proteanmix
Plumage and Moult
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2007
- Messages
- 5,514
- Enneagram
- 1w2
I'm not really good at explaining what I think and I usually find that visuals are the best way to explain what I think. I use that picture as a representation of varying levels of individual function usage.
It's so hard to find good expressions of abstracted and functional dominant functions on the forum. I'm going to use Ne because I think it's one of the easiest functions that you can "see" being used. I'm not trying to pick on anyone I'm just choosing members that are good examples of what I want to communicate.
CzeCze and Liquid Laser exhibit good Ne grounded with their introverted judgment. They're able to accurately find the relevant points of connection between ideas and communicate them easily and it clear for people to understand. Some ENPs on the forum think that being random and disconnected is being Ne, or more generally obfuscating things is being intuitive. I also think that this is how someone becomes "intuitive" on the forum, by showing exaggerated manifestations of Ne and Ni.
Back on topic, it is using Ne but it's using it in a 1D way. Anyone can be random and make unlikely connections but I don't think mature use of a function is that ostentatious. TLL and Cze don't seem to get bogged down in possibilities or connections that lead to dead ends. For example, CzeCze will come into a discussion and summarize and unify they most pertinent points or the way Liquid Laser has better arguments and sounder logic than a good number of INTPs on the forum. Judging by their forum behavior, I'd say they've moved into at least 3D use of their dominant function.
Not picking on CaptainChick )), but CC is a good example of someone who floats between 2D and beyond usage of her dominant Ne. You see her making the connections, but she's not sure which ones are worth investigating further. Sometimes this makes her seem scattered and all of the map. This manifests itself IRL with the jack of all trades, master of none attitude that many EPs have. Not knowing where to focus their possibility or sensation seeking abilities and explode it into something great within their chosen area of interest. It gets scattered like leaves in the wind.
Now once you've moved past 2D use of your dominant function, I wonder how much further in development you can delve into with your other functions? Like can you ever achieve more than 3D use of your tertiary and inferior function? Can shadow functions ever not play a fearful role in your life and regularly accessed in a positive way?
When people have abstracted their dominant function or moved past one and two dimensional usage of a function they don't need to show it off as much because they're confident in their ability of how to use it. It begins to look more like this:
This picture represents what happens when any function has matured into a cohesive whole.
I guess this goes into the preference vs. ability argument when it comes to typing people. I believe that's what makes it hard to type people accurately in real life (or maybe it's just me!) because many have had to develop functions "out of order" and may have developed at least 3D usage of another function which hides their true type and also why it's easier to find people who act stereotypically their type because they've developed more or less in order. When I say out of order I mean that your dominant and auxiliary still developed in tandem but everything else is up in the air.
What do people think?