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MBTI Lessons:J/P and the Dominant/Aux

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#1 · (Edited)
J/P and the Dominant/Aux

Hey everybody, welcome back. This is the third post in a series of posts dedicated to teaching random aspects of the MBTI.

If you have not already I suggest looking at the first two:
http://personalitycafe.com/myers-briggs-forum/1048114-mbti-lessons-energy-preferences.html
http://personalitycafe.com/myers-briggs-forum/1048850-mbti-lessons-percieving-inferior-s.html

As always, I would like to note that I recognize people have many different views on MBTI theory. Stereotypes, how functions and types work, preferences for which model of MBTI is accurate. That is all well and ok. My lessons will be directly reflecting the view of published MBTI theory, that which is recognized currently by the Myers Briggs foundation. If you disagree with this model that is fine and I am not trying to argue any points, only present information in an effort to help others understand.

Alright, let's go ahead and get started---

So this lesson might be a review for some people but it is one that is often not understood by new members of the MBTI community because no one explains it to them.

So, the J/P axis. Judging and Perceiving.
People who have a preference for judging like to shape and organize their external world. Traits common for judging types are scheduling, arriving early to plans, and organizing. This does often lead to a forwardness about their decisions or a potential to be overbearing with their plans or structure.
People who have a preference for perceiving prefer to leave their external word open to new ideas or experiences. Instead of focusing on a schedule a perceiving type might prefer to “go with the flow”, or generally just take things as they come. This does often lead to a lack of wanting to schedule their life and a potential ignorance to deadlines and timeliness.

Thinking and feeling are judging functions. They are how we personally deal with and use information after we have perceived it.

Let's ask ourselves though, where else in MBTI have we heard of judging and perceiving besides the J/P axis?

The primary function pair. Also known as the center two letters in any given type , NF, SF, NT, ST.
Sensing and intuition are known as perceiving functions. These are the functions we use when we are gathering data from the world around us. This is how we process that information on a subconscious level. Sensing processes information directly from the world around us as well as internally processes familiar senses to form sensory links to ideas and events. Intuition notices connections between ideas or events as well how how events might play out through recognition of underlying causes.

Here's what a lot of newer MBTI learners miss. The JP axis is directly related to the judging and perceiving functions. So we know that judging types like to shape their external world while perceiving types prefer to leave their external world open. They key word in that sentence is external.

The J/P axis dictates whether the person prefers their judging or perceiving to influence their external world. If a person is a J their judging function is going to affect the outer world, it will be extroverted. If a person is a P their perceiving function will affect their outer world, it will be extroverted.

Let's look at two examples.
ENTJ- J says the judging function will be extroverted. The judging function in this type is T, therefor T will be extroverted. Te.
ENTP-P says the perceiving function will be extroverted. The perceiving function in this type is N, Therefor the N will be extroverted. Ne.

Dichotomously, the function that is not extroverted becomes introverted. So the ENTJs N becomes introverted, Ni, and the ENTPs T becomes introverted, Ti.

According to MBTI theory one must have internal and external ways of dealing with the world. There is an order though, which of these functions is more important? Which takes the lead?

To know this we need to look at the first letter in any type. If you have read my first lesson about energy preferences you will know that the E/I axis determines in which direction a person prefers to express their energy, inwards or outwards. When looking at a type we match the dominant energy direction to the function that matches that same energy direction. This function that matches is the dominant function, the largest part of a persons personality, their primary preference for energy. It is supported by the auxiliary function but clearly takes the lead.

A quote from Gifts Differing regarding function dominance,
"The two skilled processes can develop side by side because they are not antagonistic. One is always a perceptive process and the other a judging process, so they do not contradict each other. Although one can assist the other, there should be no doubt about which comes first. The supremacy of one process, unchallenged by the others, is essential to the stability of the individual”.

So, in our example types, the ENTJ leads with their Te and not their Ni, the ENTP leads with their Ne and not their Ti.

The ENTJ can be written as Te-Ni and the ENTP as Ne-Ti.

Now we need to examine something though. Let's look at two similar types, but introverted instead.

INTJ and INTP. The J still makes T Te and N Ni in the INTJ. The P still makes N Ne and T Ti in the INTP. The major difference is the dominant preferred way of energy expression.

Unlike the ENTJ the INTJ prefers introversion. When looking at the Te and Ni of an INTJ we would instead make Ni the dominant function and Te the secondary.
The INTP has Ne and Ti, but unlike the ENTP the INTP leads with their introverted function Ti.

The INTJ is Ni-Te
The INTP is Ti-Ne.

There's one aspect left though.
Intuition is a perceiving function, yet the INTJ leads with intuition, despite having a J.
Thinking is a judging function, yet the INTP leads with thinking, despite having a P.

In introverted types their dominant way of interaction is the opposite of their J/P axis, because J/P affects the outer world which is secondary to I types.

An INTJ prefers to use their intuition internally and their thinking externally. They prefer to judge externally, but only second to their perceiving.
An INTP prefers to use their thinking internally and their intuition externally. They prefer to perceive externally, but only second to their judging.

IxxJ types judge their external world but prefer information processing, perceiving, to lead their life.
IxxP types perceive their external world but prefer strict inner structure, judgments, to lead their life.

It's very important to take note of this when speaking to introverted types because what you see is not always what truly is.



Alright, that's all the time I have for this one. Hope I helped and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
 
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#2 ·
Going to bump this just one time because it got flooded out pretty quickly.

Other than that anyone have any suggestions for a certain MBTI lesson they would like to see written out?
 
#4 ·
Great one, It's a good lesson that introverted judgers have a lead percieving function (and vice versa). I would even go so far as to say that the more introverted a person is the more that will test towards their lead function (especially on online tests that don't necessarily differentiate the functions well) which means that online test will often get extremely introverted people wrong on the J/P access, for instance with INFJ that is extremely introverted they will answer many of the J\P questions as P because of their lead percieving function... It's because even in social situations like parties they are often in their heads and not actually interacting with the outside world... so unless they are forcing themselves to interact at that said party, their experience of it will be perceiving. Yet they are a judging subtype.
 
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