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The
Dynamic Nature of Psychological Type
After publishing his seminal work
on psychological types in 1921, Jung did little further work in this area.
However the importance of his work was recognised by the mother and daughter
team, Elizabeth Myers and Catherine Briggs. Realising that if Jung's ideas
were to have any practical application it would be necessary to develop
an easy method for assessing a person's psychological type, Myers and
Briggs published the first type indicator in 1949. Moreover, they developed
the now famous four-letter type code as a short hand way of describing
a person's type.In addition to providing a short-cut route for describing
a person's psychological type, the four-letter code also reveals a set
of complex personality dynamics which provide insights into the order
in which the preferred psychological processes are likely to manifest
themselves in the person's daily life.
The way to discover the dynamic relationship between these psychological processes
is by examining the middle two preferences; SN for perceiving, and TF for
judging, types. These are referred to as functions. For any type, one of
these functions is dominant and this dominant function is used in the preferred
world (external or internal as indicated by the EI preference), with Extraverts
using their dominant function in the external world and Introverts using
their dominant function in the internal world. Moreover, the function which
the type code indicates is not preferred is called the auxiliary function.
Thus, if either the S or N function were indicated as being the preferred
function, then either the T or F function would be the auxiliary function.
So, introverts are more likely to
exhibit their auxiliary function when relating to the outer world, whereas
their dominant function will be used mainly when relating to the inner
world, and will thus not be readily accessible for others to see. In contrast,
because Extraverts use their dominant function in the outer world, it
will be available for all to see.
Sensing involves
directly receiving information through the senses. Thus, people who prefer
this form of perceiving tend to focus on the facts in a given situation,
and on hard data.
Thinking involves
the logical analysis of information in terms of the strict principles of
cause and effect. Thus, people who prefer this form of judging approach
life in a rational, analytical way, searching for logical relationships
between events.
Carl
Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychologist working in the early part of the twentieth
century who made many perceptive and insightful observations about human nature.
One such insight was his realisation that understanding the way we typically
process information can help us better understand ourselves; shedding light
on why we act and feel the way we do. In particular he noted that in order to
better understand our behaviour we need to understand the way we typically perceive,
and then act upon, information.
Judging
is
concerned with organising and processing information. Thus, people who prefer
this mental process for receiving information about the world, like to plan
and organise, as they order and regulate events.
iNtuiting involves
going beyond the information provided by the senses to discover possibilities
which might not be immediately obvious from sensory data. Thus, people
who prefer this form of perceiving have a preference for focusing on theoretical
issues and hidden patterns
of meaning.
Introversion
is oriented towards the inner world. Thus, people who prefer this attitude like
to spend time with their own thoughts, and do not feel the constant need for
contact with the outer world of people and events.
Extraversion
is oriented towards the external world. Thus, people who prefer this attitude
like spending time in the company of other people and enjoy translating their
ideas and interests into overt behaviour and action.
Feeling involves
identifying the emotional value that
is attached to objects or events.
Thus, people who prefer this form of judging are more concerned with what
they feel about a person or event, rather than with what they can learn
about it through logical analysis.
Perceiving
is concerned with directly receiving information without evaluation. Thus, people
who prefer this mental process like to put off decision-making in order to gain
as much information as possible. Moreover, when they do decide to act, they
do so in an unstructured and flexible manner, without detailed prior categorising
of events.
