Personality Cafe banner

Inferior Functions vs Unhealthy Dominant/Auxiliary Functions??

2K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  L P 
#1 ·
How can you tell whether someone is using an inferior function or an unhealthy version of their dominant/auxiliary function? For example, if someone is emotionally unstable and consistently avoiding certain things in life in order to preserve their state of well-being and keep a happy emotional state, how do you know if this is because they have dominant Fi and prioritize their feelings in an unhealthy way, OR if they have inferior (or shadow) Fi and thus don't know how to properly handle their emotions?

Any examples of how the same function can look if it is inferior and unhealthy dominant would be helpful.
 
#2 ·
Well... The only way you can tell is if you really know the person and their focus is a bit off. Let's say INTJ. Normal INTJ-naturally focuses on the inner concept latent within the world. Inferior Se- focus on the world itself. Types may have some hiccups in regard to usage of their inferior function due to it not being their natural focus, but Inferior Se is Se, Inferior Te is Te, the function is still the same. Ask away if you want me to elaborate.
 
#4 ·
Types may have some hiccups in regard to usage of their inferior function due to it not being their natural focus, but Inferior Se is Se, Inferior Te is Te, the function is still the same.
Are you saying that the usage of a function looks the same regardless of it being used in a healthy/unhealthy/dominant/inferior way? I'm just trying to understand how can you whether a function would be considered inferior for someone, or if it is their dominant function used in an unhealthy/less ideal way, because people use their functions in different ways-- Te can be manifested differently in someone who has it as their dominant function using it poorly and in someone who has it as their inferior but has it developed.
 
#6 ·
They probably look the same when unhealthy or inferior. The major difference I can think of is what does the person's normal state look like, do they normally make decisions/r prioritize their feelings or efficiency, for Fi or Te dom.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top