marriages tend to remain within their own group, as in, Sensate with Sensate and Intuitive with Intuitive. Another thing I find interesting is that if both parents are Sensate, their children are likely to be the same, and Intuitives are likely to have Intuitive children. ‘Mixed’ marriages produce a mix of Sensate and Intuitive to the confusion of all, and the need for a great deal of tolerance all round.
The above is of course, all about ‘different strokes for different folks’, but all of the points above affect our attitudes as to what is desirable in life and how to go about getting that. And that affects our goal-setting and of course our unconscious, and “all behaviour, learning and change begins at the unconscious“, so we need to take said unconscious into account, and learn how to work with it.
Establishing your own MBTI type. (15.26)
There are oodles of questionnaire’s out there, but some of the ‘simple’ ones easily available on websites are not particularly well thought out. Keirsey’s book ‘Please Understand Me II.’ has a questionnaire as well as providing enough information about the different temperaments to help you work out what yours might be. Further reading of other MBTI books (some are listed below) can help you confirm your type, as well as others’.
Conclusion. (15.27)
Not everybody is interested in the topics of this chapter. But, given that our society deems some functions/energy departments much better than others, if you don’t have these more valued functions ‘strong’ in your MBTI makeup, you may find that you don’t ‘fit in’ or have no idea what you want to do, or never feel particularly happy with what you end up doing. And the answer is that you may well not ‘fit in’ but it’s not necessarily your fault or that you’re automatically a ‘failure’.
The point about having some understanding of energy departments as well as the MBTI, is that it can help you look to where your strengths are, which can help you identify those things that satisfy you most. Hence, it helps you with goal-setting, which is the next chapter.