In short no. Otherwise it would not be the dominant function. He's taking behavior and trying to make the theory work to fit an observation not the other way around. It is perfectly plausible though for the aux to be almost as developed as the dominant, and potentially during this process a person may come off as being their aux type (so an ENTJ might appear to be a Ni-dom as they are developing Ni, this would probably happen while the person was a teenager or so), but Te is still the dominant function.
Can the dominant function be under developed compared to the aux?
I was reading the ENTJ descrption on Personality Page (Portrait of an ENTJ) and found the following statement interesting:
Is it possible for an aux function to be (or seem) more developed than a dominant function?
Has anyone observed this in their experience with typology?
Is this just an ENTJ phenomenon? Or could this happen with other types as well?
Any insight, thoughts, opinions, etc are appreciated.
What I found most interesting was the bolded part of the quote. It has always been my understanding that our dominant function was the one that came most naturally to us, thus I assumed that it would always be the strongest, always. However this statement seems to imply that it is possible, at least in some cases, for the dominant function to be under developed compared to the aux function.ENTJs are very forceful, decisive individuals. They make decisions quickly, and are quick to verbalize their opinions and decisions to the rest of the world. The ENTJ who has not developed their Intuition will make decisions too hastily, without understanding all of the issues and possible solutions. On the other hand, an ENTJ who has not developed their Thinking side will have difficulty applying logic to their insights, and will often make poor decisions. In that case, they may have brilliant ideas and insight into situations, but they may have little skill at determining how to act upon their understanding, or their actions may be inconsistent.
Is it possible for an aux function to be (or seem) more developed than a dominant function?
Has anyone observed this in their experience with typology?
Is this just an ENTJ phenomenon? Or could this happen with other types as well?
Any insight, thoughts, opinions, etc are appreciated.
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I dunno about blend since the dom and aux are characteristically very different from one another, one a judging function, one a perception function. But they do function like a captain and his first mate. Remember they still exist for separate reasons, a function to tell us what is (Sensation), a function to define what it is conceptually (Thinking), a function to tell us whether its good or not (Feeling), etc. So blending two would be sort of like blending the fingers on your hand. Each performs its own role.
The tertiary, in Lenore's analogy is something like a rogue crewmember on ski's behind the ship trying to get everyone to have a little fun and the Inferior function is mutinous who threatens to upset everything the dominant is doing and who the dominant would much rather pretend doesn't exist or kick off the boat altogether.
The tertiary, in Lenore's analogy is something like a rogue crewmember on ski's behind the ship trying to get everyone to have a little fun and the Inferior function is mutinous who threatens to upset everything the dominant is doing and who the dominant would much rather pretend doesn't exist or kick off the boat altogether.
Here's the actual quote from Psychotherapy where Von Franz describes what happens
Also she is not saying that types change. Because I know a bunch of people will run off and say "hey Von Franz said my type can change and I was an ENFJ and now I'm an INTP" or some other nonsense. What she is saying that while you are assimilating a function you will take up the corresponding issues related to that function (so someone integrating thinking will have the corresponding issues regarding Feeling. A person assimilating Intuition, may have the same sensation hang ups as a dominant Intuitive will). They may effectively look the part of a Intuitive or Thinking type for a moment, without actually being either (this is why MBTI-type tests don't really tell us much because the process of type is much deeper than can be revealed on a self-report test. Jung would spend years with patients before declaring them a type and even modern Jungians are quick not to simply say "oh Feeling type" because it may not be as apparent as you think. Many people end up being the exact opposite of what they claim they are.)
What she is saying is that the (rare) person who is able to truly assimilate their functions essentially becomes type less. As type is a differentiation or splintering of the ego, assimilating the inferior function removes the need for one function to dominate. Of course this is highly rare, maybe some monks and the like have achieved such a thing, but the inferior function carries the power to overtake the whole of the conscious sphere (which is why most people never get that far as it would mean the swallowing up of everything you thought you were).Once a person has experienced the problem of the functions, the next step in the process of psychic development is to assimilate the two auxiliary functions. One must not forget that the assimilation of these functions is such a difficult task that people generally spend a very long time at it. Sometimes people actually become a certain type, which was not their original type, for eight or ten years.
To assimilate a function means to live with that function in the foreground. If one does a little cooking or sewing, it does not mean that the sensation function has been assimilated. Assimilation means that the whole adaptation of conscious life, for a while, lies on that one function. Switching over to an auxiliary function takes place when one feels that the present way of living has become lifeless, when one gets more or less constantly bored with oneself and one's activities. Generally it happens that one does not have to come to a theoretical conclusion about which function to switch to. The best way to know how to switch is simply to say: "All right, all this is now completely boring; it does not mean anything to me anymore. Where in my past life is an activity that I feel I could still enjoy? An activity out of which I could still get a kick?" If a person then genuinely picks up that activity, he will see that he has switched over to another function.
However, touching the Inferior function resembles an inner breakdown at a certain crucial point of one's life. It has the advantage, however, of overcoming the tyranny of the dominant function in the ego complex. If someone has really gone through this transformation he can use his thinking function, if that is the appropriate reaction, or he can let intuition or sensation come into operation, but he is no longer possessed by one dominant function.
Jung quotes again and again this old saying of the legendary alchemist and author Maria Prophetissa: "One becomes two, two becomes three, and out of the third comes the one as the fourth."...Out of the third comes not the fourth but the One
Also she is not saying that types change. Because I know a bunch of people will run off and say "hey Von Franz said my type can change and I was an ENFJ and now I'm an INTP" or some other nonsense. What she is saying that while you are assimilating a function you will take up the corresponding issues related to that function (so someone integrating thinking will have the corresponding issues regarding Feeling. A person assimilating Intuition, may have the same sensation hang ups as a dominant Intuitive will). They may effectively look the part of a Intuitive or Thinking type for a moment, without actually being either (this is why MBTI-type tests don't really tell us much because the process of type is much deeper than can be revealed on a self-report test. Jung would spend years with patients before declaring them a type and even modern Jungians are quick not to simply say "oh Feeling type" because it may not be as apparent as you think. Many people end up being the exact opposite of what they claim they are.)
Yea I mean certainly people who are sort of over-fixated on their persona will probably come off as very one-dimensional.
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