OP: I think changing a letter is somewhat naive on 2 fronts.
1. When you change a letter, you will inherit both the good and the bad. Every type has a different swot profile. (swot- strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). To think that you won't pay a price for a change of mind is short sighted.
2. Being a certain type is not so concrete. We switch types all the time. If we couldn't switch, we would be completely intolerable of other types. Nature via nurture. While our environment shapes us, our genetics roots us.
For anyone in the serious study of MBTI, your research will probably lead you to Jung's work, and perhaps specifically to Jung "psychological types". If you had dug deeper, you'll find that Jung used the cognitive functions as a road map toward individuation (his individuation process of shadow, anima/animus etc). This process shows how a person can psychological mature by traveling through your cognitive functions and experiencing life in different ways. It's very much like the enneagram in that the idea is to integration through all the types. Ideally, you would have authentically experienced and learned from becoming all the types.
According to Jungian psychology, individuation is a process of psychological integration, having for its goal the development of the individual personality. "In general, it is the process by which individual beings are formed and differentiated [from other human beings]; in particular, it is the development of the psychological individual as a being distinct from the general, collective psychology."[1]
Individuation is a process of transformation whereby the personal and collective unconscious is brought into consciousness (by means of dreams, active imagination or free association to take some examples) to be assimilated into the whole personality. It is a completely natural process necessary for the integration of the psyche to take place.[2] Individuation has a holistic healing effect on the person, both mentally and physically.[2]
Besides achieving physical and mental health,[2] people who have advanced towards individuation tend to be harmonious, mature and responsible. They embody humane values such as freedom and justice and have a good understanding about the workings of human nature and the universe.[3]
Individuation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Myths-Dreams-Symbols
So according to Jung's individuation process, every type has a natural progression. To wish for another type is fanciful but unrealistic, and may lead to harm via delusional thinking. Something akin to anorexia etc.
Although there is the general notion of making the unconscious conscious, I'm still working on a theory to describe the actual mechanics of this process to aid in practicality. The other problem is trying to converge the modern "shadow functions" with what Jung regarded as the 'shadow'
Shadow (psychology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The first step is to become familiar or to identify your shadow. Here's a list of type and shadow transformations.
Code:
(using the full cognitive function or just the
first two will yield identical results.)
INTP -> Ti Ne Si Fe [Te Ni Se Fi] -> ENTJ
INTJ -> Ni Te Fi Se [Ne Ti Fe Si] -> ENTP
INFP -> Fi Ne Si Te [Fe Ni Se Ti] -> ENFJ
INFJ -> Ni Fe Ti Se [Ne Fi Te Si] -> ENFP
ISTP -> Ti Se Ni Fe [Te Si Ne Fi] -> ESTJ
ISTJ -> Si Te Fi Ne [Se Ti Fe Ni] -> ESTP
ISFP -> Fi Se Ni Te [Fe Si Ne Ti] -> ESFJ
ISFJ -> Si Fe Ti Ne [Se Fi Te Ni] -> ESFP
ENTP -> Ne Ti Fe Si [Ni Te Fi Se] -> INTJ
ENTJ -> Te Ni Se Fi [Ti Ne Si Fe] -> INTP
ENFP -> Ne Fi Te Si [Ni Fe Ti Se] -> INFJ
ENFJ -> Fe Ni Se Ti [Fi Ne Si Te] -> INFP
ESTP -> Se Ti Fe Ni [Si Te Fi Ne] -> ISTJ
ESTJ -> Te Si Ne Fi [Ti Se Ni Fe] -> ISTP
ESFP -> Se Fi Te Ni [Si Fe Ti Ne] -> ISFJ
ESFJ -> Fe Si Ne Ti [Fi Se Ni Te] -> ISFP
The pattern is that you change your first AND last letter of your MBTI type to start your individuation process. And for some, you might get this Jekyll and Hyde feeling. In light of making oneself better, this might not be a bad thing after all.
