Post by Banned from the original WCF on Nov 21, 2019 18:45:46 GMT -5
Preface:
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a pseudoscience. Don't take any of this as actual scientific fact, despite how weirdly intricate/structured the system is. Nonetheless, it still serves as a fun tool to understand yourself as a person.
Cognitive Functions:
The Framework:
Inverse (Shadow) functions:The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a pseudoscience. Don't take any of this as actual scientific fact, despite how weirdly intricate/structured the system is. Nonetheless, it still serves as a fun tool to understand yourself as a person.
What it is.
Origin:
Origin:
- The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (or MBTI) is a personality system based off Carl Jung's psychoanalytical theories. According to Jung, humans experience and respond to stimuli in different (yet systematic) ways. Certain patterns arise from these responses, leading to what Jung called "Archetypes". Archetypes are constructed from the conscious and unconscious mind.
Development:
How it works.
The Letters:
- Archetypes are further expanded by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers, with the creation of the MBTI. The MBTI is a simplification of Jungian archetypes, and disregards the notion of unconscious responses. However, it also deconstructs how the archetypes are developed. While Jungian archetypes are static entities, the MBTI showcases each archetype as a combination of certain fundamentals: cognitive functions. Cognitive functions serve as the foundation for how each type internalizes information, then exhibits behavior.
Modern MBTI:
- Further on, even the notion of cognitive functions eroded into the modern 4 letter system. While simple enough to understand, the systems lose value in terms of what makes a archetype so special. Websites can make up a bunch of crap about personalities, with little rigor needed. Most importantly, it does not explain why an archetype (personality type) acts the way it does. It also leads to notions of split types/dual types, which does not make sense in Jungian psychoanalysis.
Definitive MBTI:
- Despite the simplifications made to the MBTI, the underlying system is still there. This guide is here to explain how each personality type works in terms of cognitive functions, the unconscious, as well as the framework of personality types.
How it works.
The Letters:
- Despite the flack I gave the 4 letter system, it does serve a purpose in terms of explaining how a personality works. Lets go through them:
- Introversion/Extroversion: I and E respectively shape where each personality takes/processes information. It does NOT have anything to do with how social you are. This is an issue that arises from the simplification of the modern MBTI system.
- Intuition/Sensing: N and S respectively shape how each personality experiences the world. Furthermore, it is arguably the most influential part of a persons personality, considering that it holds the most merit in terms of behavior/thinking patterns.
- Thinking/Feeling: T and F respectively shape how each personality internalizes ideas, as well as how personalities express them. While some personalities might be more dominant in terms of emotional/rational behavior, it does NOT have anything to do with morality/emotional maturity (mostly).
- Judging/Perceiving: J and P don't actually serve a purpose within the traits of a personality. However, it shapes the order of cognitive functions, which is important in the composition of personality types.
Cognitive Functions:
- Each personality type is comprised of 4 cognitive functions. Cognitive functions are like flavours: each has a distinct taste that serves a distinct purpose. A combination of them leads to a specific blend of flavours: in essence, a personality type. Each function takes an input (stimuli) then delivers and output (behavior). Lets actually meet these cognitive functions: Ni: Introverted Intuition Ne: Extroverted Intuition
Si: Introverted Sensing Se: Extroverted Sensing
Fi: Introverted Feeling Fe: Extroverted Feeling
Ti: Introverted Thinking Te: Extroverted Thinking
- Ni - The Black Hole: Think of this as the function that implicitly collects all the information given to an individual, the converges it into one singular and grand idea. The result is an idea that usually only exists in terms of abstraction, rather than anything concrete.
- Ne - The Big Bang: Think of this as the antithesis of a black hole: it takes an idea and diverges it in all directions, creating a complex web of abstract concepts that relate which each other implicitly.
- Si - The Time Travel Machine: This function collects information from past events and memories, relying on profound ideas that are found within personal experience. Think of this as picking parts and pieces from the past, then stitching it into a fundamental.
- Se - Literally a Sensor: This function is the most concrete of them all, relying on hard facts to collect information. Auditory, visual, sensory, etc cues are all indexed and listed as information. Think of this as book keeping during a science experiment.
- Fi - Reflection: This function deals with a lot of the internalization/ideals of an individual. It creates moral codes, as well as organizes the emotions of an individual.
- Fe - Connection: This function is literally the inverse of Fi: organizing external emotions. This manifests itself as expression of morals, as well as the application of them on others. Hence, connecting emotions with people.
- Ti - Rationalization: This function deals with analyzing and internalizing ideas. It might be considered a loose foil to Fi, where instead of emotions, it deals with concepts.
- Te - Framework Building: Instead of analyzing explicitly, this function applies and organizes information externally. Think of it as a skeleton, or a system, it simply organizes objects into categories externally.
- The first 4 functions can be categorized as Information functions, while the last 4 can be categorized as Analysis functions.
The Framework:
- As mentioned before, each personality type consists of 4 cognitive functions. Lets take a look at how they're organized:
1. Dominant: Dominant functions are the strongest functions of a personality type. Apart from being the most flushed out, they are the most used function in a type's arsenal. Types that are N/S dominant are strong with information synthesis, while T/F are strong with information analysis.
2. Auxiliary: Auxiliary functions serve as a sidekick to dominant function, often being the refining process of whatever work the first function has done. Furthermore, it also might be how each personality type likes to present itself or its ideas.
3. Tertiary: Tertiary functions represent a relatively weaker aspect of a personality, that often matures and hones itself with age. These functions provide a supplement of information or ideas to the Dominant and Auxiliary functions. Think of it as additional wisdom, in a sense.
4. Inferior: Inferior functions are a foil to the first three functions. It is the weakest and least understood function to each respective personality, often manifesting itself as a particular struggle a personality may face. However, with age, the inferior function serves a purpose, albeit, it still remains a supplement, rather than a reliable tool.
Composition:
- Now that we know the structure and components of a personality, lets actually show the ordering methodology.IXXJ: Ni/Si -> Te/Fe -> Ti/Fi -> Ne/SeEXXJ: Te/Fe -> Ni/Si -> Ne/Se -> Ti/FiIXXP: Ti/Fi -> Ne/Se -> Ni/Si -> Te/FeEXXP: Ne/Se -> Ti/Fi -> Te/Fe -> Ni/Si
XXXJ use standard ordering for functions, while XXXP use inverse ordering. This simply determines if an Analysis or an Information function comes first. However, the designation of IXXX or EXXX inverts the order as well. While seemingly nonsensical, we can determine a generalized ordering process for these functions:
1. Introversion/Extroversion determines whether the Dominant function is an introverted function or an extroverted function.
2. The Introversion/Extroversion is changed every time you move down the list. I.E. If the first function is Extroverted, the second must be introverted. Vice Versa.
3. The Dominant and Inferior Function must both be the same type. I.E. They must be both Information or Analysis functions.
4. The Auxiliary and Tertiary function must both be the same type. I.E. They must be both Information or Analysis functions.
Consider these to be the "axioms" of ordering. - My personality type is an INTJ. Lets interpret this in the form of cognitive functions.
Since my type starts with an I (IXXX), I know that the function has to be introverted. Now, I'll look at the second letter XNXX and the fourth letter (XXXJ) to figure out the dominant function. Since XXXJ types have standard ordering, I know that my type has to be in the order of Information -> Analysis. Therefore, my dominant function is Ni. I know my next function is extroverted based on rule 2, and it has to be a different type, based on rule 4. Therefore, my next function is Te. Based on rule 2 and rule 4, I know my next function is Fi. And finally, based on rule 1 and rule 4, I know my last function is Se.
Therefore, the cognitive functions of an INTJ is: Ni - Te - Fi - Se
Here is a list of all the cognitive functions for each type:INTJ: Ni - Te - Fi - Se ENTJ: Te - Ni - Se - Fi INFJ: Ni - Fe - Ti - Se ENFJ: Fe - Ni - Se - Ti
ISTJ: Si - Te - Fi - Ne ESTJ: Te - Si - Ne - Fi ISFJ: Si - Fe - Ti - Ne ESFJ: Fe - Si - Ne - Ti
INTP: Ti - Ne - Si - Fe ENTP: Ne - Ti - Fe - Si INFP: Fi - Ne - Si - Te ENFP: Ne - Fi - Te - Si
ISTP: Ti - Se - Ni - Fe ESTP: Se - Ti - Fe - Ni ISFP: Fi - Se - Ni - Te ESFP: Se - Fi - Te - Ni
- Relating back to Jungian archetypes, each personality type also has a list of inverse functions. These functions represent the unconscious essence of a personality type. Figuring out the inverse function is simple: swap the introversion/extroversion properties of a function.
For example, lets consider the INTJ personality type again: Ni - Te - Fi - Se. If we flip each function, we get Ne - Ti - Fe - Si. Curiously, this combination of functions results in the personality type, ENTP.
What it means.
Interpreting your personality type:
- This is where the majority of misinterpretations of modern MBTI stem from. An EXXX type does not necessarily mean that you're socially extroverted. It indicates that your dominant function operates in an internal or external manner (taking ideas from within, or taking it externally). XXFX and XXTX types also have a stereotype of being overly emotional or edgy. That is not true either: it just designates how you analyze/apply your ideas.
Getting that out of the way, lets try and interpret the type ENTP.
Taking a look at the cognitive functions, we get Ne as the dominant cognitive function. Therefore, this is a good indication that this personality type is very good at brainstorming/developing a plethora or ideas. Furthermore, as Ti is its auxiliary function, this type has strengths specializing in analysis, particularity breaking down and organizing the ideals it extrapolates.
The tertiary function indicates a refining aspect of this personality type. With Fe, it might be interested in seeing how its ideas can be applied to society, or to a group in general. However, sometimes the tertiary function might not work properly; hindering this personality type by being fixated on people's opinions. Si is also a double edged sword, considering it is the inferior function. This type may be able to draw relevant information from past experiences; but it might also cause bad the type to grief over past problems, or be held back by fear.
Cognitive functions play a positive role in a personalty's thinking process, but tertiary, inferior, and unconscious (shadow) functions can manifest in negative ways under stress. Shadow functions may cause a type to act in a negative and destructive manner, causing a type to act like another personality entirely.
Interpersonal Relations:
- This is one of the most interpretive parts of the MBTI, as even Jungian psychoanalytical does not cover interactions between types. How each type may coexist with another is extremely complicated and highly specific. However, based off cognitive functions, generally types that share the same dominant function/auxiliary function are likely to be fiendly towards each other. More often that not however, conflict arises between XNXX and XSXX types. An INTP is more likely to get along with an INFP, despite the fact that an INTP shares the same dominant function as an ISTP.
How to find your personality type.
Learning more about yourself:
- Being 100% honest, a test just isn't going to cut it. They go against the spirit of cognitive functions, relying on stereotypes about personalities that ignore the fundamental strengths of each type. An ESFJ doesn't have to be an extrovert socially, nor does a person have to be a recluse to be an INFP. The questions designed on each test presents a scorecard, not an actual pattern in behaviour.
The best way to figure out your type is to find it yourself. It takes time, but once you understand how you think, and how cognitive functions work, you can figure it out. An online test is a good baseline to have, but remember to criticize, analyze, and really think about your result compared to functions.
Obviously, this isn't something you need to do by yourself. Talking to others is a good way to gauge yourself, and ask for feedback on how they interpret you. Different perspective are essential in figuring out what type you are and why.
In the end however, You are the master of your own personality. A test can't describe who you are, and so can't the MBTI. However, you can always use this as a reference in an effort to understand yourself.