Amargith
Hotel California
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2008
- Messages
- 14,717
- MBTI Type
- ENFP
- Enneagram
- 4dw
- Instinctual Variant
- sx/so
Skylights posted the full 8 function order in another thread and it got me thinking..and helped me figure stuff out for myself as you can see below.
I would like people who have the time and feel like it, to share how their function order impacts them. Taking these theorethical descriptions and applying them to who they are, and see if they fit, as I've done. I think we can learn a lot from how each function works for each type and each person. It should provide a lot of insights, I hope.
When I think of the times I'm under stress and manage it fine, it's due to Ne. I take shortcuts, think outside the box, manage to somehow luck my way into getting things done, my mom always says (of course she's Si-dom ) I just get a plethora of options in front of me, connect the dots and act instinctively on the path that will work. Since it was considered 'cheating' at home, I've always felt guilty for not 'doing the proper work' when engaging in this. But it works. Ne always gets me out of a jam when nothing else can.
Fi. My Fi's always been about understanding and loving others before I could understand and love myself, which was what I desperately craved. It's what makes me curious about people, what makes me reach out to them, what makes me incapable of ignoring a cry for help, it's what made me hypersensitive and overdramatic as a child in an attempt to protect myself from other people's harsh opinions and the thing I've been working on the last two years in order to get that straightened out (still not fully there *sigh*). It's also what made me my sheltering inner world, where I could lick my wounds and dream, giving all that Ne-what-iffing a place to exist instead of aimlessly float in my head.
Te. Te wasn't really allowed at home, due to Fe-rule. So I became immensely scared of using it. I fluster every time I catch myself doing so, and there's nothing more embarassing than going on a NeTe-bender, as it tends to piss off FeSi-users to no end (makes you a socially retarded idiot with no sense of propriety it seems ). It presents itself when agitated, annoyed, peeved at things not moving forward and things not working the way Fi wants them to go. It's when I'm out of patience to be Ne-ing. It's also what makes me enjoy beading. Organizing the beads, stringing them, and seeing results, aka a necklace. I usually detest routine and repetition, but it's quite soothing in this form, especially when I'm mentally burned out. It gives me a focus that's uncomplicated
I constantly feel like an idiot for not being able to remember where stuff is, for not noticing things, for not picking up on details. It's not something I naturally do, and I'm ashamed of that. If I do make an effort do notice everything, I get exhausted after half an hour and am completely overstimulated while completely bored. It gives me stress like mad. However, when I have a test, I can become a walking encyclopedia, using my photographic memory in combination with my auditory memory. Also, I recall things from the past by the emotional note they struck in me, as I keep a library of emotional occurances and melodies in my life, for nostalgic indulgence purposes. I also very much enjoy rereading logs with people that i had pleasant convo's with. And, I enjoy the idea of sharing with others what I learned about life, what I encountered, which also ties in with the last part of that paragraph
Ni. This explains a lot. My Ni is quite high according to tests, but I can indeed only use it on certain areas (it doesn't occur to me to use it as broadly as say my INTJ does), and it does drain me when I talk to say ISTPs who are Ni-ing for relief or INXJs that are in the process of getting inspired. I love it, coz it's fascinating to watch but at some point I get lost in the misty cloud that is their Ni. It's also what makes up my gut, I believe, and the thing I cannot explain when I go: 'No..I'm not going there, I don't care what you say!' It's frustrating as hell to others. Or the times that I go:' I just *know* this, don't ask me to explain!'
Fe. Man, I have a love-hate relationship with Fe. I idd know very well which Fe-buttons to push to make someone feel guilty, get them to back off and place sniping remarks while smiling and sipping tea. Hell, the reason I know is coz I know very well how they impact me. I'm hypersensitive to it. If you're unwilling to take a hint and ignore my Te-hammer, I will get to a point where Fi will no longer protect you (Fi-value: do not harm others and be understanding). The second I stop caring about you and you're blatantly attacking me, I will start this and not stop till I've guilttripped you all over the place, and analysed you to the core and pretty much stripped you emotionally bare. I hate doing this though as I will afterwards feel insanely guilty myself. I am working on trying to be open to it and appreciate it, despite frustrating many a Fe-user here with that, it seems
Ti. Oh my god. I thought it would be my last function as I so *suck* at it. But it makes sense that it's in this place. I feel like flying blind and a fumbling baffoon for even trying when I engage in this and often I'm not even aware of it till I'm midflight I hate it with a vengeance as I cannot trust it for the life of me. I still have nightmares pertaining math and physics and stay far away from those subjects nowadays. I guess I should really start laughing at myself for being such a moron on this. I do try but it makes me feel embarassed and incompetent as my environment tends to be good at this stuff. If there's any function that can make me feel like a stupid blonde bimbette it's this one
Se. I always thought it couldn't be my last function as I do enjoy Se tremendously. Granted, I truly suck at finding things and seeing what's in front of me However, I do enjoy physical sensations immensely, am a great fan of dancing despite not being that good at it and can really savour the feel of soft fabrics on my skin or the taste of food. But now I see it ties in. I do use physical sensations in a...not so healthy way. I can get pretty much lost in them, escape in them and go overboard on them. It's what makes me hyperaware of my appearance as well and I can go OCD on like make-up and pretty shallow things like that for days, before snapping out of it. It does come out of the blue when that mood strikes. I also have an addictive personality, which is why I stay away from cigarettes and alcohol, and the likes, coz I dunno if I'll be able to quit it. I have a hard enough time managing my chocolate addiction I do love the process of SeFi meshed together. The hunting/flirting game is an example of that, as is dancing. I create with what I consider to be utter beauty (defined by Fi) and dance my heart out. Makes sense though that I'm always somewhat frustrated at my execution as I'm not a natural at Se and hence it's always less than perfect. Though..when I focus, I can get that moment of perfect control...i just cannot maintain it
I would like people who have the time and feel like it, to share how their function order impacts them. Taking these theorethical descriptions and applying them to who they are, and see if they fit, as I've done. I think we can learn a lot from how each function works for each type and each person. It should provide a lot of insights, I hope.
Originally Posted by cognitiveprocesses.com - adapted from Understanding Yourself and Others: An Introduction to the Personality Type Code
The Roles of the Processes
In each of the sixteen types, each of the eight processes plays a different “role†in the personality. The type code lets you know what role each process plays for each type. This is called “type dynamics.†It is also referred to as the “hierarchy of functionsâ€: Dominant, Auxiliary, Tertiary, and Inferior. The roles are explained below to help you better understand the patterns. In most of what we do we rely on two of the processes—a preferred way of accessing information and a preferred way of organizing and evaluating that information. As we look more closely we can see that one process takes a leading role and the other takes a supporting role.
In truth, we have access to all eight cognitive processes—the other six are often in the background, playing other kinds of roles. Each has a positive and a negative way of expressing itself. Each bears a different energy cost when we use it.
The Primary Processes
The primary processes are those used in the first four roles. Each process tends to emerge and develop at different times in our lives. During these times we are drawn to activities that use these processes. Then, learning the content and the skills that engage these processes is often nearly effortless. We find our interest is drawn to them and our interest is pulled away from things we were drawn to before.
The Leading Role (Dominant) (sometimes referred to as the 1st function)
The process that plays the leading role is the one that usually develops early in childhood. 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. The energy cost for using it is very low. Much like in the movies, the leading role has a heroic quality as using it can get us out of difficult situations. However, we can sometimes “turn up the volume†on this process and become overbearing and domineering. Then it takes on a negative dominating quality.
When I think of the times I'm under stress and manage it fine, it's due to Ne. I take shortcuts, think outside the box, manage to somehow luck my way into getting things done, my mom always says (of course she's Si-dom ) I just get a plethora of options in front of me, connect the dots and act instinctively on the path that will work. Since it was considered 'cheating' at home, I've always felt guilty for not 'doing the proper work' when engaging in this. But it works. Ne always gets me out of a jam when nothing else can.
The Supporting Role (Auxiliary) (sometimes referred to as the 2nd function)
The supporting role is how we are helpful to others as well as supportive of ourselves. Once we have developed some facility with our leading role process, we are more likely to feel comfortable engaging in our supporting role process. In its most positive form, this can be quite like a nurturing parent. In its more negative aspect, it can be overprotective and stunting rather than helpful. When the leading role process is an extraverted one, the supporting role process is introverted. When the leading role process is an introverted one, the supporting role process is extraverted and may be quite active and visible as it provides a way of dealing with the outer world.
Fi. My Fi's always been about understanding and loving others before I could understand and love myself, which was what I desperately craved. It's what makes me curious about people, what makes me reach out to them, what makes me incapable of ignoring a cry for help, it's what made me hypersensitive and overdramatic as a child in an attempt to protect myself from other people's harsh opinions and the thing I've been working on the last two years in order to get that straightened out (still not fully there *sigh*). It's also what made me my sheltering inner world, where I could lick my wounds and dream, giving all that Ne-what-iffing a place to exist instead of aimlessly float in my head.
The Relief Role (Tertiary) (sometimes referred to as the 3rd function)
The relief role gives us a way to energize and recharge ourselves. It serves as a backup to the supporting role and often works in tandem with it. When we are younger, we might not engage in the process that plays this role very much unless our life circumstances require it or make it hard to use the supporting role process. Usually, in young adulthood we are attracted to activities that draw upon this process. The relief role often is how we express our creativity. It is how we are playful and childlike. In its most negative expression, this is how we become childish. Then it has an unsettling quality, and we can use this process to distract ourselves and others, getting us off target.
Te. Te wasn't really allowed at home, due to Fe-rule. So I became immensely scared of using it. I fluster every time I catch myself doing so, and there's nothing more embarassing than going on a NeTe-bender, as it tends to piss off FeSi-users to no end (makes you a socially retarded idiot with no sense of propriety it seems ). It presents itself when agitated, annoyed, peeved at things not moving forward and things not working the way Fi wants them to go. It's when I'm out of patience to be Ne-ing. It's also what makes me enjoy beading. Organizing the beads, stringing them, and seeing results, aka a necklace. I usually detest routine and repetition, but it's quite soothing in this form, especially when I'm mentally burned out. It gives me a focus that's uncomplicated
The Aspirational Role (Inferior) (sometimes referred to as the 4th function)
The aspirational role usually doesn’t develop until around midlife. We often experience it first in its negative aspect of projecting our “shoulds,†fears, and negativities onto others. The qualities of these fears reflect the process that plays this role, and we are more likely to look immature when we engage in the process that plays this role. There is often a fairly high energy cost for using it—even when we acquire the skill to do so. As we learn to trust it and develop it, the aspirational role process provides a bridge to balance in our lives. Often our sense of purpose, inspiration, and ideals have the qualities of the process that plays this role.
I constantly feel like an idiot for not being able to remember where stuff is, for not noticing things, for not picking up on details. It's not something I naturally do, and I'm ashamed of that. If I do make an effort do notice everything, I get exhausted after half an hour and am completely overstimulated while completely bored. It gives me stress like mad. However, when I have a test, I can become a walking encyclopedia, using my photographic memory in combination with my auditory memory. Also, I recall things from the past by the emotional note they struck in me, as I keep a library of emotional occurances and melodies in my life, for nostalgic indulgence purposes. I also very much enjoy rereading logs with people that i had pleasant convo's with. And, I enjoy the idea of sharing with others what I learned about life, what I encountered, which also ties in with the last part of that paragraph
The Shadow Processes
The other four cognitive processes operate more on the boundaries of our awareness. It is as if they are in the shadows and only come forward under certain circumstances. We usually experience these processes in a negative way, yet when we are open to them, they can be quite positive.
The Opposing Role (sometimes referred to as the 5th function)
The opposing role is often how we get stubborn and argumentative—refusing to “play†and join in whatever is going on at the time. It might be easy for us to develop skill in the process that plays this role, but we are likely to be more narrow in our application of this skill, and it will likely take more energy to use it extensively. In its positive aspect, it provides a shadow or depth to our leading role process, backing it up and enabling us to be more persistent in pursuit of our goals.
Ni. This explains a lot. My Ni is quite high according to tests, but I can indeed only use it on certain areas (it doesn't occur to me to use it as broadly as say my INTJ does), and it does drain me when I talk to say ISTPs who are Ni-ing for relief or INXJs that are in the process of getting inspired. I love it, coz it's fascinating to watch but at some point I get lost in the misty cloud that is their Ni. It's also what makes up my gut, I believe, and the thing I cannot explain when I go: 'No..I'm not going there, I don't care what you say!' It's frustrating as hell to others. Or the times that I go:' I just *know* this, don't ask me to explain!'
The Critical Parent Role (sometimes referred to as the 6th function)
The critical parent role is how we find weak spots and can immobilize and demoralize others. We can also feel this way when others use the process that plays this role. It is often used sporadically and emerges more often under stressful conditions when something important is at risk. When we engage it, we can go on and on. To access its positive side of discovery, we must learn to appreciate and be open to it. Then it has an almost magical quality and can provide a profound sense of wisdom.
Fe. Man, I have a love-hate relationship with Fe. I idd know very well which Fe-buttons to push to make someone feel guilty, get them to back off and place sniping remarks while smiling and sipping tea. Hell, the reason I know is coz I know very well how they impact me. I'm hypersensitive to it. If you're unwilling to take a hint and ignore my Te-hammer, I will get to a point where Fi will no longer protect you (Fi-value: do not harm others and be understanding). The second I stop caring about you and you're blatantly attacking me, I will start this and not stop till I've guilttripped you all over the place, and analysed you to the core and pretty much stripped you emotionally bare. I hate doing this though as I will afterwards feel insanely guilty myself. I am working on trying to be open to it and appreciate it, despite frustrating many a Fe-user here with that, it seems
The Deceiving Role (sometimes referred to as the 7th function)
The deceiving role fools us into thinking something is important to do or pay attention to. The process that fills this role is often not trusted or seen as worthy of attention, for when we do engage it, we may make mistakes in perception or in decision making. Then we feel double bound—trapped between two bad options. Yet this role can have a positive side as it provides comic relief. Then we can laugh at ourselves. It can be refreshing and join with the relief role as we recharge ourselves through play.
Ti. Oh my god. I thought it would be my last function as I so *suck* at it. But it makes sense that it's in this place. I feel like flying blind and a fumbling baffoon for even trying when I engage in this and often I'm not even aware of it till I'm midflight I hate it with a vengeance as I cannot trust it for the life of me. I still have nightmares pertaining math and physics and stay far away from those subjects nowadays. I guess I should really start laughing at myself for being such a moron on this. I do try but it makes me feel embarassed and incompetent as my environment tends to be good at this stuff. If there's any function that can make me feel like a stupid blonde bimbette it's this one
The Devilish Role (sometimes referred to as the 8th function)
The devilish role can be quite negative. Using the process that plays this role, we might become destructive of ourselves or others. Actions (or inactions) taken when we engage in the process that plays this role are often regretted later. Usually, we are unaware of how to use the process that fills this role and feel like it just erupts and imposes itself rather unconsciously. Yet when we are open to the process that plays the devilish role, it becomes transformative. It gives us the impetus to create something new—to make lemonade out of lemons, rather than lament their sourness.
Se. I always thought it couldn't be my last function as I do enjoy Se tremendously. Granted, I truly suck at finding things and seeing what's in front of me However, I do enjoy physical sensations immensely, am a great fan of dancing despite not being that good at it and can really savour the feel of soft fabrics on my skin or the taste of food. But now I see it ties in. I do use physical sensations in a...not so healthy way. I can get pretty much lost in them, escape in them and go overboard on them. It's what makes me hyperaware of my appearance as well and I can go OCD on like make-up and pretty shallow things like that for days, before snapping out of it. It does come out of the blue when that mood strikes. I also have an addictive personality, which is why I stay away from cigarettes and alcohol, and the likes, coz I dunno if I'll be able to quit it. I have a hard enough time managing my chocolate addiction I do love the process of SeFi meshed together. The hunting/flirting game is an example of that, as is dancing. I create with what I consider to be utter beauty (defined by Fi) and dance my heart out. Makes sense though that I'm always somewhat frustrated at my execution as I'm not a natural at Se and hence it's always less than perfect. Though..when I focus, I can get that moment of perfect control...i just cannot maintain it