This is just a quick little post I've been tossing around in my head. Nothing terribly deep, just a fun little idea I had, and hopefully it can be insightful.
Sensation Dominance - Earth
Sensors are pragmatic and grounded types, and more often than not, the term "earthy" is used to describe their personalities. They are often very physical people, and they like to stay grounded in their perceptions that they are consciously aware of. They tend to stay on the beaten path, and I've always sort of correlated them with the phrase "if it ain't broke don't fix it."
- ISxJs - steadfast and resolute, they exemplify quiet diligence. I correlate them with earth because of this tendency. They resist change and stand firm, even against tight odds. I'm also reminded of the image of a diligent farmer, getting up every morning before the crack of dawn to milk the cows and tend to various odd jobs before the day truly begins. Steadfast is perhaps their best description, a term befitting of the mountains and rocks.
- ESxPs - this may be a bit of an odd choice, but bear with me. I think about their relationship to earth in terms of their physicality. They are visceral people and delight in experience. In many ways, they are also quite like the spring: energetic and with an uncanny joie de vivre. The same could be said of ENxPs, but ESxPs take earth because of their physicality and sensory nature.
Intuition Dominance - Air
Compared to sensors, intuitives are a flighty bunch. Rather than deal with what they are consciously aware of think in terms of what they already know, intuition is a trailblazing function, taking in our unconscious perceptions and rolling with those. They may use sensation as a springboard, but in the end, intuition is always trying to take flight towards something greater.
- INxJs - these types remind me most of the Air Nomads from Avatar: The Last Airbender. They can be detached and somewhat aloof, but they almost universally (of course, here 'universally' means about 12 people
) seem to be on some sort of quest for enlightenment. But beyond that, INxJs have a dreamy relaxation about them, perhaps a sort of floatiness that evokes in me an image of drifting above the clouds, searching for answers.
- ENxPs - perhaps the more obvious choice for air, ENxPs are certainly flighty and excitable people. They have the fickle energy that is often associated with wind: excited to move in many directions, but they just as easily change course when a new possibility arises. They can breeze over entire stretches of land without batting an eye, and they rarely stay in one place, given the choice.
Thinking Dominance - Fire
Thinkers are a pragmatic bunch. Their dominant function lends them a certain intensity that for some reason gives me a vibe of crackling flames (especially ExTJs). They are efficient and logical people, and they try to not be preoccupied with things like overt emotion, although often their emotions can fuel their intellectual interests. They prefer to be impersonal and try to solve their problems in such a manner.
- IxTPs - this is perhaps the categorization I'm least comfortable with on this list, but I think it works. I imagine their thinking as a candle flame: isolated and intense. It burns rather incessantly (especially on trick candles), and can be intensely focused on its goal. They can be impersonal and objective, but at the same time they often harbor deep passions for the things they find interesting.
- ExTJs - and ironically this might be the most obvious choice on this list: ExTJs can be like a wildfire, commanding and strong-willed, they are very capable of burning though things that stand in their way (and are probably even fueled by said burning). They are fiercely pragmatic, and they don't bother with things they find useless. Likewise, a fire goes where it can burn, and nowhere else.
Feeling Dominance - Water
This seems to be the most common element/type correlation, probably because its the most intuitive. Water is associated with healing and life, and anyone who has been in the company of a healthy feeler certainly knows how rejuvenating their presence can be. They are compassionate, caring individuals, and they always seem to try and bring about the best in others.
- IxFPs - "still waters run deep" is the term Jung used, and that is certainly true for them. They are characterized by a great depth of feeling, and they are probably the most in tune with their emotions of all the types.* I imagine these types as a quiet pool in a forest, calm on the surface, but deep and nuanced beneath. They strive to bring out the best in other people and encourage authenticity.
- ExFJs - these are the types I would compare to a rushing river, and anyone who has a strong Fe-type in their circle can probably understand why. Since water symbolizes the healing and compassionate nature of feeling, then ExFJs are a veritable fire hose of that. They surge along, always seeming to be aware of others around them, reacting to emotions and infecting others with their own cheeriness.
*I say this knowing that most IxFxs are fairly emotional people, but I've noticed a certain understanding among IxFPs that IxFJs just don't seem to share. Fi depth vs. Fe breadth, I suppose.
Anyway, this was just for fun--don't take it too seriously. Comments/criticisms welcome!
