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MBTI – UNHEALTHY Functions (S): How to Use Sensing in a Healthy and Productive Way



To the extentthat the other functions are unconscious, this type easily getsstuck in a rut, bogged down in the routine of the present moment.Attuned to the here and now, what is, they have thegreatest difficulty imagining what might be, the possibilitiesthat are the natural domain of the intuitive.


ESTJs will naturally value their top three functions a great deal (especially their dominant function). Like all types, they are at risk of having a warped or imbalanced perception of their other 5 functions (Yes, everyone uses all 8 functions!) Here are some of the ways this can cause trouble for ESTJs and their relationships:




MBTI – UNHEALTHY Functions (S)




Healthy INFJs are comfortable with the fact that not everyone will like them or see things in the same way that they do. They can enjoy activities that are purely leisurely without feeling like they must put every minute of their time towards their vision. They enjoy learning from a variety of people who are far different from themselves, and this allows them to be more open-minded and accepting. They are slow to label others as superficial or shallow, realizing that they may not have the whole picture. While their intuition and feeling functions will always be preferred, they learn to appreciate thinking and sensing. This allows them to be more objective in decisions and more aware of their physical needs and the details of their environment.


Hi Susan,Wow! This is extremely helpful!As an ENFP, I would add that when our ideas are not validated and at least considered, and we are unhealthy, we tend to feel hopeless, ideas might shut down completely, and any desire to be reasonable, or be around the people we see as invalidating is flattened.


ENTPs will naturally value their top three cognitive functions the most (Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling). They get into flow when they can play with ideas, possibilities, and theoretical tangents (through Extraverted Intuition). When making decisions, they try their best to be rational, objective, and use clear, critical thinking (through Introverted Thinking). When interacting with people, they enjoy an emotional connection, give-and-take, and responsive, high-energy interactions (through Extraverted Feeling).


In contrast to the top three cognitive functions, ENTPs are likely to see their inferior function, Introverted Sensing, as somewhat lifeless, trivial, or uninspiring. Thus, they may struggle to keep track of details, remember specific steps to a task, or prioritize their physical well-being (all areas where Introverted Sensing thrives).


Even the best ENTPs are easily distracted by new thoughts and possibilities that come into their minds. But at an unhealthy level, they get bored with tasks quickly, which can cause them to become unreliable or flaky when they start to skip from one idea/project/task to another without seeing things through.


Oppositional processes have the potential to clash and create psychological conflict when you try to use them at the same time. Using S tends to negate N, and vice versa. Using T tends to negate F, and vice versa. On top of this, the cognitive orientations of introversion and extraversion are also oppositional. In order to minimize severe psychological conflict, some cognitive functions must be given priority over others, some functions are better paired with some than others, and some functions are disruptive enough that they must be kept in a state of unconscious repression.


To have a well-functioning dominant and auxiliary team: 1) the perceiving and judging functions complement each other such that one gathers enough information and the other processes it thoroughly to make good judgments/decisions, and 2) introverted and extraverted functions complement each other such that you possess a strong sense of self that also feels a strong sense of existence in the world.


The tertiary and inferior functions operate less consciously, which means that it is harder to access their strengths and it is more likely to encounter their weaknesses. Psychologically unhealthy people are more likely to misuse these two functions in quite serious and even destructive ways. Psychologically healthy people misuse these two functions only occasionally, while psychologically mature people make efforts to avoid misusing them.


In the normal course of type development, people come to rely more heavily on one perceiving function (Sx or Nx) and one judging function (Tx or Fx), as indicated by the dominant and auxiliary functions. Taking a closer look at each functional stack, you begin to see how it affects your attention and priorities. For example, if your dominant function is an extraverted judging function (Te or Fe), you tend to prioritize your relationship to the objective world and, as a consequence, you naturally place less importance on carving out subjective independence and uniqueness, because that would remove and separate you from the world. If your dominant function is an extraverted perceiving function (Se or Ne), you tend to value being open and flexible in responding to what is happening in the objective world and, as a consequence, you naturally place less emphasis on conserving energy and having well-defined subjective priorities, because doing so would limit your movements.


- The P designation refers to types who like openness, so they prefer less external structure. They have an extraverted perceiving function as one of their first two functions: 1) Se or Ne will be the dominant function if the person is E or extraverted; 2) Se or Ne will be the auxiliary function if the person is I or introverted.


- The J designation refers to types who like closure, so they prefer more external structure. They have an extraverted judging function as one of their first two functions: 1) Te or Fe will be the dominant function if the person is E or extraverted; 2) Te or Fe will be the auxiliary function if the person is I or introverted.


Regarding theoretical confusions about the functional stack, some theorists argue for a primary functions model (top four functions only), while others argue for a full stack model (all eight possible functions), while some even deny that functions have an i/e orientation. There also continues to be disagreement about the true order of the functional stack, particularly regarding the auxiliary and tertiary functions, with the confusion stemming back to Jung himself (he was not known for writing with clarity).


Get a good general overview of the eight cognitive functions by reading the descriptions below. The descriptions are simplified in addressing typical examples, but not every individual is a typical example of their type. Functions are complex and multifaceted, manifesting in many different possible ways. Ensure that you have properly understood the concepts of Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling before moving forward, otherwise you may get easily confused when learning the advanced function concepts (see the Type Fundamentals Guide).


Extraverted perceiving functions are about being open and attuned to the environment such that one adapts well to change. As you go through life, you encounter many new opportunities that, when taken proper advantage of, produce a rich and satisfying experience of life. Se and Ne dominants rely on their natural trust in the world, willing to go wherever the road leads them, though perhaps not putting enough thought into whether they are on the right road. Therefore, these two dominant functions sometimes manifest similar looking traits/behaviors (such as: adventurous, spontaneous, boundary pushing), but the underlying cognitive processes for maintaining openness to the world move in opposite directions - S vs N. Se maintains openness to the world through enjoying pleasurable activity (concrete); Ne maintains openness to the world through chasing novel possibility (abstract).


Generally speaking, introverted functions tend to be more difficult to identify because they operate somewhat under the radar, whereas extraverted functions are easier to identify because they are more likely to manifest in observable behavior. Therefore, some introverts might notice their extraverted auxiliary function more readily. Because the dominant function is your automatic way of approaching things, the habitual nature of it might mean that you take it for granted, so you may not be aware of it until you learn about what it does. Additionally, people tend to be more aware of their judging processes (T/F) than their perceiving processes (S/N) because judgment is easier to observe in decision making.


Identifying the inferior function is the best way to tell similar types apart and it is a fast way to settle E or I (read the linked in-depth articles on inferior functions if you are unsure). Extraverts might have a tougher time with this step because they tend to reflect less and lack depth of self-knowledge. However, anyone can be in denial about their shortcomings since they would like to see themselves in a positive light, therefore, it is all too easy to deceive oneself into thinking that the inferior function is higher up or better developed than it really is. Identifying the inferior function should be very helpful for type assessment and for raising self-awareness, because the process forces you to look beyond whatever superficial self-image you have constructed for yourself, but only if you are able to be honest in confronting the undesirable aspects of your personality.


As you exit childhood, life gets more complicated and you are saddled with more responsibility. By itself, the dominant function is quite limited in scope. Pushing the dominant to extremes and applying it inappropriately starts to reveal its limitations, flaws, and weaknesses. Recall that dominant extremes increase susceptibility to inferior grip. The best way to address this problem is to develop the auxiliary function. Since the auxiliary and inferior functions have the same i/e orientation, learning how to use the auxiliary well takes pressure off the dominant-inferior conflict. The auxiliary function is less threatening than the inferior function, so it plays an important role in bridging the dominant and inferior function gap. 2ff7e9595c


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