Development of functions and age.

[kevinlivecomau]

I was watching one of Davesuperpower's video's and he said that the 2nd function is usually developed much later in life. I'm assuming in the 20s. What has been your experience with this and when did you see the most development in your 2nd, 3rd and 4th functions?

 

[INTP]

development of functions really depends on the person and whether the development of them is required by the external world(people need to have peace of mind regarding the external world and it may require some internal adjustments like developing new ways of consciously processing/perceiving things, aka developing the functions). generally speaking(if there is no pressure on developing functions from external world), people tend to develop aux in their teens, tert somewhere 20's or early 30's and inferior in 40's-50's. some people might not develop much than dom or aux functions in their whole life and some might develop in their tert and inferior quite a lot even at their mid 20's.

but it should be noted that these functions are there even from very young ages, but when speaking of developing functions we are talking about bringing the functions in the field of consciousness and under the control of ego(undeveloped functions are mainly controlled by personal unconscious and complexes, which are structures in personal unconscious).

jung called this development of function differentiation:

Differentiation
The separation of parts from a whole, necessary for conscious access to the psychological functions.

"So long as a function is still so fused with one or more other functions-thinking with feeling, feeling with sensation, etc.-that it is unable to operate on its own, it is in an archaic condition, i.e., not differentiated, not separated from the whole as a special part and existing by itself. Undifferentiated thinking is incapable of thinking apart from other functions; it is continually mixed up with sensations, feelings, intuitions, just as undifferentiated feeling is mixed up with sensations and fantasies."["Definitions," CW 6, par. 705.]

An undifferentiated function is characterized by ambivalence (every position entails its own negative), which leads to characteristic inhibitions in its use.

"Differentiation consists in the separation of the function from other functions, and in the separation of its individual parts from each other. Without differentiation direction is impossible, since the direction of a function towards a goal depends on the elimination of anything irrelevant. Fusion with the irrelevant precludes direction; only a differentiated function is capable of being directed."[ Ibid., par. 705.]

this life long development of personality(do note that there is more to personality than just psychological functions), which is essentially about gaining perception of self that is greater than ego, he called individuation:

Individuation
A process of psychological differentiation, having for its goal the development of the individual personality.


"In general, it is the process by which individual beings are formed and differentiated; in particular, it is the development of the psychological individual as a being distinct from the general, collective psychology."[Ibid., par. 757.]

"The aim of individuation is nothing less than to divest the self of the false wrappings of the persona on the one hand, and of the suggestive power of primordial images on the other."["The Function of the Unconscious," CW 7, par. 269. ]

Individuation is a process informed by the archetypal ideal of wholeness, which in turn depends on a vital relationship between ego and unconscious. The aim is not to overcome one’s personal psychology, to become perfect, but to become familiar with it. Thus individuation involves an increasing awareness of one’s unique psychological reality, including personal strengths and limitations, and at the same time a deeper appreciation of humanity in general.

"As the individual is not just a single, separate being, but by his very existence presupposes a collective relationship, it follows that the process of individuation must lead to more intense and broader collective relationships and not to isolation."["Definitions," CW 6, par. 758.]

"Individuation does not shut one out from the world, but gathers the world to itself."["On the Nature of the Psyche," CW 8, par. 432.]

"Individuation has two principle aspects: in the first place it is an internal and subjective process of integration, and in the second it is an equally indispensable process of objective relationship. Neither can exist without the other, although sometimes the one and sometimes the other predominates."["The Psychology of the Transference," CW 16, par. 448.]

Individuation and a life lived by collective values are nevertheless two divergent destinies. In Jung’s view they are related to one another by guilt. Whoever embarks on the personal path becomes to some extent estranged from collective values, but does not thereby lose those aspects of the psyche which are inherently collective. To atone for this "desertion," the individual is obliged to create something of worth for the benefit of society.

"Individuation cuts one off from personal conformity and hence from collectivity. That is the guilt which the individuant leaves behind him for the world, that is the guilt he must endeavor to redeem. He must offer a ransom in place of himself, that is, he must bring forth values which are an equivalent substitute for his absence in the collective personal sphere. Without this production of values, final individuation is immoral and-more than that-suicidal. . . . The individuant has no a priori claim to any kind of esteem. He has to be content with whatever esteem flows to him from outside by virtue of the values he creates. Not only has society a right, it also has a duty to condemn the individuant if he fails to create equivalent values."["Adaptation, Individuation, Collectivity," CW 18, pars. 1095f.]

Individuation differs from individualism in that the former deviates from collective norms but retains respect for them, while the latter eschews them entirely.

"A real conflict with the collective norm arises only when an individual way is raised to a norm, which is the actual aim of extreme individualism. Naturally this aim is pathological and inimical to life. It has, accordingly, nothing to do with individuation, which, though it may strike out on an individual bypath, precisely on that account needs the norm for its orientation to society and for the vitally necessary relationship of the individual to society. Individuation, therefore, leads to a natural esteem for the collective norm." ["Definitions," CW 6, par. 761.]

The process of individuation, consciously pursued, leads to the realization of the self as a psychic reality greater than the ego. Thus individuation is essentially different from the process of simply becoming conscious.

"The goal of the individuation process is the synthesis of the self." ["The Psychology of the Child Archetype," CW 9i, par. 278.]

"Again and again I note that the individuation process is confused with the coming of the ego into consciousness and that the ego is in consequence identified with the self, which naturally produces a hopeless conceptual muddle. Individuation is then nothing but ego-centredness and autoeroticism. But the self comprises infinitely more than a mere ego, as the symbolism has shown from of old. It is as much one’s self, and all other selves, as the ego."["On the Nature of the Psyche," CW 8, par. 432.]

In Jung’s view, no one is ever completely individuated. While the goal is wholeness and a healthy working relationship with the self, the true value of individuation lies in what happens along the way.

"The goal is important only as an idea; the essential thing is the opus which leads to the goal: that is the goal of a lifetime."["The Psychology of the Transference," CW 16, par. 400.]

 

[Philosorapteuse]

The one I've really been aware of developing is Fe. It's developed massively between the ages of about sixteen and 22, in large part because I made a very conscious effort to develop it, though I wouldn't have known what to call it at the time. Various people called my attention to the fact that I was really quite dismissive and unsympathetic to others with no time for any feelings or ideas that I deemed irrational, and that this was largely why people didn't like me. I realised that other people really are people in a meaningful sense, and worked hard at learning to empathise. Being a teenager, I didn't manage to do this very healthily - basically I established some rigid and high standards, and beat myself up whenever I fell short of those standards of behaviour, which was often given that Fe's my inferior and didn't come very naturally. It pretty much ruined my own self-worth and mental health, but my Fe is much stronger for it, and I think I'm a better person for it too.