Development of functions

[raz]

I've been poring over some more books about the MBTI. I'm really trying to find more that cover the functions, especially during childhood. I think it's interesting to see how the development of the functions manifests in children and teenagers. Maybe this is my Si getting its dosage?

I'll be honest, I haven't done more in Please Understand Me 2 except flip through it randomly. I'm trying to locate a copy of Gifts Differing, still. I'll have to run to a library tomorrow for it. I was reading Work Types, and it describes how the dominant functions can show up in children:

Si children may be attracted to "real life" play: school, going to work, etc. They put energy into learning "the rules" and getting a solid sense of what is expected.

Extraverted Sensing children may actively seek new experiences and people, reveling in enjoyment of activities, such as field trips and experiential learning, exploring the world around him/her just to experience it.

Introverted Intuitive children may spend a lot of time "daydreaming," creating internal images and pictures of the future.

Extraverted Intuitive children may lead his or her contemporaries in creative play like getting everyone involved in "make believe" games.

Introverted Thinking children may spend a lot of time trying to "figure things out," reading an encyclopedia, learning about the stars, taking in and organizing knowledge.

Extraverted Thinking children may try to organize and structure the world around him/her by planning family outings, organizing school activities, or providing leadership to a social group.

Introverted Feeling children may be especially sensitive to those around him or her, quietly noticing how others are treated, identifying with outsiders, speaking up fiercely when his/her values are violated.

Extraverted Feeling children may focus on ensuring that everyone around him/her is included and feels counted, staying after school to help the teacher, organizing family chores and outings.

I know that was a lot. I know the functions may not show up exactly as they are defined here, but they're good guidelines, I'd assume?

Si would've been my first developed function as an ISTJ. I know I spent my childhood doing everything my family did. I mean, I had no choice, but I didn't find a problem with it. We went on vacations a lot, and I just went. I learned a lot in the process, and I still remember so much from it. I can honestly visualize the hotels we stayed at the most.

Te would've been next. As I was in a depression during the time that Te would've been developed the most, I'm not really sure about it. I remember one birthday though, where I made a list of all the power ranger toys I wanted, then assigned who in my immediate family would buy each one.

Ti seems to describe me, though, as a child. I was obsessed with Power Rangers as a kid. I watched every episode, but I loved the toys, however only the zords. I enjoyed putting them together, then taking them apart, then putting them back together. Then I'd sit them on a shelf all lined up. I had no interest in the action figures though. They did nothing! They couldn't hold anything to the zords that were able to transform! They just....sat there.

Does anyone else remember these experiences as a child? I just think, if these descriptions are true, they should line up with your type. If this has been discussed before, I must've missed it. I did a search.

 

[mlittrell]

if you like this stuff then you'll love the stuff in Please Understand Me II.

 

[raz]

Yeah, I'm going to go through it today. I was just wondering if other people could identify with how the functions are developed in children.

 

[mlittrell]

well as ive stated many times in the past, each individual function can only explain so much; you need to look at them in terms of the other surrounding functions (function orientation). your descriptions are just fine by me as far as individual functions go. this is why i like to look at the temperaments quite a bit more when it comes to children.

 

[Cimarron]

How "young" are we talking? You mean like when we were 8 year-olds? I know what I think I remember. I remember what I did, but not usually what I was thinking/feeling way back then.

 

[edcoaching]

Actually, if you were lining up the power rangers that's a bit of Te, organizing the external world...

Please Understand Me II has a lot of generalizations/biases in it. The best book on type and child development is The Developing Child by Elizabeth Murphy. It isn't very expensive on amazon.com and its descriptive and prescriptive elements are extremely valuable.

It's true that functions develop in ways that are influenced by the surrounding functions and attitudes. It's also true that environment influences how they develop. Murphy holds that it's the primary responsiblity of parents and teachers to support the natural development of the child. That doesn't always happen and children can have trouble developing them.

My Ni developed early--I have memories from age 3 on of imagining myself as characters in my favorite books, playing cowboy myself with a living room chair as my horse (Roy Rogers still ran in reruns on TV, along withthe Lone RAnger, Hopalong...). Fe--I distinctly remember in 6th grade becoming more aware of who was in/out and how the outsiders felt and wanting to include them. The T functions--I've developed skills with them through schooling and work situations but they always feel artificial. The S functions can trip me up and are also a source of hobbies as they turn off the dominant and give me a break.

 

[The Ü™]

My Ni developed early--I have memories from age 3 on of imagining myself as characters in my favorite books, playing cowboy myself with a living room chair as my horse (Roy Rogers still ran in reruns on TV, along withthe Lone RAnger, Hopalong...). Fe--I distinctly remember in 6th grade becoming more aware of who was in/out and how the outsiders felt and wanting to include them. The T functions--I've developed skills with them through schooling and work situations but they always feel artificial. The S functions can trip me up and are also a source of hobbies as they turn off the dominant and give me a break.

Yeah, I used to make up my own movies in my head as a child. I pretended to be the characters I invented and I also designed the posters for the movies. But I never played with other kids. My parents thought there was something wrong with me. (This is about when I got my Asperger's diagnosis.)

Despite my lifelong fascination with movies, however, I never had the confidence to actually pick up a camera and make a movie of my own. My Te is really fucked up.

I also think that my sheltered childhood is what made me afraid of change.

 

[INTJMom]

...
I was reading Work Types, and it describes how the dominant functions can show up in children:

Introverted Intuitive children may spend a lot of time "daydreaming," creating internal images and pictures of the future.

I did this a lot.

Introverted Thinking children may spend a lot of time trying to "figure things out," reading an encyclopedia, learning about the stars, taking in and organizing knowledge.

We used to have a really old book called a "Cyclopedia" on how stuff works. I loved reading about the inner workings of things!

Extraverted Thinking children may try to organize and structure the world around him/her by planning family outings, organizing school activities, or providing leadership to a social group.

I did used to organize play either with dolls or with other kids. When I was in 4th grade, I organized a bunch of the kids to act out a play during indoor recess.

 

[raz]

Reading through Please Understand Me 2, and how Rationals and Guardians are as children, I don't see much correlation with myself. The furthest back I can remember is 1st grade. All I can remember from first is counting the amount of "Stephanie's" in my class, and trying to tell the difference between them. We also had a Sega Genesis that I would lose track of time playing. In 2nd, I went bike riding a lot, exploring my neighborhood, playing baseball with a few kids that lived near me. The only people I talked to regularly were these 2 girls that sat behind me in my class. I remember poking one of them a lot. That was when I found Power Rangers and lost myself in it. The toys could do all sorts of things, becoming megazords and ultrazords! To me, that was just the most awesomest thing ever.

In 3rd, I started noticing other kids joining chorus, and I didn't understand how they got that opportunity and I didn't. That was the first grade that I really started taking advantage of the public library at the school. I entered a spelling bee in that grade, and lost on the word "mosquito." I read a book about a kid that traveled through time. About that time, I found out about Back to the Future also. That started taking up my time, too. I started reading Goosebumps books, too. Then in 4th and 5th, I remember exhausting myself on field day. And yet again, I saw kids going to this "Chorus" thing that I didn't know where it had come from. I didn't get how kids at my age were THAT interested in making music. In 5th, I remember acting like I had radar vision like a robot and that I was "scanning an area."

In 5th grade, people generally respected me, but I didn't really have a close friend, just a lot of acquaintances. As I watched Power Rangers more, I started analyzing how their morphs might work, when I was 10 or 11. I saw they'd raise the morphers in the air, call out their dinosaur, and instantly morph. I thought, "They must have to concentrate on something for it to happen. I think they morph by having a connection from their mind to their morpher. Maybe they think something specific for it to happen? That's hard! I can't do that! I could never be a power ranger!" From then on, I thought I was weird and that I couldn't think clearly. I really did think that, heh.

This makes me think Se and Ti.

 

[Cimarron]

Maybe ISTP? Ti, Se, Ni, Fe