Cognitive functions explained in simple terms. You don’t need to be a genius to understand this. It is the basis for personality type and why we are so different.
Someone posted this in the NF geeks facebook group and it is quite fascinating. Remember that the whole archetypes thing is what Carl Jung is most famous for.
How to figure out your shadow functions:
Switch the I/E and the P/J. The function order of the resulting type are your shadow functions. For example: INTP -> ENTJ
Or, if you’re not a Ti dom with extensive knowledge of all the types you can just take the introverted/extroverted versions of your functions in the same order. Or look at the chart. But where’s the fun in that?
Understanding the Roles (Archetypes)
We all play different roles in life. Sometimes father, mother, child, brother, sister, teacher, student.Your functions have 8 different roles to play.
Function 1) Hero / Heroine Role
Your strongest function will be in the hero / heroine role. This is how you “save the day.” This is your dominant cognitive function.
When life calls on you to save the day, you will call on, and depend on your dominant function.
If you look at your life, at a time that you made the most progress, or you did something really significant, where you had to work hard at it, but you succeeded, it was your hero function doing the heavy lifting and saving the day for you.
Function 2) Auxiliary / Supportive / Parent Role
This is your second strongest function. It supports your Hero function. It’s helpful to think that together the first two functions account for ~ 90% of your personality.
It’s called the “Parent” function because it’s used in a helping, positive, supportive way.
According to John Beebe, the Jungian Analyst who expanded Carl Jung’s work of the 8 function model, when you reach out to help someone, it’s your second function that you start with.
Function 3) Tertiary / Relief Role
Whichever function falls into the 3rd position, the “Relief Role,” will be the one that is almost always weak and troublesome.
It does not develop until mid life. Because of this it gets very little exercise and very little practice. Thus if you are called to use this function in your teens or mid twenties, you will fall flat on your face.
You won’t be able to count on this function as you do your top two functions.
Psychologists suggest that you should get to know your tertiary function in a relaxed, playful, recreational, stress free manner. Thus it’s called the “Relief” function.
Function 4) Inferior / Aspirational Role
Whichever function falls into the 4th position, will also be weak for you but it holds something special as the name “Aspirational” indicates.
Whichever function falls here, describes what you aspire to.
Yes, early on in life, using your 4th function is a source of weakness, maybe failure, maybe even shame. You probably can not perform the skills and tasks that are normally associated with this function.
But you will find great satisfaction and maybe even breakthroughs, from periodically trying to exercise this function.
In particular, the 4th function is considered the doorway to the unconscious. It’s through using this function in a low pressure, low stress, friendly way that you can tap into the unconscious and all the energy and creativity that is stored there.
So make sure you keeping trying to use your 4th function. It will help you become all you can be.
Function 5) Opposing Role
Your 5th function is used mainly as a defense. It’s how you might become stubborn, uncooperative, unfriendly, rude, or obstructive.
So look at the fifth function for your 4 letter type. See what it is all about, and ask yourself if that is not how you become defensive, stubborn etc.
Function 6) Critical Parent Role
We all have experienced a critical parent in our lives. It’s when a parent tells you that you are doing something wrong or you are doing something poorly.
The critical parent is a voice in your head that will cause you to criticize yourself and others.
Whichever function falls into this position will determine the flavor of your self criticism.
Function 7) The Trickster Role
Which ever function falls into the 7th position will cause you grief throughout your life.
The role of the trickster is to deceive and distort what you experience, or think you experience.
Mike Shur the Assessment Specialist and personality type expert describes the 7th function as walking through the fun house at a carnival. This is the room full of mirrors that stretch you and distort you, making you taller and thinner than you really are.
You will most often experience the 7th function when you are stressed or under pressure, or overly tired. You can not trust your perceptions or judgments when your 7th function is in charge.
You will see things and believe things that are not real. You will put yourself or others in a double bind situation, which forces people to lose.
People describe it as being in the grip of their 7th function.
Function 8) Demonic / Transformative Role
Which ever function falls into the 8th position describes how you are when you are the most destructive. Thus the term “Demonic Role.”
The 8th function can rarely also be transformative, propelling you to greater personal growth and maturity.
But most often, when a situation calls for you to use your 8th function, it’s not going to be pretty.
