Describe your auxiliary function

[Mort Belfry]

According to some, Lenore for one, the auxiliary function should be the easiest function a type can describe. The dominant is far too imposing to let us see it from the outside and the other functions are too far down the ladder of unconsciousness.

So in the spirit of learning more about the functions, please could you give an overview of what exactly your 2nd function is, how and when you use it and perhaps activities others could do to achieve conscious use of it. Try to steer clear of textbook definitions that we've all heard and try to add something new. Even a stream of consciousness from the function is good.

I realise that we've more of some types than others and that some functions would get repeated, that's fine. But ISPs and ESJs, please feel welcome, you'd be like the highly prized trading card to the kid who already has eight copies of Ne.

So I'll start.
(You're welcome to write longer ones.)

My Ne:

Ever since a small child I've always wanted to use to my intelligence to make a mark on the world. This is why I spend hundreds of antisocial hours writing. Whenever I get a break from what I don't want to do the first thing I do is think about how and what to write next. I plan my weekend around it. As a result I can find myself in a fantasy world, but I've never thought what actually exists to be more important than what you can imagine. That's always been a given to me.

But I do find practical use for it. When I'm in a conversation I find tiresome I try to turn it on it's head. If somebody starts bleating to me about their uninteresting sexual conquests, I have no problem with pretending to take offence when I actually don't. "How dare you," I would say, "Why he's/she's a human being! Where is your honour?" Actively confusing people has also become a defence mechanism of mine.

Ways to achieve Nevarna: Write a first paragraph of a story and send it to a friend to add another and then have them send it back to you to write the next bit; the sillier the story the better. Work friends and I have compiled a portfolio of stupid stories almost two hundred pages long in the last couple of months.

Another way is to play a game of Scadden Skizzors. The rules are simple. Draw two stick figures representing you and another player. The person who starts has to kill the other one, for example draw a knife being thrown at the opposite player. The other person has two things to do. They must introduce something which saves their life and endangers the other's. For example, the knife is now attached to a boomerang which goes back to the former player. Now the first player must now save their life and endanger the other's. There are no other rules and no way of winning the game. Time travel, magic and rewriting of the universe's physical laws are all allowed, with at least some half-arsed attempt to reason it.

 

[Haphazard]

Okay then...

Te is a driving force. It is the difference between what I want to do and what I need to do, constantly evaluating what I can get away with and what I can't, and usually he pushes me in the right direction, and backing off and giving me some space when he thinks I need it.

Generally, it's my drive to work. I may have too many ideas, but Te will come in with his whip and smacking my drive back into me. "It's worthless unless it's presentable," says Te, "So you'd better try your damndest!"

Te is bad with people -- he sees them and strives to treat them fairly, but generally, this is not what people want. So he's been scorned and would rather not associate with them, and yet there they are, all the time, pestering for questions. When Ni has completely checked out (as he usually has), Te tends to get snappish about responses and resort to an assortment of stock-phrases to get people away while the boss is gone.

I do whittle away thousands of antisocial hours writing (among other things) but at this point writing has become a compulsive habit. I wouldn't really say that it's an attempt to make a mark on the world, but it's an attempt to make these 'cool ideas' into something that other people can see. It's not for making a mark, it's just translations of things that Te demanded be put to work.

And that's about what Te does -- at least, for me.

 

[quietgirl]

Fe:

I do what I can to make others happy. If someone else is having a bad day, I feel it too. I want to make them feel better, so I will be there for them if they need to talk, leave them alone if they need space, or buy them a small gift that they will really enjoy & will make them feel special. I feel the feelings of others, good or bad & usually more intensely than my own. It's all about everyone else, which can take it's toll on me because I forget about my own feelings often. Sometimes, if I'm not paying attention, my own feelings will start to mirror those of others and I can lose myself. This is especially dangerous in relationships and has led to the demise of more than one.

I'm not great at standing up for myself. I'm opinionated, but I tend to back down when I know my opinion or feeling is negatively effecting someone else. I seem to be really good at compromising for the benefit of everyone involved and I really do strive to reach those sort of compromises. I feel I've gotten better at respecting my own feelings as I've gotten older, though.

I tend to worry about what others think of me more than I should. I cannot tune out the feelings of others towards me and have the tendency to take criticism personally. Therefore, I do have the tendency to hide parts of myself in order to not seem abnormal to others.

People tend to be drawn to me whether or not I am in the mood to be around people. I've been told I give great advice and I'm often sought out by others for advice.

Despite being introverted, I tend to be able to read other's feelings and intentions very well. I'm good with people and it's extremely easy for me to relate with others - even if they are seemingly different than I am. I am normally unsatisfied in jobs or activities that do not relate to helping people. If I can't find a human purpose in what I am doing, I tend to feel as though I am wasting my time.

 

[redacted]

Fe:

i can't help but feel the feelings i assume others are having. i find myself more affected by someone else doing something embarrassing than they usually are. when i see something as inharmonious, i cringe and try to assess if it's fixable. if it is, i'll do whatever i can. otherwise, i just fixate on the problem to the point that i can't function.

a good example is that i sometimes have to leave the room when i'm watching the office with friends. michael sometimes says things and i seriously cannot handle watching the outcome.

but yeah, i've been working my whole life on minimizing those effects because i'm so crippled by them. so far, not much luck

 

[Mort Belfry]

Thanks for the response people, already I've learnt so much.

 

[Athenian200]

Ironically, I think I under use my auxiliary function... perhaps that's why I have such a strong sense of unawareness of who I am?

But here's my attempt:

Fe:

It seems like an easy way to protect myself. If I meet other's basic expectations, and do no more or less, then they will not expect much more of me, and I will be free to do as I wish the rest of the time. Therefore, I do the basics. I say hello and goodbye, I ask how others are doing, and always have a valid excuse ready in case I don't have the energy to do something they ask. If I am kind to them, there's a good chance they will praise me and/or repay me, both of which would be comforting. Even if they don't, I'll have the satisfaction of knowing I did something helpful. It's likely that others would notice this if I did it often enough, and if I had the energy and resources, I could probably make it so that I was well-liked in my community.

Come to think of it, other people's feelings probably affect me quite a bit. That's probably why I avoid people, they feel too much, and it changes so quickly. Their moods are strong and unstable... I can't take it. I feel quite a bit of pity for someone who is physically ill or tired, because I know how that feels. Same goes for people who need obvious help. There are many things that hurt people in ways I can't relate to, though, and I feel so confused and powerless in those situations. All I can think to do is apologize, and I don't even know what I'm apologizing for... perhaps my inexperience and uselessness to them? I guess so. Maybe I'm really asking myself for forgiveness for not having done more and been through more so that I could actually relate to and comfort these people. And this just drives me to avoid meaningful contact with people again so that I won't experience the irritation of not being able to help them, and then when I go out among them it comes back, and so on...

Often I have an emotional problem, talk to a stranger about it, and then feel better and validated by having talked about it, and don't really ever make a lasting friendship. I allow others to do this with me as well. One person called this "getting hit and run sympathy."

I guess ultimately, I sort of misuse Fe. Instead of using it for it's own sake, I just use it to collect all the positive emotional energy (many people exude it freely, and I can sense them) I need to feel okay and assured that I'm a good person (while avoiding negative emotional energy), and then run back to my computer and books until it runs out, and then I repeat.

For some reason, thinking about it reminds me of a vampire, except that I'm doing it with emotional energy rather than blood. That's probably why I try not to think about it. It's an unfortunate necessity that I need to survive, and I've found it's best not to entertain thoughts of guilt about it.

 

[Domino]

My Ni acts as a finger tapping urgently on the shoulder of Fe while it spews lava on the villagers.

 

[Mort Belfry]

Any ENTPs out there want to do Ti? I'd like to hear that one.

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

Ti:

Ti is my own personal Excalibur. It is a powerful weapon that I keep sheathed until the appropriate time. Then once it is needed, it is unleashed and cuts away the unnecessary fat like the proverbial Occam's Razor. It must be kept sheathed because it is inappropriate for most social situations. Nothing can find mistakes in reasoning like Ti, and people hate it when you point out their mistakes.

However when it comes to problem solving, discernment, and the ability to give shape to the raw chaos that is Ne there is no friend I'd rather rely on than Ti. Sometimes I think, "Why do these NFP's cling to such ineffective ideas?" But then I remind myself that they do not have Ti to discern the effective from the ineffective. Whenever I try a new endeavor I already have a good idea of whether or not it will succeed, because Ti has already deduced the inevitable conclusion. A river needs a dam to make it productive and give it shape; uranium needs a reactor. By the same token my Ne needs Ti to give my ideas shape and make them effective instead of being so much wasted energy.

 

[Mort Belfry]

In the OP I mentioned an activity to exprience Ne. Here is a page from the Lenore Thomson Wiki which talks about an activity for each function.

edit &

Does anyone have any others they'd like to suggest?

Developing the Secondary

This one is a page that talks about "using the Secondary Function to support a dominant "agenda" vs. using the Secondary Function to genuinely broaden your perspective."

 

[The_Liquid_Laser]

I think learning and practicing mathematics is the surest way to develop Ti. Alternatively I'd think that studying philosophy is also a pretty good method as long as you steer clear of certain philosophers like Nietzsche and Ayn Rand.

 

[quietgirl]

I think learning and practicing mathematics is the surest way to develop Ti.

I can see that. When I was studying Physics and taking a lot of math courses in college, I felt as though I used my tertiary Ti a LOT more than I do now. I think my personality was less "NF" at that time too. The funny thing about the tertiary function is that I think if you don't continuously develop it, it kind of goes into hiding when you don't use it. Maybe not, but I find it's harder to access now that I'm not using it often.

 

[nightning]

Te: pretty much tells me to shut up, stop thinking and get moving. "The answer is RIGHT THERE. Are you blind?" Ni likes time to ponder to play with connections. Te keeps me on track for the most part. It also gets irritated all the time. At myself, at other people. Does not tolerate inefficiencies. It's good at getting projects moving.

When it comes to people... I pretty much turn Te off... It's funny how you can kind of turn auxiliary functions on and off... but you can't ever do that with your dominant.

In the OP I mentioned an activity to exprience Ne. Here is a page from the Lenore Thomson Wiki which talks about an activity for each function.

edit &

Does anyone have any others they'd like to suggest?

Suggestions... hmmmm I observe people quite a bit. People of different type, interact with them enough and you'll see how people differs in the way they use a dominant function vs an auxillary one... you can even do tertiary for some. Using that you can pull out the essentials to a particular function. And learn to imitate that way.

 

[Mort Belfry]

What I'm reading from this thread now is that of the extraverted functions Te seems to be the one people don't want to deal with people with.

Is this a cultural thing? Do people otherwise want to use it on people but can't? Does it mean having to develop tertiary or inferior introverted feeling? How would you want to use it with people?

 

[Haphazard]

What I'm reading from this thread now is that of the extraverted functions Te seems to be the one people don't want to deal with people with.

Is this a cultural thing? Do people otherwise want to use it on people but can't? Does it mean having to develop tertiary or inferior introverted feeling? How would you want to use it with people?

People usually get angry when you try to use Te on them socially. There may have been various factors that led you to not bring the food to the meeting, but nonetheless, you still didn't bring food to the meeting. The point is that there is no food, and food was supposed to be there.

It's easiest to either try to gag Te and give them the benefit of the doubt, but when it comes in handy is when you're trying to treat people fairly. It's easiest to tell when you're spending too much time with one person and not enough time with another because there's a quantitative measurement at hand -- time. And things like that.

I'm pretty sure that Te's inefficiency with working with people is what leads a lot of TJ types to give off an aura of 'professionalness'. They can be kind, generous people, but generally to be 'nice' in the way that people call for they have to silence the voice in the back of their heads that's constantly nagging otherwise. Te tries to treat people evenhandedly without consideration as to what they're feeling, but people generally demand more. The criticism that Te generally spouts out is usually best off silenced in friendly situations unless you know the person on the other end can handle it.

 

[Mort Belfry]

Do you think it's to do with the current social trend and in other times and places, perhaps in Mideavel (I always forget how to spell that) times with all the wars and battles Te was a tremednous boon to have with people? And maybe in the time of the Inqusition in Europe, perhaps Ne was frowned upon?

 

[Haphazard]

Do you think it's to do with the current social trend and in other times and places, perhaps in Mideavel (I always forget how to spell that) times with all the wars and battles Te was a tremednous boon to have with people? And maybe in the time of the Inqusition in Europe, perhaps Ne was frowned upon?

I don't know if Te is necessarily warlike -- it may be good for commanding and generally ignoring excuses, but it might be terrible at wartime strategy, as in anticipating things like demoralization. Chivalry may very much so be a Te invention rather than Fe because it dictates an equal and perscribed way to treat people rather than by 'knowing' what people are feeling.

I'm pretty sure that any time when consistency in dealing with people was favored over looking at them and considering their feelings and responding to that instead would be Te-favored rather than Fe-favored. This is why TJ is more common in law.

I'm not sure if this is the way most people with Te look at it, but if something happens that's wrong, it's not about blame -- it's about that something wrong happened, and that it needs to be cleaned up by somebody or dealt with in some manner. Whoever did the wrong may be severely embarrassed by whatever is pointed out, but avoidance doesn't solve anything. If it's no longer their problem even though they did wrong, and it will never be their fault again, it's pointless in letting them know that there was a problem because that's not going to solve anything.

 

[Mort Belfry]

Not warlike I know, but Te could have been more appreciated in those situations than now. From Shakespeare's Henry V character, the epitome of the Elizabethan hero king seemed to involve a lot of Te.

Thanks for the Te blame thing, I had an inkling that was the case, but I always find when that happens I try desperately to make it look like it wasn't my fault though.

 

[Haphazard]

Thanks for the Te blame thing, I had an inkling that was the case, but I always find when that happens I try desperately to make it look like it wasn't my fault though.

When it comes to blame, nobody wants to admit it, even if Te doesn't necessarily care. Te just wants it fixed and doesn't want it to happen again. The problem is that whoever's fault it was loses credibility until they can prove themselves again, and it doesn't really matter what the other person thinks of it because Te doesn't care much about personal feelings of others (that would be Fe).

Te is not likely to bring up past mistakes for the purpose of blame but will look at them to decide whether you're a trustworthy person or not. I have some very good friends who I love to death, but I would not allow them to borrow any electronics of mine. It's not at all that I don't like them, it's just that I'd rather keep my stuff in one piece, thank you very much, and yet they always take it personally...

 

["?"]

According to some, Lenore for one, the auxiliary function should be the easiest function a type can describe. The dominant is far too imposing to let us see it from the outside and the other functions are too far down the ladder of unconsciousness.

I wondered why I believed that to be true. I must have read it from her book. It actually seemed to make sense in my case because my Se is so apparent. However in re-reading Jung's theory, he describes the auxiliary differently:

Accurate investigation of the individual case consistently reveals the fact that, in conjunction with the most differentiated function, another function of secondary importance, and therefore of inferior differentiation in consciousness, is constantly present, and is a -- relatively determining factor. [p. 514]

For the sake of clarity let us again recapitulate: The products of all the functions can be conscious, but we speak of the consciousness of a function only when not merely its application is at the disposal of the will, but when at the same time its principle is decisive for the orientation of consciousness....

....This absolute sovereignty always belongs, empirically, to one function alone, and can belong only to one function, since the equally independent intervention of another function would necessarily yield a different orientation, which would at least partially contradict the first. But, since it is a vital condition for the conscious adaptation-process that constantly clear and unambiguous aims should be in evidence, the presence of a second function of equivalent power is naturally forbidden' This other function, therefore, can have only a secondary importance, a fact which is also established empirically. Its secondary importance consists in the fact that, in a given case, it is not valid in its own right, as is the primary function, as an absolutely reliable and decisive factor, but comes into play more as an auxiliary or complementary function.....