Archetypes of the Functions

[proteanmix]

From Type Insights

Archetypes are patterns of energy that are easily recognizable and resonant to human beings, and become the unconscious frameworks that determine how/why people think and react. The name comes from Greek archetypos, "original pattern." Archetypes are universally familiar characters or situations that transcend time, place, culture, gender, and age. They represent eternal truths.

We identify and relate to archetypes as primary characters or personalities of the human condition. They are the "givens" in our psychological makeup, the patterns that shape our perceptions of the world - an unlearned tendency to experience things in a certain way. Some archetypes include the Mother, the Father, and the Child. Many archetypes are story characters. Probably best known is the Hero, usually engaged in fighting the "shadow" in the form of dragons and other monsters. Then there is the Witch who controls, manipulates, and casts spells - destroying connection with other people and with oneself. Or there is the Trickster, often represented by a clown or a magician, whose role is to hamper progress and generally make trouble...

By exploring the archetypal figures you manifest, you can develop a more complete, whole sense of self. Archetypes are powerful for helping you notice what you are doing with your energy-or even to make your life a bit more exciting or relaxing, once you choose to manifest them consciously.


Primary Processes
We can consciously control these through development and use.

1. Dominant/Hero/Heroine/Leading - organizes adaptation; initiates individuation; has our complete trust. We have more conscious control over this function and energy costs for using this function are low.

2. Auxiliary/Father/Mother/Supporting - Supports and nurtures dominant function; sets standard of perfection; how we are helpful to ourselves and others. More energy costs than the dominant function, but still relatively low.

3. Tertiary/Puer/Puella/Relief - the playful and vulnerable child; moderates the purposefulness of the dominant and auxiliary functions allowing the person to lighten up and relax; how we express our creativity and improvisational skills; high energy costs.

4. Inferior/Anima/Animus/Aspirational - gateway to the unconscious; last function we have conscious control over; source of ideals that are difficult to live up to; sense of purpose, inspiration, and change; likely to look immature when using this function; high energy costs

Shadow Processes
These are usually experienced negatively and are beyond our conscious control. All have high energy costs.

5. Opposing - defends by offending, seducing, or avoiding, provides self-critiquing; refuses to play by the rules; serves as a passive or aggressive adversary to the Hero/Heroine of other people.

6. Critical Parent/Witch/Senex - finds weak spots in ourselves and others; appears under extreme duress; seeks to discourage, cast doubt, set limits, and belittles; is authoritarian and stern.

7. Deceiving/Trickster - mischievous, wreaks havoc, circumvents obstacles, petulant; is not trustworthy when seen in other people; fools us into thinking something is important to do or pay attention to; compensates for the trust of the puer/puella and insulates against the cruelties of the world.

8. Devilish/Demon/Daimon - destructive to ourselves and others, undermines, often erupts violently; distorts trust in relationships, promotes chaos

Positives and Negatives of Each function

Primary
1. Dominant: + Leading, - Domineering
2. Auxiliary: + Supportive, - Overprotective
3. Tertiary: + Relief, - Unsettling
4. Inferior: + Aspirational, - Projective

Shadows
5. + Backup, - Opposing
6. + Discovery, - Critical
7. + Comedic, - Deceiving
8. + Transformative, - Devilish

Links for more research:

What are Archetypes?
The Jung Lexicon by Jungian analyst, Daryl Sharp, Toronto
Great Lakes APT : Beebe's 8 Functions

[Athenian200]

Wasn't this originally posted on cognitiveprocesses.com? This particular set of archetypes has a few flaws that I've seen. For one, I'm not necessarily opposed to all of my shadow processes. Secondly, I would say that my inferior function is the one that bothers me the most, and causes me to have outbursts. Thirdly, they haven't shown that there is any definitive pattern of development for the opposite four functions, that is mostly a guess.

[Uberfuhrer]

In the INxJ, I wonder if their inferior Se is what fuels the Ni's desire to mentally escape the world...

[proteanmix]

Originally Posted by athenian200

Wasn't this originally posted on cognitiveprocesses.com? This particular set of archetypes has a few flaws that I've seen. For one, I'm not necessarily opposed to all of my shadow processes. Secondly, I would say that my inferior function is the one that bothers me the most, and causes me to have outbursts. Thirdly, they haven't shown that there is any definitive pattern of development for the opposite four functions, that is mostly a guess.

I posted a summary from a book called Building Blocks of Personality Type by Leona Haas and Mark Hunziker and Dynamics of Personality Type: Understanding and Applying Jung's Cognitive Process by Linda V. Berens. Both are based on Jung's archetypes. Building Blocks goes into more detail about when the processes develops and how they interplay so you may want to read it for more information. If you have beef with the descriptions take it up with Jung.

Most psychoanalysts say the functions develop like this:

Dominant
Auxiliary
Tertiary
Inferior
Shadows (5,6,7,8)

Lenore Thomson says they develop like:

Dominant
Auxiliary
Shadows (5,6,7,8)
Tertiary
Inferior

If Thomson's development pattern is right that may be why you have more problems with your inferior. Personally, I think I'm aware of when I'm using Ti and although I can't access it on demand, I can see it at work in myself. The shadows I have not a clue about.

[Uberfuhrer]

The thing about those structures is that they're probably all right, because no one develops in the same way.

[Athenian200]

Originally Posted by proteanmix

Most psychoanalysts say the functions develop like this:

Dominant
Auxiliary
Tertiary
Inferior
Shadows (5,6,7,8)

Lenore Thomson says they develop like:

Dominant
Auxiliary
Shadows (5,6,7,8)
Tertiary
Inferior

If Thomson's development pattern is right that may be why you have more problems with your inferior. Personally, I think I'm aware of when I'm using Ti and although I can't access it on demand, I can see it at work in myself. The shadows I have not a clue about.

I think the development might be different for each person. I don't the system can be defined outside of itself. Although I would say that the patter of functional development for me feels more like:

Dominant
Auxiliary
Tertiary
Shadows (5,6,7,8)
Inferior

What do you think of that?

[ygolo]

Originally Posted by athenian200

I think the development might be different for each person. I don't the system can be defined outside of itself. Although I would say that the patter of functional development for me feels more like:

Dominant
Auxiliary
Tertiary
Shadows (5,6,7,8)
Inferior

What do you think of that?

For me, I think, it was

• 0-3 years old : Domimant/Backup
• 3-10 years old : Dominant/Discovery/Relief
• 10-13 years old : Dominant/Auxiliary/Discovery
• 13-18 years old : Transformational/Dominant/Aspirational
• 18-22 years old : Auxiliary/Comedic
• 22 years old-Now: Auxiliary/Relief/Backup/Aspirational

[Mort Belfry]

I did the functions test at Understanding the Eight Jungian Cognitive Processes / Eight Functions Attitudes a couple of times and the order of my functions seems to quite random, but follows Lenore's model to some slight degree.

1st - Ti - My Dominant - Excellent
2nd - Ne - My Auxilary - Excellent
3rd - Te - My Backup - Good/Average
4th - Fi - My Devillish - Average
5th - Si - My Tertiary - Average
6th - Se - My Trickster - Limited
7th - Ni - My Critical - Limited/Unused
8th - Fe - My Inferior - Unused

It almost seems that after developing your first two functions you either develop you Tertiary or Backup and cascade down from there finishing your develoment with your Devillish or your Inferior.

["?"]

Originally Posted by athenian200

Wasn't this originally posted on cognitiveprocesses.com? This particular set of archetypes has a few flaws that I've seen. For one, I'm not necessarily opposed to all of my shadow processes. Secondly, I would say that my inferior function is the one that bothers me the most, and causes me to have outbursts. Thirdly, they haven't shown that there is any definitive pattern of development for the opposite four functions, that is mostly a guess.

Just responding so I will know where to find this topic later. I am glad that I found this topic, because I have contemplated on creating one.

Athenian, I think Beebe's term for inferior function is different than what we most understand that term to be in general. Your inferior is actually something that you use well. You would have little or no use of Si. If you disagree with Beebe's theory, then do you prefer Lenore Thomson's lasagna? Thanks for starting this thread Protean.

["?"]

There is so much that I considering in this specific subject, that I find it hard to know where to start. So I will begin in expounding on Protean’s information.

The roles of the process provide both positive and negative contributions for each function. Dr. Berens says that the positives of the lead role, as Protean has started is:

…Usually develops early in life. We tend to engage in this process first, trusting it to solve our problems and help us be successful. Being the most trusted and most used, it usually has an adult, mature quality to it. While we are likely to engage in it rather automatically and effortlessly, we have much more conscious control over it.

There is a negative side to using this lead role, and Berens goes on to say:

…we can sometimes “turn up the volume” on this process and become overbearing and domineering. Then it takes on a negative dominating quality.

I liken this to the personalitypage.com Growth theory. It has taken years for them to complete the section, however it goes into how we can over use our dominant function. As a result the other functions weaken due to the dominant function being overbearing. As a Ti dominant type, when I “turn up the volume”, it results in:

Getting "stuck in a rut" and only doing those things that are known and comfortable.

Resist and reject anything that doesn't support my own experiential understanding of the world. If there is a conflict between my own way of life and something that I encounter, I don't perceive that "something" in an objective sense. Rather, I reject it to avoid conflict and to preserve the sanctity of my inner world.

Choose to surround myself with people who support my way of life, and reject people who think or live differently.
Become overly paranoid about social organizations and institutions trying to control me.

Unknowingly or uncaringly hurt people's feelings.
Be completely unaware of how to express my inner world to others in a meaningful way.

Become completely unaware of the type of communication that is often desireable and (to some degree) expected in an intimate relationship, or to a lesser degree be aware of the kinds of things that are appropriate to say and do to foster emotional bonding, but be unable to appreciate the value of such actions in feeling too vulnerable to express myself in this fashion and so reject the entire idea.

If pushed beyond my comfort level to form commitments or emotional bonds, I may reject a relationship entirely.

Under stress, I may show intense emotions that seem disproportionate to the situation.

I have was led to believe that some of these were based on poor usage of Fe, however as Beebe and Berens claim, that is my fourth function, so I actually have some idea of it’s use. What occurs is my over usage of Ti. I will write more later, to keep my posts short.