Type Development Guide

On average, people spend the first quarter of life developing personality in a reactive way, being yanked to and fro by the environment. You have little choice about where you live, who you grow up with, where you go to school, and no choice about which family you are thrust into. Thus, people spend much of their youth simply trying to make sense of life, always one step behind. The personality must develop in an uneven way when we are young because we are not really self-aware, lacking the knowledge and experience to accurately judge whether our actions are appropriate or useful.

To maximize efficient use of mental energy, we rely on the cognitive processes that we feel most comfortable with and not necessarily the ones that are most suitable. Repeating cognitive strategies ingrains them in the mind, like a habit, which makes the mind less flexible and more vulnerable. Imagine that your toolbox only contains a hammer, so what can you do except hammer at everything, and how could you not see everything in the world as a nail? Similarly, your dominant function is suitable for some but not all situations, so forcing it upon situations that it was not made for is a recipe for disaster. An important aspect of type development is realizing how very limited your dominant function actually is.

For instance, say that someone criticized you for making a mistake. Which functions would be most appropriate for handling this situation? You would need a Sensing function that gathers the facts about the situation. You would need a Thinking function to assess the mistake and correct it properly. You would need an Intuitive function to come up with ideas about how to avoid making the mistake again. Notice that in this particular situation, the Feeling functions would be the least appropriate because they would orient you to the person who is making the criticism. This would distract you with issues about how you feel, your self-esteem, the fairness of the criticism, or the status of the relationship rather than the mistake itself. Therefore, individuals who rely heavily on a Feeling function to make judgments would have difficulty dealing with this situation in the most adaptive way.

When you always use the same tool for everything, you are limiting yourself in terms of what kind of progress you can make in life. When you only have a hammer, it is true that you can get really good at hammering, but what happens when you suddenly encounter a screw or a bolt? You’ll get stuck. Feeling stuck in life is a signal that you should always pay attention to because it is your authentic self telling you that further growth is necessary. Many people reach their mid-twenties and start settling into a life, getting increasingly comfortable in their habits and routines, and these conditions tend to gradually lead to the feeling of being stuck, as function development has reached an impasse.

Do you want to be the exact same person throughout life or do you want to continue growing in adulthood? This is a genuine question. Life keeps throwing challenges at you and you must decide whether you want to accept them as opportunities for growth or else continue on in your comfort zone. You can’t really develop your personality without broadening the scope of the challenges and difficulties you are able to confront in life. In other words, staying in your comfort zone does not push you to learn new things and become more self-aware. It is often the negative and challenging side of life that reveals to you who you really are. The psyche has a built-in mechanism that naturally nudges you to grow, so do you choose to listen to the voice within that guides you toward realizing more of your potential?

When your cognitive functions remain underdeveloped, you are taking a risk by staying in your comfort zone, because it means that you are ill-equipped to handle situations that require more function maturity. When you are abruptly confronted with a stressful problem or difficulty, you will easily lose control and spiral into loop cycles or grip episodes, which can entrench negative patterns of behavior. Therefore, developing your personality might seem like the harder road to take in the moment, but it is better in the long run. Learning from challenges prepares you well for living life fully, while staying in your comfort zone too long makes you fear living life fully. You don’t have to be a slave to your fears and insecurities. You can choose to confront them whenever you want to. If you are interested in personal growth, observe yourself and reflect on some questions:

• Subjective Evaluation: Is there any bad habit or negative pattern of thought/behavior that produces recurring problems or negative feelings for you? Is there any shortcoming or flaw that you wish could be improved upon because you don’t really like yourself when you think/behave in that way? Do you have any thoughts/behaviors that prevent you from living life in the way that you intend/desire to? Are there are any negative feelings that you keep running from over and over? Do you have a sense that you are not living up to your potential? Are any of estos problems attributable to poor function development?
• Objective Evaluation: Does any of your behavior produce recurring complaints or criticism from the people around you? Do you sense that sometimes the way you approach a situation is not getting the best result/response but you just “settle” for whatever outcome as long as you don’t have to feel too uncomfortable? Do you have any negative habits that prevent you from functioning smoothly on a day-to-day basis? Do you have any cognitive habits that hold you back from achieving the success that you know you are capable of? Are any of estos problems attributable to poor function development?
• Function Use: Are you using your functions in a healthy way, when compared to people who are good with those functions or theoretical descriptions of what those functions should look like? Do you understand which thoughts/behaviors indicate misuse/misapplication of your functions? Do you realize when the ego is being defensive? Are you able to catch the ways that you suppress or resist function development?

There are many factors that may influence the course of type development. If your personality has not developed in an ideal manner up until now and you display many negative aspects of your type, reflect on why. What obstacles have impeded your development? Think of strategies to overcome the obstacles rather than using them as an excuse to stay stuck.

• Mental Disorder: Mental illness is a sticky subject. Some disorders are mostly neurological and require medication, while other disorders are very treatable maladjustment problems. If possible, address the mental disorder with the help of a professional so that you can stabilize yourself enough to pursue positive self-development.
• Environmental Pressures: Environmental pressures can force an individual to depend on cognitive processes that are not natural to their type, thus turning them into a cheap and unhappy imitation of something they don’t really want to be. For example, pressures related to gender expectations, social/familial roles and duties, or socioeconomic stress can take away time and opportunities that are required for fruitful self-exploration. Remove environmental obstacles to type development whenever possible.
• Low Self-regard: Some types have statistically lower numbers in the general population and being a minority or outsider can lead to feelings of inferiority or attempts to overcompensate. For example, Western culture tends to value extraversion more, which means that introverts often feel underappreciated. It is common for introverts to overcompensate by childishly wearing their introversion as a badge of honor or by trying to become an extravert in order to gain social validation. Learn about the strengths and advantages of your type and what special things you can contribute to the world in order to nurture genuine self-acceptance.
• Lack of Social Acceptance: Children have a natural tendency to want to please their parents by behaving in the way that is expected, even if it goes against their type preferences, especially if they believe that they are likely to suffer punishment for expressing their true type. But individuals of any age can feel conflicted when their loved ones do not understand, accept, and appreciate their type or even actively undermine their natural type expressions. It might be necessary to remove yourself from the negative influence of people who discourage or denigrate your type development.
• Lack of Opportunity: Sometimes, the environment does not provide sufficient opportunity for exercising type preferences, e.g., Feeling types who spend most of their time in highly competitive or emotionally cold environments. Seek out opportunities or environments that allow you to express your natural type preferences more freely, otherwise you might end up chronically frustrated.
• Lack of Incentive: Growth requires a person to move outside their comfort zones, so it can be difficult to develop your type if the environment does not challenge you to stretch and cultivate your capabilities. For example, some parents shield their children from negativity or challenges, which unfortunately leads to them never knowing what they are really made of. Find ways to challenge yourself, e.g., join a club, learn a new skill, adopt an interesting hobby. Engage in activities that push you out of your comfort zone as a means to direct your own function development.

Aside from environmental factors, the main reason people do not successfully develop their type potential is because of the limitations of ego. Ego is a very important but very complicated concept in analytical psychology. I will only touch upon the aspects that are relevant to our discussion. Ego confers upon you a sense of continuity and consistency of personal identity. Ego contains the things that you want to accept as part of yourself and rejects the things that you want to disown about yourself. In cognitive function terms, ego includes the cognitive functions that you believe are part of your identity. For example, as explained by type dynamics, if you are an average and healthy ISTJ, you tend to define your identity through the Si and Te functions and their activities, while treating the lower Fi and Ne functions as somewhat foreign to you.

When you encounter problems or obstacles in life, reality unfolds contrary to your expectations. The ego reacts instinctively and wants to protect itself because “being wrong” feels existentially threatening. Imagine that the ego is a fortress with tall brick walls and being wrong means that you have discovered a missing brick, i.e., a weakness or a vulnerability that leaves you open to inferior function intrusions. Whenever the ego fears that its boundaries are about to be breached, it instinctively wants to construct psychological defense mechanisms.

Strategies for ego preservation are called psychological defense mechanisms. An easy to understand defense mechanism is the fight or flight response, which is your body’s natural survival strategy. Psychological defense mechanisms are sometimes very necessary for protecting yourself from real danger in the world (like in abusive or emergency situations). People often learn to use defense mechanisms in childhood to shield themselves from emotional harm. However, under normal circumstances, ego defenses are psychologically unhealthy to varying degrees because they essentially block out the truth of reality. When you reject reality by building mental walls between yourself and the world, you can’t adapt well, which means being unable to handle life well. If life problems slowly snowball, you get ever more defensive and feel compelled to fortify your walls further (aka tertiary loop).

Defense mechanisms are a complicated extension of the human survival instinct, which is controlled by the older animal part of your brain. This means that defense mechanisms often behave like an automatic instinct, reflex, or habit. Therefore, it is difficult to be aware of them, what triggers them, what they do, and how they operate. One of the main goals of type development is to increase self-awareness. Without understanding your defense mechanisms, too much of your thinking and behavior remains beyond your conscious control.

As mentioned in the type dynamics section, it is not unusual for people to exhibit resistance against function development, particularly their auxiliary function. One way to build awareness of your defense mechanisms is to examine your function development failures - “resistance” is really just defensiveness. When you have difficulty accepting and developing a function, how do you react? Oftentimes, the defense mechanisms that people end up using are traceable to their function development problems.

• Example: People who struggle with Ne development are often afraid of taking risks. Perhaps they don’t want to get their hopes up only to be disappointed. Perhaps they have already experienced too much disappointment in life. One common way to defend against disappointment is resignation. Resigning oneself to one’s poor circumstances is basically trying to pretend that there is nothing better in life to hope or strive for. It’s a way of giving up on oneself and abdicating responsibility through self-deception. Resignation makes it possible to avoid the fear of taking a risk, prevent the pain that comes from disappointment, and deflect the shame of giving up. However, the consequence of using resignation as a defense mechanism is that it creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. The person cannot advance in life, not because there aren’t opportunities, but because they’ve given up on trying. It is a self-inflicted problem.

I have provided a list of common defense mechanisms here. Do an honest assessment of yourself. Which defense mechanisms do you rely on most? When and how did you learn to use them? What kinds of situations trigger the defense mechanisms to rise up? Do you really need to use them in those situations? Do they hinder your progress in type development? Is there something negative about yourself that you’re avoiding or refusing to acknowledge, and why?

Learning how to confront your problems bravely is better than allowing them to sit and fester. To deepen self-awareness isn’t easy because, at a certain point, you have to confront the ugliness within. You have to nurture the willingness to know every part of yourself, warts and all. Of course, psychological development has a natural course to follow and you can’t force someone to face up to themselves before they’re ready to. This is why the process of type development is divided into stages. The functional stack order is the optimal path for growing self-awareness incrementally throughout the lifespan.

What does it really mean to grow and mature? Ego development is a universal concept (that applies to all types) and describes the lifelong process of psychological maturation. The stages of ego development are backed up by substantial empirical research. Different experts use the term ego development differently, so I will only explain and simplify a few ideas that I believe are important for a deeper understanding of type development.

Individual differences in ego development are often responsible for intratype variations. A 20 year old ESTJ looks very different from a 50 year old ESTJ. An ESTJ growing up in poverty with little opportunity for growth will look very different from an ESTJ of the same age who grew up in a financially secure and supportive household. The concept of ego development is important because personality type by itself isn’t enough to account for all the influences and changes that affect individuals as they travel through life.

How can you tell whether you are an immature or mature version of your type? It is not an either/or assessment but a matter of degree. Less mature individuals are more likely to manifest the negative aspects of their type and more likely to exhibit development defensiveness. More mature individuals are more likely to manifest the positive aspects of their type and less likely to exhibit development defensiveness. But these are only the most obvious signs. Ego development goes into more detail about how to define and measure psychological maturity.

Maturity is a matter of psychology, meaning that the way one thinks about the world is more important than mere outward signs of success in life. Researchers have found that there are some distinct stages of maturation, characterized by predictable changes in how people think and talk about the world as they grow older. Each stage of development brings a challenge to the ego, and meeting the challenge successfully creates a sense of personal progress.

I like to conceptualize ego development as “psychological evolution”. When you are at an early stage of evolution, you aren’t really able to imagine what future stages will look like, because your mind simply isn’t equipped to understand them yet. But when you look back at your earlier stages from a later stage of your evolution, it seems as though the changes you went through were quite natural and obvious, perhaps even “fated” to happen. This provides a glimpse into the nature of maturation; it is about how your perspective changes over time, specifically, how it both widens and deepens.

Phase I of Ego Development: Ego Formation

The first phase of ego development is about ego formation: constructing a sense of identity. Even if personality type is inborn, all it means is that you are predisposed to certain responses. For example, an introvert is more likely to approach novelty cautiously, whereas an extravert is more likely to seek out novelty. Beyond these primitive predispositions, there isn’t anything that you would call “identity” in very young children. A young child isn’t going to stand up and proudly proclaim that they identify as an introvert. Even if they do, it is quite doubtful that they understand what it really means.

Your sense of identity expands gradually as you grow up, learn more about yourself, learn more about the world, and formulate a more and more sophisticated conceptual understanding of the relationship between you and the world. Children don’t show significant conceptual ability until around seven years of age, so perhaps that is the time they begin to grasp the concept of identity in very rudimentary terms, which coincides with dominant function differentiation.

Phase I development is characterized by egocentrism, which means that a person uses their own experience as the starting point for understanding the world. In other words, they treat themselves as the center of the universe. To be clear, egocentrism isn’t about toxic fixation on the self (narcissism), rather, it’s about not having the self-awareness to realize that one’s perspective is very small, entirely limited to and constrained by one’s own personal experiences (ignorance). We expect children to be egocentric because that is the natural starting point of psychological maturation. However, when adults exhibit excessive egocentrism, it is usually because they have unresolved childhood development problems and/or they experienced negative events that made them overly self-protective.

Egocentrism is necessary for ego formation because it involves learning how to honor oneself. However, the downside of egocentrism is that a person fails to demarcate a clear boundary between themselves and the world. Psychologically, the subjective and the objective often get confused and conflated such that a person is incapable of transcending their own perspective and then unwittingly projects it out onto the world. Egocentric people use themselves as the ultimate measuring stick, which leads them to interpret everything in the world through their own psychological issues. This idea is neatly summed up in the famous maxim: “We don’t see things as they are; we see them as we are.“ Egocentric people vigorously defend the ego. Their interpersonal relationships tend to be shallow because they merely use other people as proxies in their battle against ego threats.

In adults, Phase I development has three distinct mindsets: self-protection, social identification, and selfhood. All three mindsets are egocentric, but you can observe some linear progression in them as a person gradually starts to grasp the divide between the subjective and the objective. People generally exhibit one predominant mindset under normal circumstances, but it is possible to vacillate between the three mindsets as stress/circumstances dictate.

Level 1: Self-Protection Mindset

• main motivation is ego protection and defending self-interest
• easily triggered by negative feelings into fight/flight mode
• preoccupied with avoiding discomfort, loss, and pain
• envisions “success” as easy life with no troubles
• self-concept revolves around exuding “strength” and hiding “weakness”
• uses various methods of control/power to avoid feeling vulnerable
• defines “wrongdoing” in terms of getting caught and punished
• generally treats people with mistrust and blame, even paranoia

People with a predominantly self-protective mindset have usually experienced negative events that served to make them fearful of the world. Fear generally manifests as either aggression or avoidance, depending on how much physical power and privileged status they do or don’t have at their disposal. They think in polarized, black-and-white categories like “me vs world”. As a result, their interpersonal relationships tend to be about domination/submission, often manipulative, unequal, unstable, even volatile. They are hypervigilant about spotting “threats” and reflexively jump to protect whatever they believe they own. In cognitive function terms, they tend to misuse all their functions in messy attempts to defend against ego threats. To move beyond this mindset involves understanding and resolving the underlying causes of fear and mistrust.

Level 2: Social Identification Mindset

• main motivation is group acceptance
• easily triggered by feeling disapproval/rejection
• preoccupied with abiding by social rules/standards
• envisions “success” as having a good reputation
• self-concept revolves around “acceptability” and hiding “shame”
• uses social appearances to gain praise and status
• defines “wrongdoing” in terms of noncompliance
• only trusting and helpful with members of in-group

People with a predominantly social identification mindset tend to have some unresolved issues from childhood which lead them to believe that they won’t be accepted or considered worthy of love unless they placate authority figures. In cognitive function terms, they tend to use their functions quite narrowly, only able to manifest the most obvious strengths, as social rules allow. To move beyond this mindset involves understanding that there is a difference between public and private life, and people shouldn’t be judged by public appearances only.

Level 3: Selfhood Mindset

• main motivation is maintaining personal space
• easily triggered by feelings of oppression
• preoccupied with expression of personal traits
• envisions “success” as personal freedom
• self-concept revolves around personal beliefs/values
• uses social comparison to feel unique or special
• defines “wrongdoing” as failure to live up to expectations
• mainly appreciates traits that are similar to oneself

The selfhood mindset is where the majority of adults fall in ego development. In cognitive function terms, the average adult understands the strengths of the dominant function but tends to rely too heavily on them. They are likely to exhibit problems with auxiliary development whenever it compels them to change their self-concept. They tend to exhibit tertiary loop whenever they feel invalidated. They tend to exhibit inferior grip under stress. To move beyond this mindset involves understanding that personal beliefs and values can be limiting and should be changed when they interfere with personal growth.

Transitional Period Between Phase I and II Ego Development

Level 4: Conscientious Mindset

• main motivation is progress and achievement
• easily triggered by feelings of inadequacy
• preoccupied with choosing longer term direction
• envisions “success” as determination to reach goals
• self-concept revolves around pride in capability
• uses talents and skills to obtain tangible rewards
• defines “wrongdoing” as violating own conscience
• appreciates people for their tangible contributions

The conscientious mindset is a transitional stage because it marks a potential turning point in ego development as people start to realize that egocentrism is holding them back in life. People at this stage are more likely to exhibit thinking that recognizes a need for personal responsibility and self-improvement, such that they learn how to interact with the world more competently. The conscientious mindset is still considered egocentric because one remains concerned about ego threats and maintaining one’s sense of pride, but the positive side is that one is better able to choose healthier or more productive methods for handling psychological conflicts. Conscientious people have a better understanding of themselves in terms of recognizing that they have two “sides” as found in their “strengths” and “weaknesses” (whereas there is a strong reluctance to confront flaws and weaknesses in earlier mindsets). In cognitive function terms, they are more likely to recognize and correct for the flaws of the dominant function, which opens the door for significant auxiliary function growth. To move beyond this mindset requires a person to understand that there is more to life than personal competence in obtaining worldly achievements.

Phase II of Ego Development: Release from Ego

The second phase of ego development involves overcoming egocentrism. This is accomplished through gradually recognizing the boundary between the subjective and the objective, and eventually, learning how to bring the two together properly. As ego fears and insecurities start to subside, people free up mental energy to devote to understanding themselves and the world more deeply. Generally speaking, it isn’t possible to reach this phase of ego development until at least mid adulthood, and many people never do.

Level 5: Self-Insight Mindset

• main motivation is working through difficulties
• pays close attention to feelings of conflictedness
• preoccupied with paradoxes and contradictions
• envisions “success” as making sense of complexity
• self-concept is positive and malleable to change
• uses deep introspection to understand motivation
• defines “wrongdoing” in terms of psychological causality
• creates meaningful relationship by appreciating true individuality

The self-insight mindset marks a significant departure from egocentrism as people come to realize how deep and complicated identity really is, i.e., that it is not merely about oneself. This openness to exploring identity outside of the usual parameters of entrenched ego boundaries is often expressed in a far greater tolerance for ambiguity, uncertainty, and complexity. The motivation to move beyond egocentric concerns allows them to view themselves, others, and the world at large more objectively, treating each as separate and distinct and deserving of appreciation in its own right. In cognitive function terms, people with the self-insight mindset become less and less defensive of the ego and more aware of their lower functions and how they have often been misused for ego defense. This creates a desire to optimize dominant and auxiliary function use and learn how to use the tertiary function properly. As a result, they are more likely to express personality traits in positive and selfless ways.

Level 6: Authenticity Mindset

• main motivation is meaningful fulfillment
• deep understanding and acceptance of all feelings
• preoccupied with grasping multifaceted reality
• tries to live life with greater objectivity
• self-concept recognizes interdependence with the world
• defines “wrongdoing” as a challenge to learn and grow
• creates a strong sense of mutuality in relationships

People with the authenticity mindset recognize that who one is will always be inextricably intertwined with what the world is, i.e., to truly be oneself is also to be truly of the world. They understand that the subjective and the objective are separate and distinct but also interdependent, which means that the two no longer feel in conflict. In cognitive function terms, they have established a sophisticated relationship between the auxiliary and tertiary functions that opens up a bridge to connecting with the inferior function. They no longer display development defensiveness and no longer need to use unhealthy defense mechanisms.

Level 7: Wholeness Mindset

• main motivation is transcendence of ego conflict
• able to put all feelings into a larger perspective
• preoccupied with consolidating inner parts into meaningful whole
• integration of opposites grants wisdom in decision making
• self-concept is continuously open to new growth possibilities
• capable of broad understanding of morality and justice
• able to articulate complex awareness of self and others

The wholeness mindset is not technically the “highest” stage because there is no concept of “low vs high” at this point in ego development. Transcending psychological conflicts means understanding that opposites are not real but merely constructs of a frightened ego. Very few people achieve this mindset, so it has been difficult for researchers to characterize it in detail. Perhaps the humanist psychologist Abraham Maslow’s concept of the self-actualizing and transcendent person describes a similar mindset.

Remember that ego development is a universal concept. All people in Phase I development tend to look somewhat similar because of choosing similar ego defense mechanisms. Regardless of type, egocentrism and ego defensiveness serve to keep the authentic self obscured. It is not until Phase II development, when defensiveness really starts to subside, that the gifts of personality type truly start to shine through very brightly. These simplified profiles outline some common ego development characteristics for each type.

Ego development is a useful concept because it helps people better understand why they feel stuck in life and what needs to be done to start moving forward again. However, to become aware of your predominant ego development mindset requires a certain degree of self-honesty. Because of how the ego operates, people are prone to self-deception, perhaps seeing themselves as being at a higher level of thinking than they are actually capable of. (A common example of self-deception is believing oneself to be “authentic” even though one’s conception of authenticity is still just naive adolescent rebellion.)

In order for ego development to provide a useful road map for growth, it’s important to correctly identify exactly where you are on the map. Generally speaking, each ego development mindset takes years to stabilize psychologically before movement to the next stage becomes possible. Possessing only intellectual knowledge of each stage helps you set an aspiration, but it doesn’t substitute for the real lived experience of each stage and the hard work it takes to move through it. While Phase I growth might happen somewhat naturally as people mature normally into adulthood, Phase II growth requires people to devote time and energy to self-work, which is why fewer people get there.

If you feel stuck in a rut in life, it is a sign that you have reached an impasse in your psychological development. It is a sign that your mind is ready to move onto the next stage of maturity, if only you will listen. When you don’t listen, your mind will continue to create problems that force you to listen.

What do you want to accomplish?

Take some time to reflect on why you want to improve yourself. Is it for positive or negative reasons? If it is for positive reasons, such as wanting to live a happier, more fulfilling, or more productive life, then you have a good mindset. If it is for negative reasons, such as wanting to fix a flaw because you feel ashamed of it, then I strongly suggest that you first address the underlying causes of the shame before trying to grow as a person. Trying to improve yourself out of shame, fear, or guilt is a recipe for disaster. It is possible to do more harm than good if you’re coming from a bad place.

There are many avenues for personal growth:

Personal growth begins with self-awareness. It can be difficult to know where to begin if you feel as though you don’t know yourself well. I have some suggestions for how to get started.

Keep a journal.

Writing down your thoughts and feelings about your daily life can help you see patterns in your cognition and behavior over time. Try to make journal entries on a regular basis so that you have a wealth of material to draw from for self-reflection. Ask yourself some questions:

• What situations, people, or events made you feel positive emotions (happy, joyful, excited, peaceful)? Why do you think that is?
• What situations, people, or events made you feel negative emotions (sad, angry, anxious, afraid)? Why do you think that is?
• Did you use any unhealthy defense mechanisms? What triggered them? Were they useful? How could you have handled the situation better?
• Did you experience any of the inferior grip or tertiary loop symptoms that are described in the type dynamics section? What was the cause? What would a more rational response have been?

After you have a few weeks of journal entries, read them over and look for recurring patterns. What do you learn about yourself? Is there anything you wish you had done differently?

Note to Self

Little reminders for when you are overindulging a function:

• Se: you don’t have to react to everything that happens
• Ne: not everything you imagine is worth the attention
• Te: not everything you see as a “problem” is a problem
• Fe: not everything someone does has something to do with you
• Si: what you think you know is not all there is to know
• Ni: believing something is true does not make it true
• Ti: if it only makes sense to you then you’ve got a problem
• Fi: what you feel does not always tell you what is real

Notes on Misusing Functions

misusing counterpart function as defense mechanism

• <b>anxious Si uses pessimistic Ne visualizations to avoid change</b>
• <b>fragile Ni uses selective Se “facts” to protect unrealistic ideas</b>
• <b>impotent Ti uses biased Fe projections to justify cynical thinking</b>
• <b>vulnerable Fi uses crude Te power to mask hurt/instability</b>
• <b>drifting Se uses murky Ni “insight” to excuse meaningless action</b>
• <b>ungrounded Ne uses personal Si details to rationalize messiness</b>
• <b>uncertain Te uses black/white Fi moralizing to justify bad behavior</b>
• <b>insecure Fe uses shaky Ti strategies to obtain false confidence</b>

Expressions of Function Development

• underdeveloped: function is mostly unconscious, expresses in a childish manner, produces negative results
• developing: function is semi-conscious, expresses in a naive manner, produces mixed results
• developed: function is mostly conscious, expresses in a mature manner, produces positive results

To improve your function use, it is best to focus on one function at a time. This is because function development is an organic process and you do not want to force a change that you are not psychologically ready for. It is best to stick to the natural order of the functional stack, especially if you are not very experienced with self-development. For example, if you are an adult under 35, there is probably not much need to focus on your inferior function at all. The following table provides some general suggestions about what each function looks like when it needs development and what you can do to develop it. You are the expert on yourself. If you believe that your personality has not developed in a typical manner, you should customize your plan for self-development accordingly. Please note that the below assumes that you are at a fairly decent place in your ego development (around level four or five).

When you have underdeveloped Thinking (T):

Your judgment and decision making are often swayed by emotions. You tend to be inconsistent, biased, and/or subjective. You might try to rationalize your way out of your mistakes rather than confront them directly. You might have difficulty staying organized, following a plan, or making a logical argument. You tend to feel overwhelmed when you can’t get a problem to go away.

• practice being a better problem-solver
• practice making to-do lists and seeing tasks to completion
• practice making a pros/cons list to make better decisions

When you have underdeveloped Feeling (F):

You can be insensitive in your interactions with others, often failing to notice how you impact them. You have difficulty with empathy, which means you have trouble connecting with others or building satisfying relationships. You can be harsh, impatient, or blunt in your communications. You tend to repress your emotions, which makes you vulnerable to being hijacked by them when you are not expecting it.

• practice expressing your feelings more
• practice listening to others’ feelings without judgment
• practice putting yourself in others’ shoes

When you have underdeveloped Sensing (S):

You are often impractical, unrealistic, or ungrounded. You tend to be careless in your work because you overlook important details. You can be messy, disorganized, or irresponsible. You may be out of touch with your body, which can mean that you neglect your health. You tend to have difficulty committing to a course of action that seems mundane.

• practice being more organized
• practice being more mindful of your body’s needs
• practice taking care of your physical surroundings

When you have underdeveloped Intuition (N):

You get stuck in a rut. You find it difficult to change, try new things, or take risks. You can be narrow-minded, short-sighted, or inflexible. You might feel pessimistic about the future because you don’t know how to imagine it any other way. You might have difficulty thinking outside of the box because you don’t easily see how things are interconnected.

• practice brainstorming and coming up with creative ideas
• practice trying new things (foods, music, movies, hobbies)
• practice being more open-minded to different possibilities

Notes on Alleviating Grips

Whenever possible, remove yourself from immediate sources of stress and re-engage the positive aspects of the dominant function. Once psychological equilibrium has improved enough with healthy dominant function use, activate the auxiliary function and develop its use in order to better balance the mind.

• ISTJ: Center yourself by making space to reflect. Break the problem down into smaller and more manageable steps, and then carry out your tasks patiently and methodically. To rebuild confidence, set a series of small concrete goals and work up incrementally to bigger ones.
• ISFJ: Center yourself by making space to reflect. Break the problem down into smaller and more manageable steps, and then carry out your tasks patiently and methodically. Get moral/emotional support from others and bounce your ideas to encourage calm and purposeful deliberation.
• INTJ: Put life on pause. Get in touch with your aspirations and reflect upon your greater potential and how to fulfill it. Focus your attention on matters that actually serve a greater purpose (than momentary comfort/satisfaction). To rebuild confidence, set some meaningful life goals that guide you into the future.
• INFJ: Put life on pause. Get in touch with your aspirations and reflect upon your greater potential and how to fulfill it. Focus your attention on matters that actually serve a greater purpose (than momentary comfort/satisfaction). Get moral/emotional support from others and bounce your ideas to ground your mindset and explore new possibilities for moving forward.
• ISTP: Step back, clear your head, slowly think through the problem. Collect the facts of the situation with an open mind and without bias, adapt to the facts, and change your approach to get a better result.
• INTP: Step back, clear your head, slowly think through the problem. Take time to reflect on all the possible causes of the problem, visualize the best solutions and how to implement them, and change your approach to get a different result.
• ISFP: Acknowledge how you feel, look upon yourself with empathy, and use suffering as a guide for discovering what’s missing in your life. Get back in touch with the kind of person you want to be and explore healthy hands-on/creative ways to express yourself into the world.
• INFP: Acknowledge how you feel, look upon yourself with empathy, and learn something from your suffering rather than dwelling in it. Get in touch with what kind of person you hope to be and explore new/stimulating ways to express your hopes and values into the world.
• ESTP: Realize that brooding or being uptight is only making you worse. Get out of yourself with a fun or social activity that will boost your mood. Work hard on improving your talents/skills and find productive ways to put them to good use.
• ESFP: Realize that dwelling or being uptight is only making you worse. Get out of yourself with a fun or social activity that will boost your mood. Have more patience and empathy (with yourself) and engage in stimulating activities that promote health, well-being, and personal growth.
• ENTP: Zoom out of your head to examine the bigger picture of your life. Think about whether your decisions (big and small) are producing satisfying progress and, if not, set better and more concrete aspirations to focus on. Work hard on improving your talents/skills and find innovative ways to put them to good use.
• ENFP: Zoom out of your head to examine the bigger picture of your life. Think about whether your decisions (big and small) are producing satisfying progress and, if not, set better and more concrete aspirations to focus on. Have more patience and empathy (with yourself) and look out for new paths that promote health, well-being, and personal growth.
• ESTJ: Acknowledge your flaws, weaknesses, shortcomings, and failures. Think systematically on how to improve upon them or make up for them. Focus your attention by prioritizing the goals that will lead you to feel satisfied and happy in life rather than only fretting about the things that you fear might happen.
• ENTJ: Acknowledge your flaws, weaknesses, shortcomings, and failures. Think systematically on how to improve upon them or make up for them. Focus your attention by reflecting on what it means to live a fulfilling life rather than blindly accepting every challenge or setting superficial goals without deeper introspection.
• ESFJ: Acknowledge how you feel and share your feelings to get them off your chest. Extend compassion to yourself for being human, extend forgiveness to others for their human errors, and use your suffering as a guide to learn how to care for yourself better. Focus your attention by prioritizing the goals that will lead you to feel content and happy in life rather than only fretting about the things that make you feel insecure.
• ENFJ: Acknowledge how you feel and share your feelings to get them off your chest. Extend compassion to yourself for being human, extend forgiveness to others for their human errors, and use your suffering as a guide to learn how to care for yourself better. Focus your attention by reflecting on what it means to live a fulfilling life rather than chasing superficial goals that ultimately leave you feeling empty or worse than before.

“How can I be substantial if I fail to cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole; and inasmuch as I become conscious of my shadow I also remember that I am a human being like any other.”
    - Jung

Notes on Breaking Loops

• aux Si: focus on contentment and prioritize action accordingly (as opposed to just focusing on what worries/displeases you)
• aux Ni: reflect on how to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life (as opposed to pursuing empty or superficial goals)
• aux Ti: admit your flaws and improve upon them systematically (as opposed to deflecting problems or rationalizing them away)
• aux Fi: reflect on whether your ideas/actions support psychological well-being (as opposed to taking the easiest or instantly gratifying path)
• aux Se: embrace new experiences and grow from them (as opposed to assuming the worst or writing off what you don’t understand)
• aux Ne: work to actualize better possibilities in life (as opposed to succumbing to bad habits or surrendering to comfort zones)
• aux Te: make the necessary changes for successful action (as opposed to making excuses or refusing to challenge yourself)
• aux Fe: learn to be a positive influence and contributor to the world (as opposed to avoiding or hiding from the things you fear or dislike)

“We learn from failure, not from success!”
    - Bram Stoker

Notes on Self-Reflection

• Si+Ne: Does comparing this new moment to my past knowledge help or hinder me in appreciating the wonder and possibility of what is happening?
• Ne+Si: Does this train of thought or imagined possibility help or hinder me in the process of reaching genuine satisfaction and contentment with life?
• Ni+Se: Does this abstraction about the future help or hinder me in appreciating and making the best of what is happening at present?
• Se+Ni: Will this action or experience help or hinder me in advancing towards my life goals or actualizing my greater potential?
• Ti+Fe: Does this judgment actually help or hinder me in becoming a positive addition to the world around me?
• Fe+Ti: Does my approach to relationships help or hinder me in becoming a fair, capable, and confident person?
• Fi+Te: Does this value judgment help or hinder me in doing my part to create a more respectful and ethical world?
• Te+Fi: Does this method/solution help or hinder me in addressing the actual problem and achieving results that do as much good as possible?

Notes on Looping Woes

Hard to spot in oneself.

• tert Si: limited by and stuck within past knowledge/experience
• tert Ni: presumes to know “the truth” but oversimplifies everything
• tert Ti: only trusts own analysis even when mired in contradictions
• tert Fi: stubbornly stays on the wrong path even as failing badly
• tert Se: uses superficial/selective evidence to justify problem behavior
• tert Ne: indulges overactive imagination that produces absurd beliefs
• tert Te: uses aggressive methods to bury personal issues/failings
• tert Fe: fishes for affirmation in lieu of addressing bad judgment