#psychological types

[funeral]

Carl Jung, Psychological Types

[thoughtfulchaos773]

Fishes, Water, & Dreams: Dominant & Inferior

Part II of This Jungian Series

"Man becomes whole, integrated, calm, fertile, and happy when (and only when) the process of individuation is complete, when the conscious and the unconscious have learned to live at peace and to complement one another." -― C.G. Jung, Man and His Symbols

I wanted to look into the dominant and inferior Jung's theory Richie was reading in the network script of 2x01, which brought him to question his purpose. Using this I wanted to write what I believe is each character's inferior function.

I'm not a therapist but I love the subject of stories and mental health.

Carl Jung - a leading figure of psychology that theorized how people view and act in the world is based on four psychological functions that are either dominant or inferior. (Four functions are thinking,feeling,sensation, intution)

But TLDR: We behave based on these four functions, and one of these functions is an inferior part of our personality that needs to be explored. Eventually, it seeps into co-consciousness, asking for integration, and can make us act in compulsive ways to compensate for our weakening dominant function.

The inferior function can come into consciousness when a traumatic event occurs. I believe these psychological types reveal each character's inferior function.

The inferior function breaks through the ego's attempts to dominate and exposes us to the unknown and unexplored. According to Jung, despite being perceived as a weak spot in the personality, this "treasure hard to attain" is also the source of our vitality, liberation, and enjoyment.

Descriptions of the rational functions:

Thinking:

Internally or externally, using logical consistency, understanding, and concepts and systems in a personal way (introverted), we make decisions and organize and structure the world objectively, and we implement systems based on outside data (extraverted)

Extraverted: Principled, idealistic, objective, rational

Introverted: Influenced by ideas, independent, often fearful of intimacy.

Feeling:

 It is making decisions based on feelings and relationships. In an introverted way, it centers on internal values and personal emotions. It's about evaluating situations based on what feels right to the person.

Extraverted: Adaptive, relating well to the external.

Introverted: Sympathetic, pleases others, may be dependent, reserved.

Descriptions of Irrational Functions:

Sensation

We can recall and integrate our inner or external world to interpret our immediate environment and the present.

Extraverted: Realistic, concrete, pleasant, and friendly.

Introverted: Calm and passive, restrained, controlled and controlling.

Intuition

Focuses on internal insights that reveal patterns and future possibilities based on past experiences. It involves developing personal long-term visions and intuitively understanding complex ideas.

Extraverted: Enterprising, outgoing, can be irresponsible.

Introverted: Mystical, dreamer and artist. Can be obsessive.

I thought it would be interesting to apply these theories to Carmy, Sydney, Richie, and Natalie in the first part to get a quick profile of the characters. I also attached quotes from psychology types that go deep into Jung's theory on the four functions.

Carmen Bezatto- Inferior Function (Extraverted Feeling)

Dominant Introverted Thinker: Influenced by ideas, independent, often fearful of intimacy.

"In the case of a human object, the man has a distinct feeling that he matters only in a negative way, i.e., in milder instances he is merely conscious of being superfluous, but with a more extreme type he feels himself warded off as something definitely disturbing."

I was back and forth between extraverted sensing being his inferior or feeling. But Carmy's desire to no longer be alone overshadows. He longs to have Claire and Mikey's extroverted nature and way of being with people. Carmy, not knowing his inner feelings, reflects why he can have trouble focusing on the feelings of others at times. Since Mikey’s death, his inferior function - the longing to connect, to no longer compete - is playing in a way where carmy is resisting. Heavily relying on processing systems - what introverted thinking types are good at instead of working on their relationships and feelings of themselves and others.

This also stood out to me for the dominant introverted thinking types resisting- they will stay in environments no matter the external conditions as long as it lets them focus on their work and projects.

“"Invariably the object has to submit to a certain neglect; in worse cases, it is even surrounded with quite unnecessary measures of precaution. Thus, it happens that this type tends to disappear behind a cloud of misunderstanding."

Years ago, to help his trauma, Carmy heavily relied on this function that helped him understand systems and logic - to swallow his feelings and become the best chef. But now his longing for feeling for connection is weaning his introverted thinking effect. Now, it's affecting the relationships around him. His obsession with meeting high standards creates further misunderstandings. The more Carmy resists intergration it is only hurting himself and those he wishes to be close to, the season 3 finale the chefs dialogue reminds Carmy the reason he is running a restaurant has to be about the people. Not the systems of stars but putting importance on relationships will get him closer to wholeness.

Sydney- Inferior Function (Introverted Thinking)

Dominant: Extraverted Feeling

Extraverted: Adaptive, relating well to the external.

"One can feel 'correctly,' however, only when the feeling is disturbed by nothing else. But nothing disturbs feeling so much as thinking."

Some sites consider Sydney introverted, but I say extroverted. Watching Season 3 highlighted for me that Sydney is an extravert. She can talk to a group of world-star chefs and include herself in conversation seamlessly- adding her humor to the mix- extravert. Also, the party she threw at her apartment, along with the desire to go out and explore the external world. Sydney needs social harmony amongst the team. Sometimes, she shows some socially awkward moments, but that plays into her inferior function, where she can sometimes overthink.

Also important to note is that being alone at her dad’s house was not great for Sydney's headspace. She has to be out in the world exploring and engaging with people.

Sydney is open to new possibilities. Carmy, though he wants to improve the beef, automatically resorts to old, tried, and accurate methods. Sydney presents how different and positive things could be. 

Her inferior function is introverted thinking. Sydney is working on this for the 3rd season. Her dad points out how excited she is about opening The Bear but wants her to still be cautious, and it seems she did this same thought process with her catering business. There seemed to be a sense of urgency? She did move out fast, according to Emmanuel, like that is second nature to her, and for her dad to be pre cautious, she considers it negative.

At the beginning of season 1, by meeting Carmy and being part of the beef, Sydney approaches things differently than what's in her nature. She’s patient (incredibly patient with carmy) and creates and analyzes systems that will work for the business. This, along with her feelings of enthusiasm that I'm sure she hasn't felt since the start of her catering business, has her leaping in despite what happened in review which wasnt quite resolved between Sydney and Carmu. Her feelings are in it. She sees that carmy is open to a new chapter, and her feelings for her team make her jump into opening The Bear.

But 2x10 brings her back down to reality. Because of the Berzattos' dysfunction, she takes a step back to see if she should actually sign the agreement. In this case, her inferior function is asking for integration. This explains why she suddenly wants to think logically when faced with this decision. It’s as though she’s trying to step back and analyze the situation carefully, but this may not come naturally to her, and it leads to internal conflict.

Sidebar: This was not on purpose! But seriously, it's funny that Sydney's dominant function is Carmy's inferior and vice versa. Sydney wants to create a new menu, and carmy says, "Give me a minute." Classic interaction of an extroverted feeling (I feel this, and you should too! Let's do it, carmy!) and introverted type- (I'm not so sure; I need a minute to think).

Richie Jerimovich inferior Function (Introverted  Intution)

Dominant Extraverted Sensing

Extraverted: Realistic, concrete, pleasant, and friendly.

"Upon the lower levels this is the man of tangible reality, with little tendency either for reflection or commanding purpose."

We don’t see much of Richie’s inferior function play except for season one. Since he’s extraverted sensation-dominant, he relies on external senses to connect to the world. Due to Mikey’s death, we don’t see this side of Richie. We only hear stories of the boisterous nature of Mikey’s sidekick, such as all-night partying and random trips. 

With the introverted intuition being inferior, there is anxiety towards thinking long-term. We see him consider long-term goals when Tiffany’s pregnant, but it falls through. His attachment to his immediate environment The Beef,Mikey- attachment to the delicate ecosystem Richie overcompensates with his dominant function - he’s louder and even more stuck in keeping his immediate environment the same. 

Then, in season 2 , Richie becomes more introverted and considers aspects of his personality yet to develop. A lack of responsibility runs inferior intuition, but Richie is on the integration steps when he asks Carmy for his purpose. 

In Forks, his inferior function plays out, mainly when cleaning forks, where he can’t see the purpose or have a deeper reflection of the repetitive task. It isn’t until Tiffany tells him the news of her long-term future happening that Richie again reflects and has a deeper introspection - working on his unconscious, he starts to understand what he can do for self-actualization.

As the episode progresses, Richie’s inferior intuition starts to realize when he begins to appreciate the high standards and purpose at Ever. He connects with Chef Terry’s story about her father’s journals, which helps Richie connect the dots between his life and the importance of how to spend his time, dedication, and purpose. 

Season 3 Richie has a different level of self awareness. He understands the causes of fear and how his dominant sensation function overcompensates (e.g., Carmy changing his environment, which creates fear in his dojo), and he notices Carmy's own need for integration.

You notice at Sydneys partner Richie wasn't as loud as season 1 Richie? He didn't celebrate immediately at Ever Funeral dinner. He connected to the decorations and showed his extraverted personality, which is more pleasant than we've seen him. Even through being in a group, his introverted intution comes into light when he asks Jess how she continues to find inspiration. Richie wants to move forward by still creating that meaning in his life that only the intution function can give him his answer.

Natalie Berzatto Inferior Introverted Thinking

Dominant:Extraverted Feeling

This made me see Natalie and Sydney's relationship in an even more positive light - they have the same dominant and inferior functions- no wonder Sydney naturally asked Natalie if she was okay. Natalie also cares about the well-being of her family and prioritizes relationships and those happiness around her - although this can be positive for Sydney. We see this as a negative for Natalie. She makes herself sick as she tells her mother. But this imo tells me that Natalie's dominant function of feeling for those around her was and drained by Donna, or it's an overcompensation for her upbringing. Maybe both.

Internal introverted thinking is her inferior function, and this plays out in season 3 when Natalie, like Sydney, is having a battle between her heart and her head. She wants to connect to her mother but knows the implications of bringing a child into the world she was raised in. Logically, Natalie knows her mom is who she is, and she must accept it from a distance, but she still longs for a close relationship with everyone around her—she longs for social harmony.

In the Ice Chips episode, we see Natalie's inferior function come out and integrate when she observes her mother during her labor. Natalie can think logically and see why she is the way she is, hold her mother accountable, and see everything objectively. She sees how broken her mother is and can move forward when she balances her head and her heart.

Thank you for reading! Season 3 really did a deep dive into psychology. I would not be surprised if the writers explored personality types and integration. Do you notice the show also uses a lot of symbolism, and a character is always discussing a dream they had? Well, Jung was big on dreams and symbolism as a way to connect to our subconscious to get closer to integration. I'll connect the symbolism and dreams with Jung in the next post.

Tagging @moodyeucalyptus @mitocamdria @vacationship @whenmemorydies @brokenwinebox @fresaton

[reverescents]

I am on a journey of discovering what my psychological type is.

[tmarshconnors]

"Everybody acts out a myth, but very few people know what their myth is."

Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology.

Born: 26 July 1875, Kesswil, Switzerland

Died: 6 June 1961, Küsnacht, Switzerland

[robcognitivepersonality]

The Mastermind & the Teacher

How I get along with ENFJs as an INTJ

The people’s champion. It’s always a blast when I’m around you. You take it upon yourselves to ensure I’m enjoying my time. I’m more than happy of letting you take the reins of any situation when it comes to group activities — whether it’s a night out drinking bender or an all-night team project. I also love how basic you are. Like you guys own that #LiveLaughLove hashtag. Your Instagram is full of cheesy quotes and pictures with your dear BFFs. Your walls are plastered with Hallmarks cards and motivational posters.

But we both know there’s a lot more to you. Material possessions and Internet persona don’t wholly define you. They don’t do a good job showing how insightful, intelligent, and driven you are. With the ENFJs I know, we click fast and become close friends who can talk for hours about anything. We enjoy having intellectual conversations about this emotional mysterious rollercoaster that is life. You’re always the one who starts them. That’s where the real you thrives, the human behind the profile pic.

Let’s stop with the smiles, candies, and balloons for a moment. With your Extraverted Feeling-Extraverted Sensing, you engage with the social enterprise around you. You are in other words a manager of human egos, not a people pleaser. I’ve heard you say ‘no’ way more often than ‘yes.’ Sometimes you may need to discipline and tell an asshole to fuck off. In fact, I think you wear that disapproving angry face better than that courtesy smiling one. You know what I mean — the one that makes people regret for disappointing you.

Being an emotions manager means you apply social lubrication and persuade egos to work together. You have the creativity and confidence to improve culture. But before you do that, it all first starts by becoming the living epitome of your beliefs. You are righteousness personified, a walking moral compass steamrolling your way to the Northstar. Being the shining example is the first step to connect with others. People gotta see your work paying off to start believing in your ideas. It’s a lot of pressure being a role model.

"Some people say, 'Give the customers what they want.' But that’s not my approach. Our job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do. I think Henry Ford once said, 'If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse!’' People don’t know what they want until you show it to them. That’s why I never rely on market research. Our task is to read things that are not yet on the page." - Steve Jobs

Despite the stereotypes of being fake (which is bullshit by the way), the best of you admit you have struggles. There are days when you’re defeated, when you relapse, when you just can’t. You’re human, that in itself is hard. You understand you can’t do it all alone. And you know how to find help by revealing your true selves, scarred and weathered, but stubbornly pushing because life’s worth believing in something. Sometimes a call to the ether via social media is all you need to channel in some positivity.

You don’t have to be this charismatic leader. Being an Fe dominant doesn’t make you a social butterfly. The more reserved ENFJs don’t have any interest in being the center of attention. Many of you claim to be introverts. Doing the right thing doesn’t mean you have to be sociable or likeable. So if these are not ENFJ criteria, then what is? Let’s ask ourselves: Why are ENFJs the way they are? Why is there this need to set social harmony? What are they striving for? To answer these, allow me to present a butchered summary of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.

The story starts with chained prisoners forced to stare at a wall inside the cave since birth. Their entire perceptions of reality are formed by the shadows on the wall. One day, a prisoner breaks free, turns around, and realizes the shadows were mere projections of their true forms casted by a fire. The freed prisoner manages to get outside of the cave, and is mesmerized discovering the world for what it really is. He then goes back into the cave to spread the truth about reality to the other prisoners. The story ends with the freed prisoner getting ridiculed. He was deemed delusional and dangerous.

“Leaders should never be satisfied. They must always strive to improve, and they must build that mind-set into the team. They must face the facts through a realistic, brutally honest assessment of themselves and their team’s performance. It starts with the individual and spreads to each of the team members until this becomes the culture, the new standard.” — Jocko Willink

Struggling out of the cave to be then blinded by the sunlight, the freed prisoner returned to his friends because what he learned outside was worth sharing. He experienced something that his friends couldn’t imagine. It was something truer than anything he knew. He couldn’t go back looking at life the old way. It was after his eyesights adjusted he realized how deprived the other prisoners were. “Life can be so much more meaningful, if only they could break their chains,” he must’ve thought.

Another feature of TiNi is the innate imperative to understand the world and others. Blanketed by the outward charm and warmth, ENFJs are intelligent supercomputers building algorithms personalized for the people around them. You make me feel so seen! You’re studying me. You psychically predict my emotions and lay out my current state of mind. You pick up my body language and my tone of voice, dig my feelings out, and put them up for us to see.

Personally, the way you do that never felt intrusive. I’ve always felt like I was a plain covered book on a shelf for anyone interested in reading me. Having Introverted Intuition-Introverted Feeling, I always look over at how I’m feeling on a philosophical, idealistic, and existential level. This is why we get along. I’m not like the other skeptical prisoners. If you say there’s a bigger truth out there worth seeing, I’m curious. Together, we’ll claw ourselves out from the cave, and enjoy this promised beautiful world.

“The most successful people in life recognize, that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation. For me, I am driven by two main philosophies, know more today about the world than I knew yesterday. And lessen the suffering of others. You’d be surprised how far that gets you.” — Neil deGrasse Tyson

This promised world… Honestly, I didn’t have an idea of what that actually was. Like what was it supposed to be exactly? All I knew was I had to get there. And that I’d be happy there. I imagined being free, living by my values without compromise, and doing whatever I please. I got rid of whatever didn’t give me joy, like changing jobs and cutting off toxic people. And in turn I spent more time with my loved ones, my passions, and doing things I believed in. Life was great. Just another day in paradise.

To do such a vulnerable thing was too humiliating. I was too good for that. My emotional intelligence was too “high” for that. How ironic that I couldn’t bring myself to do a basic smile. Nobody was judging besides my own reflection. I wimped away from the self-inflicted awkwardness and indignation. I hated that about me. All of this time searching for a way out to freedom, I’ve been imprisoned deep in the cave by my own ego. I was stuck, fixated on an idea of a certain “me” that was nothing but a mere shadow on a wall.

True to the allegory, someone had to help me break my chains. It was a struggle at first to externalize my emotions. I didn’t know how to properly express them. I didn’t know if they were the right things to experience. I had zero idea how I came off. I needed to take baby steps. That’s when I understood all of those corny basic bitch things, those lame #LiveLaughLove’s, those selfies and emojis were exactly the baby steps I needed to take. You were my example.

“Commitment is a big part of what I am and what I believe. How committed are you to winning? How committed are you to being a good friend? To being trustworthy? To being successful? How committed are you to being a good father, a good teammate, a good role model? There’s that moment every morning when you look in the mirror: Are you committed, or are you not?” — LeBron James

You took notice of my progress. And you were always there supporting me, partaking on the shenanigans, and reflecting together on the more serious things. One time our convo was getting deep, and in that moment I saw how you briskly paused yourself to hear what I had to say. That’s when it all started to click. Whatever I was mulling over was always worth sharing. It didn’t matter how incomplete my thoughts were, they could be insightful for anyone hearing them.

Finally, I got out of my cave and saw reality for what it truly is. Authenticity doesn’t mean to do what feels good. It means to have the strength to keep my heart open whenever I feel it close. I learned that keeping things to myself didn’t make me free. I’d never know what I actually am by avoiding social interactions. Connecting with others is what allowed me to explore that. I discovered that I’m a pretty funny guy and a kind calming soul. The truth is life is unsolvable. But just like how we strive for excellence and not perfection, let’s do our best to fulfill it. At best we get wisdom, not answers.

When I share my feelings and have heart-to-hearts with people, I found my freedom. The world began to feel more meaningful, more blissful, more intimate. I started to get genuinely excited for sunrises. I feel connected with people of different cultures, and even of other historical eras. The more I learn about nature and the stars above, the more I’m thankful for the life I’m given. Everyday became a chance to let my emotions play and to present the best me — the real me.

Now I look to help others in becoming their best selves too. I’d love for them to experience how I feel about life. We’re not that different after all. I’ve watched you show how you care for people. Inspired by your example, I learned how to better visibly show love to those close to me, and how to better show my true self to the world. You’ve taught me how to love myself and make myself be seen. I hope after reading this blog that, at least to some degree, I gave you that same feeling of being loved and seen.

Thank you for showing me the way.

[carljungdepthpsychology]

I don't know if you still remember my visit, on a very rainy day.

Carl Jung Depth Psychology Facebook Group The Correspondence of Victoria Ocampo, Count Keyserling and C G Jung March 17, 1943 Mar del Plata, San Martin 689 Buenos Aires Dear Dr Jung: I don’t know if you still remember my visit, on a very rainy day. Through me your Tipos psichologicos were translated in Spanish. I should very much like to publish in my revue SUR (a monthly magazine) something…

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[theidealistphilosophy]

A symbol really lives only when it is the best and highest possible expression of something divined but not yet known even to the observer. For under these circumstances it provokes participation. It advances and creates life.

C.G. Jung, Psychological Types; p.605.

[glassribbon]

Funciones y estructuras del consciente y el inconsciente, C. G. Jung, Los complejos y el inconsciente