Could someone explain the functions (dominant, auxilary...) to me?

[KarenParker]

I have been reading up on it but it still seems like I'm not getting it. The more you dumb it down, the more I would appreciate it. THANKS!

 

[Sentura]

it basically explains with which functions you think. dominant is your first choice; your most developed function, which requires the least energy for you to use. auxiliary is your second which requires more energy, but is still well developed. tertiary functions have moderate costs, and aren't as well developed, whereas inferior have high energy costs and are not very well developed.

 

[Udog]

Here's my interpretation, which may or may not piss off the Function purists. Functions are like your mental 'toolset'. MBTI tries to predict your toolset order, but you may or may not fit the mold.

ESFP (Se Fi Te Ni)

Primary: This is how you work. It's what you were made to do, and the other functions either support or conflict with it.
Se - Extroverted Sensing: You live to experience things with your 5 senses. Craves awareness and interaction with your environment/surroundings.

Secondary: The method in which you execute your primary function. It gives you direction and feeds into the primary function.
Fi - Introverted feeling. You direct your desire for sensory input through an internal value set. It's subjective and personal, which focuses your Se towards people and (usually) harmony.

Tertiary: Sometimes called the 'Relief function', because when our primary function isn't appropriate it's how we introvert/extrovert with the real world.
Te - Extroverted thinking: Gathering information, creating plans, developing checklists. Accumulate empirical, objective data in order to best utilize and carry out the desires of Se/Fi.

Inferior: Sometimes called the "shadow" function. It tends to be an 'all or nothing' function, like wielding an overweight sledgehammer.
Ni - Introverted Intuition: The search for patterns and symbols. Looking for the deeper meaning in things. Epiphanies. 'Knowing' the correct answer from what can seem to be out of nowhere.

 

[Athenian200]

I have been reading up on it but it still seems like I'm not getting it. The more you dumb it down, the more I would appreciate it. THANKS!

You're quite sanguine, aren't you?

Anyway, about the functions. Picture an organization. The dominant function is like the big boss sitting in his office. Makes all the major decisions, sets the direction and tone for everyone else, etc.

The auxiliary function is like the bosses secretary. She handles all requests to see him, influences his first impression of people and things, and of course decides his schedule. She has the second most influence because of her advisory position, in other words.

The tertiary function is like the systems administrator. He has to go around keeping all the systems and processes running smoothly on a practical level, despite all the limitations imposed on him from above, and the incompetence of the users.

The inferior function is like the regular peons who do work. They get confused if you tell them to do anything that's not simple, and usually stop working and screw around if you don't keep an eye on them.

Does that make sense?

 

[Udog]

The tertiary function is like the systems administrator. He has to go around keeping all the systems and processes running smoothly on a practical level, despite all the limitations imposed on him from above, and the incompetence of the users.

The inferior function is like the regular peons who do work. They get confused if you tell them to do anything that's not simple, and usually stop working and screw around if you don't keep an eye on them.

You know, I was originally going to go with some thing along these lines, and then I came across a problem: The ESTJ.

Their 3rd function is Ne, and their 4th function is Fi. I couldn't think of how Ne keeps Te and Si working smoothly on a practical level. Any ideas?

 

[Athenian200]

Their 3rd function is Ne, and their 4th function is Fi. I couldn't think of how Ne keeps Te and Si working smoothly on a practical level. Any ideas?

Yes, actually. Ne has new ideas, so when what's known stops working, you can throw in a new idea to try and take care of the situation. So Ne keeps Te and Si from becoming an endless rut that leads nowhere due to changes happening around them.

 

[Udog]

Alright, I see what you meant now. Thanks!

 

[Jeffster]

You know, I was originally going to go with some thing along these lines, and then I came across a problem: The ESTJ.

Their 3rd function is Ne, and their 4th function is Fi.

How do you know that?

 

[entropie]

xXx in types basically is the universal language for "I am single, hit me"

 

[simulatedworld]

Be careful.

Functions are useful mainly for analyzing and understanding your own behavior.

In reality, most of your actions are probably caused by numerous functions acting in concert, and quite possibly other psychological forces that we don't understand or haven't mapped out properly.

So you can't really apply them to others much, since you don't really know what's going on beneath the surface.

But they're interesting to read about and speculate as to how they affect your own thoughts and attitudes.

 

[Udog]

How do you know that?

Elementary, my dear Watson. All ESTJs are the same. It would be un-ESTJ like to be an exception to the theory.

 

[entropie]

...until the theory is proven to be wrong

 

[Athenian200]

How do you know that?

It says so, right here:

ESTJ Profile

What more do you need?

Besides, it follows a particular formula. You have your dominant function, and the opposite of that in the opposite attitude is your inferior. One of the two of remaining functions in the opposite attitude of your dominant must be your auxiliary. The remaining function, in the same attitude as your dominant, is your tertiary. It's simple.

 

[Udog]

...until the theory is proven to be wrong

And still the ESTJs will cling to it.

J/k!!!

Btw, thanks Athenian for answering the question seriously.

 

[entropie]

I failed an exam at university now the third time. I scored 79.5 points out of 160 and you needed 80 points to pass *lol*

I decided to give my frustration over that to the door the results where hanging on and now they are sueing me for demolishing university properiety ( I took a table + a chair out aswell ).

The funny thing is, there were no half points in the whole exam, only full points. Meaning the ESTJ who gave me a half point, tried at least to get me through, but according to the rules, didnt work...

If this were a life and death situation, I could prolly understand it. But this exam was about giving a brief history about the development of software over the last 50 years in a 800 page lecture, which was made for mechanical engineers. So no programming was involved, just pure bleak boring history. + It was one out of 35 exams I have to take for a Bachelor degree and its overall point count for the final grade is nearly non-existent.

Wouldnt have hurt anyone, if they had just said, the whole exam would count as passed with 79.5 points and it would have been fair for everyone -.-

I am gonna get some gasoline, I am planning on burning a building tonite...

 

[Little Linguist]

You're quite sanguine, aren't you?

Anyway, about the functions. Picture an organization. The dominant function is like the big boss sitting in his office. Makes all the major decisions, sets the direction and tone for everyone else, etc.

The auxiliary function is like the bosses secretary. She handles all requests to see him, influences his first impression of people and things, and of course decides his schedule. She has the second most influence because of her advisory position, in other words.

The tertiary function is like the systems administrator. He has to go around keeping all the systems and processes running smoothly on a practical level, despite all the limitations imposed on him from above, and the incompetence of the users.

The inferior function is like the regular peons who do work. They get confused if you tell them to do anything that's not simple, and usually stop working and screw around if you don't keep an eye on them.

Does that make sense?

This was bloody brilliant. Kudos to you.

 

[Jeffster]

Elementary, my dear Watson. All ESTJs are the same. It would be un-ESTJ like to be an exception to the theory.

That doesn't answer the question.

It says so, right here:

ESTJ Profile

What more do you need?

How bout something that actually answers the question? All you've done is change the question from "How does Udog know?" to "How does Joe Butt know?"

Besides, it follows a particular formula. You have your dominant function, and the opposite of that in the opposite attitude is your inferior. One of the two of remaining functions in the opposite attitude of your dominant must be your auxiliary. The remaining function, in the same attitude as your dominant, is your tertiary. It's simple.

Yeah, that's great. But how do you know that?

 

[entropie]

<3<3<3

F(x) = lim x->o0 = 1/x

 

[Athenian200]

Yeah, that's great. But how do you know that?

It's an accepted tenet of Jungian personality theory.

Jung explains all of this in his book "Psychological Types." If you read it, he explains exactly how he knows it, and it makes sense to me. It's a very long, complicated read, though.

 

[entropie]

It's an accepted tenet of Jungian personality theory.

Jung explains all of this in his book "Psychological Types." If you read it, he explains exactly how he knows it, and it makes sense to me. It's a very long, complicated read, though.

Glad we have at least one who knows the book