A Type Dynamics Exercise

by Gary Hartzler                                                  © 2001, Gary Hartzler

Each of the eight functions plays a different role in the personality. One of them assumes the Dominant role early in our development. Carl Jung described eight types, one corresponding to each of the eight functions in the Dominant role. Jungian John Beebe links the Hero or Heroine archetype with the Dominant.

 

All the other functions subjugate themselves to a support role. John Beebe links the Father and Mother archetypes to the Auxiliary. Our fathers and mothers clearly support us as we develop. They also provide balance to the Hero within us by teaching the developing Hero to be responsible.

 

For example, when extraverted thinking (Te) is operating in the Dominant role (ESTJ or ENTJ), the Te will immediately evaluate any approach to a problem to determine if the approach will efficiently achieve the goals and that the problem area is one for which the person has responsibility. If yes to both those criteria, the Te would then determine the logistics for making the approach work. When working at its best, the Te Hero would ask the supporting Si for information about whether the approach has been tried before and with what results. It would also ask the supporting Ni to identify unintended side-effects. And so on.

 

When the Te is in a supporting role, it will be more focused on the logistics of how to implement the approach specified by the Dominant function and would not evaluate the approach in terms of its effectiveness in meeting goals unless it was asked to so by the Dominant. The author, an ENTP with well-developed Te, uses his Te to review many of the possibilities his Dominant Ne presents. Unfortunately, he often finds that he has no objective goals to evaluate the ideas against, so he puts his Te to work overtime establishing goals and determining logistics only to ignore them when the next great Ne idea comes along.

 

The following exercise is designed to help participants in a workshop understand how the functions operate differently as a Dominant than they do when in a support role. Please do NOT attempt this exercise at the mental process level (S, N, T, F). It will not work because the Introverted and Extraverted forms of the functions are very different.

 

Use of a Function as the Dominant versus its use in a Support Role

 

1. If you have not done so, describe each of the eight functions.
2. Make sure each person knows which function is his or her Dominant function.
3. Determine which function occurs most often as the Dominant in your workshop.
4. Have two groups form, one with people for whom that function is the Dominant and one for whom that function operates in a support role. You can form a third group if you have enough people with the selected function as the Auxiliary.
5. Ask each group to print on newsprint the ways they use the selected function.
6. Have the groups report out. Note the similarities and differences.

Any Qualified or Certified MBTI® practitioner is hereby authorized to copy this exercise and adapt it for use in your workshop(s).  Please provide us feedback about how the exercise worked or didn't work by e-mailing your comments Gary (you can use the link at the bottom of the page).

 

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