Thought I’d bring this old poll back up because I’ve kinda been on a Jung/Cognitive Traits rabbithole dive the last week or so. Now I’ve kinda got a better perspective on the Myers Briggs and Jungian theory in general, rather than just the experience of taking the MB and reading the results much like a horoscope.
All Jungian analysts and theorists pretty much agree that the MB test has its flaws but can be useful as a starting point to a deeper analysis. They are pretty much in agreement that you can’t really type somebody with one test, because it’s a blunt instrument and is easily “gamed” if someone is so inclined. Some people do this instinctively and some on purpose. So some people get a different result every time and some people (like me) tend to get consistent results. Either way its not reliable in and of itself without considerable follow up analysis and study. No self respecting analyst is gonna just rely on a single kind of test to diagnose your primary cognitive functions, which is what the MB attempts to do. Most frown on it’s use for decision making in a corporate setting that might determine someone’s career. Altho there are opportunists in every field who market their "expertise" to the highest bidder, be they corporations or everyday internet suckers, for cash.
What the test is trying to measure is your dominate cognitive functions. According to Jung these are the cognitive functions that people tend to use. They come in pairs of opposites.
Introversion vs extroversion. Jung defines this as do you “recharge your batteries” by being around a lot of people and activity, or by quiet time alone.
Feeling vs thinking-for example, is this action right or wrong because my feelings/internal moral compass tells me so or because it’s correct or incorrect because Logic.
sensing vs intuition-for example do I know this from direct experience in the world(sensing) , or because I suspect it intuitively even tho I have no direct material experience.
Judging vs Perceiving. This one is harder to explain but I see it as do you tend to take in your environment primarily to make a decision of some kind(Judging) or do you tend to sit back and be content to soak in everything without an immediate, or perhaps never, value judgement(perceiving).
Of course everybody does all these things, it’s a matter of degree and which ones dominate.
Each of the functions can be performed in an introverted or extroverted manner. So really each person has a total of 8 cognitive functions. But people usually rely on only 4 habitually for the most part. The other 4, which are the opposite of the 4 primary functions are typically relegated to the subconscious Or the unconscious mind.Jung calls them our shadow functions because when we use them they tend to come out in a bad way because we havnt integrated them fully into our conscious mind. Basically the goal of Jungian analysis is to assist the person in developing and fully integrating all the functions into the conscious mind in a healthy way. Jung calls this process “individuation”.
Freud and Jung divided the mind into four corners or parts. These are not actual physical parts but simply a mental construct to assist in explaining how the brain actually functions in the world. Tho neuroscience has made some progress since that time in deteterming just where a lot of this stuff happens in the brain and nervous system but they have a long way to go in completely mapping this stuff out physically.
The Ego. Your normal everyday getting thru the world state of mind. Where you construct how your view yourself and operate in a normal everyday kind of fashion.
The Subconscious. Sits below the Ego and you are from time to time vaguely aware of it, tho not consistently.
The Unconscious. Where your mind is when you dream. Its working way down there somewhere but your Ego has no idea what's going on.
The Super Ego. Your ego on steroids. When you enter this state of mind it can be good, if the well developed functions are operating there. Or bad, if your not so well developed functions slip in there, then you are the worlds biggest asshole. All the 8 functions can occupy and operate in any of the four corners of the mind at any time.
Jung split from Freud over Jungs idea of the Collective Unconscious. Basically the archetypes of the unconscious mind that have been inherited by every human thru millions of years of evolution. The archetypes dont change over time to any degree, they are just an inherited mental "hatrack" which the mind hangs its "stuff" on. They cant be seen or imagined other than as an image or a form of some kind. And the forms/images they take on are as varied as there are people and cultures over the centuries. The Collective Unconscious resides either in every individual human unconscious, or out there in the "ether" somewhere, or both depending on how you want to look at it and how "spiritually" minded you are. It can also be described as the current "zeitgeist" of the age, a term which I think Nietzsche coined. From what I can gather Freud didn't buy it and considered its too speculative. Seems Freud was convinced everything came down pretty reductively to the instinctive sexual urge, its repression due to nature and nurture, etc. Anyway they were big buds but this idea caused a major rift between them and Jung left Freuds collaborative and went out on his own. Kinda went a little insane kinda sorta on purpose in a controlled fashion to meet the Archetypes of his unconscious, document the process, and produce the infamous Red Book.
So the MB attempts to diagnose your 4 main cognitive functions. Each of the 16 MB types can be broken down into an 8 function stack. The 1st 4 are the ones you typically rely on within you normal everyday conscious mind, or your Ego. The remains 4 are generally relegated to the subconscious or unconscious mind and you are not very good at using them and they usually come out of nowhere in a negative way for the most part.
so for my MB type INTP( if it can be believed, because I have not had Jungian therapy)
I am an introverted intuitive thinking perceiver, and these are my 4 main cognitive functions, along with my full 8 function cognitive "stack".
(Functions can be described as archetypes, or more precisely archetypical forms or images. The Primary function is often called the Hero function Cause it’s the main relied upon function that gets you through life.)
1. Primary function Ti- introverted thinker. My primary mental process is to construct an internally consistant logical structure to the world. It has to make sense to me logically but my logic is my own internally constructed mental framework. This is preferred over Te, or logic derived from an external source.
2. Secondary function Ne-extroverted intuition. This is my 2nd used function which assists the primary function. My intuition come from many broad and diverse pieces put together from the external world, not an introverted internal process. My intuition leads me down many diverse paths, whether they relate to each other in any obvious way or not. This compliments and guides my internal mental thinking map Ti. This is often referred to as the Parent function.
3. Tertiary function-Si- introverted sensing. Kinda how you organize the world and your surroundings. Is your tendency to organize externally projected out into the world or more dependent on past memory and comfort//discomfort. The Tertiary function is often called the Child. This is you 2nd worst, or 2nd less utilized main cognitive function.
4. Inferior function-Extroverted feeling-Fe. My feelings come more from what the tribe expects (extroverted) vs an interior feeing of what is correct. This is the main function people are worst at and can become obsessive or problematic. It’s the function you need to fully intergrate by becoming aware of it and using it beneficially. Jung calls this function the Anima(in males) and is a female archetype usually, and in women the Animus, a male figure. Of course in his day our understanding of sex, gender, and identity wasn't nearly as nuanced or developed. Nowadays most Jungians would say theres both an Anima and Animus lurking in everybody to some degree or another. This function is also called the gateway to the unconscious because its sits there right on the threshold between the Ego and the subconscious and unconscious mind and moves readily back and forth between them all the time.
My other 4 functions are generally relegated to the subconcious or unconscious mind and are the mirror opposite of the primary functions. When they are used they typically come out in negative ways.
5. Te-extroverted thinking - I forget the typical archetype associated with functions 5-6
6. Ni-introverted intuition
7. Se-extroverted sensing-The Trickster. This is the function you use to “get over “ on a situation, thru humor or a negative method or prank of some kind. Often called the Rebel.
8. Fi-introverted feeling.this is the Demon function and usually appears in a super negative way. If my Fi comes out it means my internal feelings have taken over in a very negative way and you are probably in danger if you are the target. Although the goal if fully individualized person it could actually transform into a more Angelic archetype, although usually just not as darn negative and destructive.
Jung was big on dreams as the archetypes of the unconscious mind speaking to us. He used patients dream journals over a long period of time to help figure out and assist the patient to fully integrate the unconscious into the conscious with the goal of becoming a more well rounded person, or “individuated” into a higher degree of self understanding and therefore ability to function in the world.
If you got this far in this screed, mainly written to clarify my own understanding, and you know more about this stuff than I do, feel free to chime in to correct or clarify.
Although I was pleased to be told that "typical INTJs" Are Gandalf, Hannibal and Monty Burns - even if two of them are fictional.
