[vocalist]

As an INFJ, my shadow functions are Ne, Fi, Te, and Si. While there are occasional times when I purposely try to utilize these functions normally, I have realized that they really have a tendency to rear their heads in a not-so-attreactive fashion when I am under stress.

Ne: takes over when I begin to doubt my Ni. When under stress, I find myself second-guessing a lot, ignoring what I know in order to question, "what if?" If I'm not careful, I can easily work myself up over nothing, imagining all the possible bad that could happen.

Fi: normally, I think I have a pretty good balance between Fi and Fe. But when I'm under a lot of stress, I can get very selfish. I forget to consider other people's feelings as I so desperately try to make my own known to anyone and everyone around me, rather loudly and forcefully.

Te: when I'm stressed, I often get this sudden urge to organize everything. I begin to fret over how untidy my house is, the amount of clutter (even the stuff stored away in the closets!). I irrationally want to just throw out half the stuff in the house. I storm around yelling about how much I hate all the clutter. Though when I finally do calm down, I remind myself that my house really isn't all that cluttered, and we really don't have a whole lot of meaningless junk.

Si: I can't really think of a good example of how this works during stress. Except maybe it might cause me to bring up old feelings of past stressful situations to add to the current one. If I do do this, however, it must happen subconsciously. I'll have to start watching this and see what actually happens.

 

[Linnifae]

I was just talking about that with my mom yesterday actually. I'm an ENFP and my shadow functions are the functions of ISTJ. My dad is an ISTJ interestingly enough. When we are under extreme stress, I become less emotional to the point of being almost "robotic", insensitive, very bottom line and blunt, where he becomes more passionate and emotional.

 

[Vaka]

I don't really think that I go into my shadow functions when I'm stressed...
I've read that the inferior function can come out when you're under stress, and I can relate to that much more.
From right here: http://personalitycafe.com/myers-briggs-forum/19841-form-inferior-enp.html

I can relate more to the negative form of Si coming out. I might focus too much on details and perceive limited possibilities and options. When I'm stressed out, I become inflexible and extremely picky. And I can also relate to what it says about Fe coming out in a negative way under stress. I'm not blunt the way I suppose tertiary Te would make an ENFP, but I lash out at people emotionally and assume that they don't care or that they can't help at all. And I'm very irrational lol.

 

[L'Empereur]

I was just talking about that with my mom yesterday actually. I'm an ENFP and my shadow functions are the functions of ISTJ. My dad is an ISTJ interestingly enough. When we are under extreme stress, I become less emotional to the point of being almost "robotic", insensitive, very bottom line and blunt, where he becomes more passionate and emotional.

I may be wrong, but wouldn't your shadow functions by the functions of an INFJ?

I don't think I use my shadow functions when I stressed either.

 

[Linnifae]

I may be wrong, but wouldn't your shadow functions by the functions of an INFJ?

I don't think I use my shadow functions when I stressed either.

Hmm maybe I'm forgetting what shadow functions actually are, I just know that ISTJ and ENFP have the same functions just in reverse.....so I'm looking it up now & ENFP's shadow functions are Ni, Fe, Ti & Se which are indeed the functions of INFJ...okay so I'm going to go along with everyone else and agree, that I do not use my shadow functions....

But I *know* I have read that while under stress personality types can take on the negative characteristics of their opposite types, and I definitely do that. I don't know what the name for that is though....

 

[Eric B]

There are two concepts of "shadow"; the older four-process model, where the shadow is the inferior, and the shadow type is the type with the first four functions reversed (dominant=inferiorm etc), which is also the type with all four letters reversed.

In the John Beebe eight process model, the shadows are usually the "other four" functions, which are the first four with the attitudes reversed. Shadow types in this case would be those who share none of the four in common. They would be the types sharing only the first and last letter, OR only the two middle letters. It would also basically include the type sharing the first three letters, and differing only in J/P.
In actuality, he has said that "the shadow" is any unconscious function, and can include the inferior, or even all eight (like in someone very young where no preference has differentiated yet).

The roles the functions play seem to be more about archetypal roles. And the personalized versions of these archetypes are called complexes. The complexes are usually projected onto others. We see them as a certain way, but it is really something within us we are not conscious of. And this will tend to be connected with the persective of the related function.
That's one way they manifest.

The OP examples don't appear to have anything to do with projection onto others, so it's probably just general perspective shifting under stress. When the normal functional orientation doesn't solve the problem; we then engage the normally suppressed opposite orientation.
So if you've chosen an internal orientation of iNtuition, then you have normally shut out external forms of it such as multiple possibilities. These will naturally come up when you doubt your internal orientation.

 

[UncertainSomething]

My shadow functions usually manifest as mixtures of INFP, ENFP, INTP or ESTJ from some very basic observations. INFP when I get introspective, ENFP when I get impatient or nervous, INTP when working personal problems out and ESTJ when I'm trying to get stuff under control or in order. All of these come out at some point based on what it is I'm trying to force out into the open and are usually felt in a stressful way and outside of my normal self, I think maybe INFP the least stressful, ESTJ the most. Having said that maybe I'm just mad. :laughing:

 

[DJArendee]

As an INFJ, my shadow functions are Ne, Fi, Te, and Si. While there are occasional times when I purposely try to utilize these functions normally, I have realized that they really have a tendency to rear their heads in a not-so-attreactive fashion when I am under stress.

Ne: takes over when I begin to doubt my Ni. When under stress, I find myself second-guessing a lot, ignoring what I know in order to question, "what if?" If I'm not careful, I can easily work myself up over nothing, imagining all the possible bad that could happen.

Fi: normally, I think I have a pretty good balance between Fi and Fe. But when I'm under a lot of stress, I can get very selfish. I forget to consider other people's feelings as I so desperately try to make my own known to anyone and everyone around me, rather loudly and forcefully.

Te: when I'm stressed, I often get this sudden urge to organize everything. I begin to fret over how untidy my house is, the amount of clutter (even the stuff stored away in the closets!). I irrationally want to just throw out half the stuff in the house. I storm around yelling about how much I hate all the clutter. Though when I finally do calm down, I remind myself that my house really isn't all that cluttered, and we really don't have a whole lot of meaningless junk.

Si: I can't really think of a good example of how this works during stress. Except maybe it might cause me to bring up old feelings of past stressful situations to add to the current one. If I do do this, however, it must happen subconsciously. I'll have to start watching this and see what actually happens.

I watched an INFJ get stressed out this summer on a wilderness expedition. He was in charge for the day, and I mentioned "the river converges down there" and I pointed in a direction behind a hill line in front of us blocking our path. He yelled at me, "YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" I had to carefully explain to him my reasoning, and he simmered down significantly. But he seemed to take all the responsibility into his own hands and not delegate anything. I don't know if its similar to what you might experience.

I think I turn into an ESTJ when I get angry. When I'm really angry, my mouth moves a mile a minute of rants that others find hilarious even though I don't, people tend to respect me more, people have commented that my confidence skyrockets when I'm angry...

wtf? I shouldn't have to be pissed off all the time for people to respect me. I also attribute this "confidence" to just be an aggressive posture with my guard up.