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Real life examples of how each of the 16 types can use the functions in healthy ways?

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  AncientOak 
#1 ·
I've read general summaries of healthy/unhealthy versions of the 16 types and have my own speculations about how those can be demonstrated by specific behaviors in real life, but I'm curious to see how other people have experienced healthy versions of any of the 16 types-- specifically, what behaviors have shown them manifesting their functions in healthy ways.
If you've encountered people in your life who are productive, likable, and are able to utilize their type's personal qualities in ways that make them wise and developed, what behaviors have demonstrated a healthy use of their functions?

I'll start:
INFP = A friend of mine is a senior in college and is deciding what to do after she graduates. Her strong sense of self-knowledge about her personal tastes, values, and preferences allows her to understand how all the myriad of jobs out there could be ideal for her, but she has learned to be accepting of her limits in the world, being at peace with the fact that she can't always get what she wants, so that she isn't blindly pursuing something she likes but realistically cannot achieve (healthy use of dominant Fi to discern all the options noticed from the use of auxiliary Ne). Personal experience with some familiar job tasks (additional help from tertiary Si) also helps her understand what she personally values in a job that she has an appropriate chance of getting. When she's sure of what she wants, use of inferior Te helps her ensure that she can decide on some job options and pursue employment successfully. Use of any of the shadow functions are also helpful to her-- for example, she tends to seek validation from others and is always aware of what her friends will feel about her choices, so she has learned to use her shadow Fe to deepen her understanding of her Fi, understanding others' preferences and why she would want to be different or similar to them.

(It would be great to have something like this for all 16 types, but feel free to share different examples of the same type if you want!)
 
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#2 · (Edited)
It seems to me that there are so many ways to use the functions in a healthy manner, that the list of examples is endless.

To take just one example -- like your friend, I'm an INFP. I enjoy photography, and making films. I can use 3 functions with my interest in photography and film. First, if I'm out in nature walking, or in the city driving, I use my feeling function to notice what I love -- images call to me through feeling, primarily. I have an emotional response to a particular tree, landscape, building, artistic scene, etc. I am actually engaged in photographic arts largely to have the opportunity to explore many varieties and shades of feeling, and to illustrate them.

Once I am called to focus on a particular scene because feeling has drawn me to it, I use sensation to frame the image. I decide what looks best -- is the scene too contrasty? Is there a good balance of shapes? Do I have good focus, aperture length -- or do I want an intentionally less focused image (sensation helps run these options thru my mind so I can see the various ways of creating a scene).

THen, later on, when I have a collection of images, I may use intuition to come up with ideas of how to string them together into a slide show or a story. Or intuition will suggest new or interesting places to go.

Perceiving function allows me to start this whole process without having any idea or plan of what it might lead to. The photos I take might be discarded, or left alone..or might become part of a project. No need to know in advance...it can all just flow and I can flow with it. On the other hand, if I want to take the photos and make a film of them, I can use judging function to plan it out. What will be the start, middle, the end. How will I edit it and assemble it. Planning the story -- judging function. together with intuition.

Introversion allows me to feel completely comfortable spending hours and hours alone creating a project out of my photos or films -- or doing other arts or hobbies--- but extraversion (as well as feeling ) is what draws me out to want to share what I've created with other people.

Thinking is my inferior function --- but it helps too -- when I share something with someone and they respond negatively, it's thinking (not feeling) which helps me tell myself "that's not about me, that's their own limitation. What I'm doing is good, and it will find those who are meant to enjoy it. "

Note I"m addressing functions other than those which are my "primary" ones as I think ideally we all grow into facility with all the 8 functions.
 
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