Describing Psychology - Vocabulary Thesaurus

great idea! ...yes, it seems it's becoming necessary. um, a few i've been using lately that i'd like to expand on.

Ego Associated Function: (i'm open to a better term)

There is a big difference between a function being considered part of one's identity, versus it being a passive mechanism of the mind's operation. We each can have a function conscious, and it remains simply a manner of taking in and processing information, independent of what we choose to think of ourselves. But if our sense of self has connected to this identity - just as we may identify with our sex or our race - then the function ceases to be only an information process, and becomes a storyline.

In the case of it being a judgment function, it's vector and antagonism to other elements of humanity, become the struggles of the self. An ego-associated Fi will express and protect its idealism, virtue, and essence -- in contrast to other philosophies such as that of Fe. It will also, to an extent, resist the philosophy of it's polar (Te) as the full association with one process requires a greater singleness of perspective. I suspect this is also why the association with a certain function tends to push the opposite function deeper into the unconscious, although this doesn't have to be the case. I believe I've seen cases where ego association happens without suppression, though this is rare.

Conscious Function:

A conscious function is one that is readily accessible, psychologically, to the individual in terms of mental capacity and energy. As a function is a method of processing information or making decisions, when a function is conscious the individual will have no additional difficulty (other than what is normal to the task at hand) calling forth that process. For example, an FeNi with conscious Ti will not struggle to run a situation through Ti. A TiNe with conscious Fe will not be inhibited by an inability to gesticulate and accentuate their position on a matter.

However, the type will not necessarily consider that function their ego identity - but simply an asset and aspect of themselves which they can call upon when needed (or which influences them in an overall way).

Storyline: There are many words for this concept. We may also use the word vector or complex. It is a common idea that lies at the center of psychoanalysis, and behind many theories. It may be described as a seeking for resolution.

The psyche, when it has undergone trauma or damage, will be propelled consciously or unconsciously to resolve that pain through the fulfillment of the story or vector. We can think of very simple ones, such as having been wronged and wanting an apology. Of having been raised without a father, and then falling for a man who is strong and dependable in the ways we never experienced as a child. A helpless child, raised under subjugation, may seek in adulthood to prove himself powerful through riches and status. For the duration of our immersion into one of these trajectories, our personality is essentially shaped by these motives and will affect many aspects of our life behavior.

It is nearly impossible to not be guided through some storyline, even if to different degrees, as we all experience pain or damage through our collision with life. Yet, each storyline will be slightly different in how it came about and what resolution is necessary.


Think of it like a ball of yarn. When our psyche is tangled up into a mess, there is a specific way for it to be untangled. Certain ideas must be faced one at a time, and unraveling one allows for the next one to be examined better.

But storylines also occur spontaneously out of human nature, even without any traumatic experience. For example, there's the pursuit for an ideal loved one (what Jung calls the Anima/Animus myth), which enters into us unbidden -- and indeed becomes the genesis of other storylines and needed-resolutions all too commonly.

Yikes. As this thread is intended to consolidate vocabulary, I don't yet know what term is best. storyline, myth, vector, complex, lifepath... (all have a slightly different connotation that can be useful for explanation) but I guess I'll begin by putting the concept forward to you guys.

Alerith - Yes, great distinction to make; quite necessary. From the conversations ayoungspirit and I have been having, it's becoming clear that there is a difference between awareness and ability. Awareness of where a person's limitations are, doesn't automatically translate to competence.

I know that for myself, when I was 18 I could self-reflect and understand exactly how my Fe was utilizing social tactics placidly, but it didn't give me any more "umph" to execute them better. That takes practice and physical wiring. But awareness is what leads to acceptance of our other dimensions and efforts to exercise them.

The gradient (conscious/subconscious/unconscious) we've been discussing relates in a way to our brain's capacity to functionally utilize the processes we have. As described in my previous post "A conscious function is one that is readily accessible, psychologically, to the individual in terms of mental capacity and energy."

Tying this all back to development, here we have a diagram to demonstrate the practical effects this has:




In the graph above we have a TiNe to the left just beginning their journey (only conscious of their Ti), and on the right we have a TiNe who is conscious and able to use most of their functions with relative ease. The water represents the conscious/unconscious boundary.

Notice that if we were to swap out the left-hand TiNe for an NeTi, we would still see that the right-hand TiNe would have better use of Ne than even the one-sided NeTi. Looking at things this way can explain why certain people of a type can excel at tasks that other types are usually considered more adept at handling. And notice that the hierarchy itself doesn't change. It simply rises upward out of the water, while keeping its order. I think this is a useful metaphor to explain types being competent in lower processes.

Quadrant Types

The above diagram also shows the point at which types of the same quadrant ceases to be strongly differentiated. If we were to make another diagram of a conscious FeSi, SiFe and NeTi, we would see little difference. I think this is a good thing. All four types in a quadrant, when at their most develop, are practically identical since they are able to use all their functions consciously. And at this point, what their specific/personal motivations are, may cease to be related to their hierarchy. Every motivation that may emerge from the four processes is accessible to all four types. For example, the TiNe Amy Cuddy can choose to take a very humanistic and social path, and champion fields usually tread by high-Fe users.

Such a person is probably best described as an "Alpha" type, and not so much by a specific type, although they never "lose" their original type - and subtle differences will still express themselves in temperament, energy, etc.

Energy Toll

In the left-hand example, we see, for example, Fe immersed deep in the waters. What this would mean, energetically, is that for the TiNe to call upon Fe (say for some public speaking activity) it would be a tremendous effort and a physical drain on the body. As our physical stamina increases, due to active use, practice and reinforced pathways -- this energetic toll can be reduced. Even when all functions are conscious, will will still always require a bit more energy to use less native processes - but this amount may be negligible compared to what it used to be.

Brain?

This is a working hypothesis, but from what I currently understand (we will be researching this closer), the difficulty in transferring information between the left and right hemisphere is responsible for some of the challenges J types or P types may have with accessing their opposite oscillation. And it appears that age (at about 25) contributes somewhat to a change in brain structure and connectivity, suggesting that the topic of full development is at least partly related to biological age.


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