Have you ever had such an experience? Sometimes you will show some behaviors or thoughts that are not consistent with your usual personality. For example, you are usually very introverted and sensitive, but sometimes you become very extroverted and confident, or you You are usually idealistic and creative, but sometimes you become very realist and critical? These may be your shadow function personality at work.
What is shadow functional personality? How did it form? What impact did it have on your character and development? How to correctly understand and use your shadow function personality? This article will explore these issues based on MBTI and Jung’s eight-dimensional theory, using INFP as an example.
PS This article is suitable for readers who already have a basic understanding of the concept of Jung’s Eight Dimensions (MBTI Cognitive Function). If you have not yet understood the related concepts, you can read this article, or search for relevant information by yourself.
What is shadow functional personality?
MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is a personality test based on Jungian psychology. It divides people’s personality into 16 types. Each type consists of four letters, representing four Dimensions of preference:
- I (introversion) or E (extroversion): Indicates whether a person tends to get energy from the internal world or the external world.
- N (intuition) or S (feeling): Indicates whether a person tends to obtain information from abstract concepts or concrete facts.
- F (emotion) or T (thinking): Indicates whether a person tends to make decisions based on personal values or logical principles.
- P (perception) or J (judgment): Indicates whether a person tends to maintain an open attitude or pursue an orderly structure.
Jungian Cognitive Functions is a more in-depth personality theory. It believes that everyone has eight psychological functions, which are:
- Introverted Intuition (Ni): It is the function of understanding the nature and meaning of things through internal insight and intuition.
- Extroverted Intuition (Ne): It is the function of exploring the possibility and potential of things through external stimulation and association.
- Introverted Sensing (Si): It is the function of experiencing and reviewing the details and reality of things through internal feelings and memories.
- Extroverted Sensing (Se): It is the function of enjoying and participating in the present and reality of things through external senses and actions.
- Introverted Feeling (Fi): It is the function of evaluating and expressing the importance and personality of things through internal emotions and values.
- Extroverted Feeling (Fe): It is a function that regulates and coordinates the harmony and sociality of things through external feedback and norms.
- Introverted Thinking (Ti): It is the function of constructing and verifying the accuracy and consistency of things through internal logic and analysis.
- Extroverted Thinking (Te): It is a function that uses external data and efficiency to organize and implement things for effectiveness and purpose.
Jung’s eight dimensions believe that everyone has a dominant function (Dominant Function), an auxiliary function (Auxiliary Function), a tertiary function (Tertiary Function) and an inferior function (Inferior Function). These four functions constitute a Human’s yang functional personality (Conscious Personality). Yang-side functional personality is the most commonly used and natural psychological function of a person in daily life. It reflects a person’s personality and preferences.
The opposite of yang functional personality is shadow personality. Shadow functional personality refers to some psychological functions that are opposite or conflict with the positive functional personality when a person is under pressure or crisis. It reflects a person’s subconscious and unconscious part.
The formation principle of shadow function personality is that everyone has some psychological functions that are suppressed or ignored. These functions have not been sufficiently developed and used, so they will act in a distorted or excessive way under certain circumstances. to express one’s own existence and needs, thereby causing some adverse effects.
The specific transformation rule for shadow functional personality is that if you replace the first and fourth letters of a personality with opposite letters, you will get a shadow personality. For example, the shadow functional personality of INFP is ENFJ. In this way, a person’s yang function and shadow function will form a one-to-one correspondence, as shown in the following table:
| Sun function | Shadow function |
|---|---|
| Fi | Fe |
| Ne | Ni |
| Si | Se |
| Te | Ti |
Below, we will focus on INFP’s shadow functional personality, analyze its characteristics and advantages, and its impact on INFP.
What is the shadow function personality of INFP?
INFP is an idealistic and creative personality type. They have introverted feeling (Fi) as their dominant function, extroverted intuition (Ne) as their auxiliary function, introverted feeling (Si) as their tertiary function, and extroverted thinking (Te). As a disadvantage function. The characteristics of their yang functional personality are:
- Fi: They have strong personal values and morals, they make decisions based on their emotions and beliefs, they value their authenticity and independence, and they have deep empathy and understanding of themselves and others.
- Ne: They have rich imagination and creativity. They explore the possibilities and potential of things from different angles and levels. They like to try new things and experiences, and they are full of hope and vision for the future.
- Si: They have keen feelings and memories. They get information and inspiration from their own experiences and habits. They value their own comfort and safety. They are sensitive to and appreciate beautiful things.
- Te: They have a certain logic and efficiency. They get guidance and support from external data and standards. They value their own abilities and achievements. They resist and criticize unreasonable and unfair things.
The shadow function personality of INFP is ENFJ. They have extroverted feeling (Fe) as the dominant function, introverted intuition (Ni) as the auxiliary function, extroverted sensing (Se) as the tertiary function, and introverted thinking (Ti) as the inferior function. Characteristics of their shadow function personality are:
- Fe: They have a strong sense of social responsibility and interpersonal relationships. They make decisions based on the emotions and needs of others. They value their influence and leadership. They have high expectations and requirements for themselves and others.
- Ni: They have deep insight and foresight, they get information and direction from internal intuition and inspiration, they value their own goals and meaning, and they have clear and definite visions and plans for the future.
- Se: They have active senses and actions, they get fun and challenges from external stimulation and opportunities, they value their freedom and change, and they have enthusiasm and expression for beautiful things.
- Ti: They have certain logic and analysis. They will obtain conclusions and evidence from internal rationality and criticism. They value their own correctness and independence. They have doubts and refutations about unreasonable and inconsistent things.
INFP’s shadow function personality usually surfaces in the following situations:
- When INFPs feel stressed or in crisis, they tend to use Fe to seek support and approval from others, or use Ni to set unrealistic goals and plans, or use Se to escape reality and seek excitement, or use Ti to Deny your own emotions and values.
- When INFPs feel bored or curious, they will tend to use Fe to participate in some social activities and groups, or use Ni to explore some novel and esoteric topics and theories, or use Se to try some new and adventurous things and experiences. Or use Ti to analyze some complex and interesting questions and puzzles.
- When INFP feels growth or development, they will tend to use Fe to improve their communication and collaboration skills, or use Ni to expand their vision and thinking skills, or use Se to enrich their life and experience capabilities, or use Ti to optimize your decision-making and solving abilities.
INFP’s shadow function personality affects INFP in both positive and negative ways:
- The positive impact is that INFP’s shadow functional personality can help INFP supplement and balance his yang functional personality, allowing INFP to better adapt to and respond to different environments and situations, improve his diversity and flexibility, and increase his Potential and opportunities for growth and development.
- The negative impact is that INFP’s shadow functional personality may interfere with and conflict with his or her positive functional personality, making INFP feel confused and out of control, reducing his efficiency and stability, causing his own stress and conflicts, and affecting his health and happiness. .
How to take advantage of the shadow functional personality?
Shadow functional personality is not a bad or wrong personality. It is an important part of a person’s personality. It has its own value and potential. As long as it is correctly understood and used, its advantages can be brought into play instead of Become a victim of it. The following are some methods and techniques to help INFPs understand and accept their own shadow functional personality, understand its characteristics and advantages, observe its emergence and reasons, adjust its expression and use, and coordinate it with the yang functional personality. rather than conflict, thereby achieving self-growth and development.
- Recognize and accept your own shadow function personality: INFP should first be aware of the existence and role of your own shadow function personality. Do not deny or suppress it, but accept it as part of your own personality, understand its characteristics and advantages, respect and Appreciate its contribution and value, and see it not as a threat or enemy, but as a resource or partner.
- Understand the circumstances and reasons for its emergence: INFP should pay attention to the circumstances under which their shadow function personality will emerge, and what causes it to emerge, whether it is stress or boredom, crisis or curiosity, growth or development, Is it need or desire, lack or excess, adaptation or resistance, help or harm, etc. By understanding the circumstances and reasons for its emergence, INFPs can better understand their own psychological state and needs, as well as the motivations and purposes of the shadow function personality, and thus better control and manage it.
- Adjust its expression and use: INFP should adjust its expression and use according to the characteristics and advantages of his yang functional personality and shadow functional personality, as well as his own psychological state and needs, so as to coordinate with his yang functional personality. rather than conflicting. Specifically, INFP can adopt the following strategies:
- Use your yang functional personality to guide and constrain your shadow functional personality: INFP can use your yang functional personality, especially your dominant function Fi and auxiliary function Ne, to guide and constrain your shadow functional personality, especially your dominant function Fe and auxiliary function Function Ni, let them obey their own emotions and beliefs, as well as their own imagination and creativity, instead of blindly catering to and obeying the emotions and needs of others, or stubbornly pursuing and executing their own goals and plans, thereby avoiding their own The shadow function personality is displayed excessively or distortedly, causing discomfort and dissatisfaction to oneself or others.
- Use the shadow functional personality to supplement and balance the yang functional personality: INFP can use his shadow functional personality, especially the third function Se and inferior function Ti, to supplement and balance his yang functional personality, especially the third function Si. and inferior function Te, allowing them to increase their own life and experience capabilities, as well as their own decision-making and solving capabilities, instead of relying too much on and sticking to their own feelings and memories, or lacking and ignoring their own data and efficiency, thereby improving their Diversity and flexibility, increasing your potential and opportunities for growth and development.
Conclusion
Shadow functional personality is an important part of a person’s personality. It has its own value and potential. As long as it is correctly understood and used, you can take advantage of it instead of becoming its victim. This article takes INFP as an example to introduce the definition and formation principles of shadow functional personality, analyzes the characteristics and advantages of INFP’s shadow functional personality, and its impact on INFP, and provides some methods and techniques to help INFP understand and accept themselves. Understand the circumstances and reasons for the emergence of the shadow functional personality, adjust its expression and use, and make it coordinate with the yang functional personality instead of conflicting with it, so as to achieve self-growth and development.
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