Obsession/Tertiary function?

[GYX_Kid]

As an INTP I can attest to having dwelled a lot on symbolic categorizations of things, and past experiences. Maybe you could call that Si.


In focusing on these past experiences and theoretical profiling symbols, I could also point out

E*TPs who seem somewhat fixated on getting people to like them (Fe?)

I*TJs who seem ...emotionally axiomatic about their surroundings... if that makes any sense. Either piling wishful theories to create an almost confirmation-biased-worldview with dom Ni, or just very rigidly principled in attachment to dom Si compartmentalizing. (This would be Fi)

ENTJs with some athletic interest, but not often enough to be a daily hobby (Se)



Thoughts on this? Is the tertiary function like the couch to relax on at the end of the day when all else is tired out, and just get stuck on?

 

[snafupants]

That's an interesting idea. Maybe unhealthy or frazzled folk reach their tertiary function with an eye for exploiting it somehow, which approximates addiction and a strange way of reasserting control over themselves and their environment; whereas healthy folk grapple with their tertiary function for some sort of personality growth and challenge. I'd have to give this more thought.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

People want to control the tertiary. The dominant functions are the ones in control anyway - no challenge, and the inferior is too damn hard to control.

It's quite solipsistic, but might be a good point of communication to the group. It bridges the gap between the two hemispheres of the person, and is clear but simplistic enough that anyone can understand it when it's correct.

 

[Pyropyro]

As an INTP I can attest to having dwelled a lot on symbolic categorizations of things, and past experiences. Maybe you could call that Si.

Me too. Maybe that's what attracted me to Jung and his archetypes. Freud is a perv.

 

[snafupants]

Me too. Maybe that's what attracted me to Jung and his archetypes. Freud is a perv.

And a misogynistic coke addict; cocaine was in Coca Cola back then, and codeine and heroin rounded out the cough syrups, so that tidbit may lack controversy given the times. From messiah to pariah: those substances went from core constituents in magical elixirs to being vilified and viewed as déclassé by hordes of people. What changed? People are so fickle...

 

[rattymat]

Nice observations about the E*TP and I*TJ, I have noticed this myself.
I think, as far as INTJ's go in particualr, their J has the tendency to hinder their ability to accurately intuitively think. I would argue this because they form Ti judgments that become stronger than need be, whereas adaptable Ti perceptions are enabled more change. Which isn't to say there isn't value in judgment, but it should not be so headstrong as to create ignorance, for with new information comes potential conflict of previous Ti judgements. This can make their Ti judgments subject to a bias in order to maintain inaccurate judgments.

 

[snafupants]

Nice observations about the E*TP and I*TJ, I have noticed this myself.
I think, as far as INTJ's go in particualr, their J has the tendency to hinder their ability to accurately intuitively think. I would argue this because they form Ti judgments that become stronger than need be, whereas adaptable Ti perceptions are enabled more change. Which isn't to say there isn't value in judgment, but it should not be so headstrong as to create ignorance, for with new information comes potential conflict of previous Ti judgements. This can make their Ti judgments subject to a bias in order to maintain inaccurate judgments.

Most intellectuals, irrespective of type, suffer from analysis paralysis more than most though. This is simply a function of more data to compute, and more care and time taken to sift that data. Maybe things, however, are more pronounced in that type predominately for that reason.

 

[rattymat]

Most intellectuals, irrespective of type, suffer from analysis paralysis more than most though. This is simply a function of more data to compute, and more care and time taken to sift that data. Maybe things, however, are more pronounced in that type predominately for that reason.

Well, that is true- but that is a flaw of the brain more so than the personality. As far as the personality goes (what can be adjusted), I would say that Judging types have a potentially greater handicap with data processing, as this trait applies more certainty to conclusions than Perceiving types, making change of such conclusions more difficult (since there is more certainty of said conclusions).

 

[snafupants]

Well, that is true- but that is a flaw of the brain more so than the personality. As far as the personality goes (what can be adjusted), I would say that Judging types have a potentially greater handicap with data processing, as this trait applies more certainty to conclusions than Perceiving types, making change of such conclusions more difficult (since there is more certainty of said conclusions).

I know this thread is somewhat old, but I still find the prompt intriguing. I'd argue that addiction is only associated with the tertiary function to the extent that that's an undeveloped function. With the INFJ personality, for instance, these folk may be obsessive and paranoid at times because of their shadow extraverted intuition, which tends to be juvenile, especially early in life; so many INFP personality folk, as another example, dismiss information that doesn't fit into their current worldview, which betrays a meager extraverted thinking function in the fourth slot. I mean, this is common sense when you think about it; most fully articulated personalities aren't going to be bogged down by addiction or obsession. I actually think almost all organisms in the universe are entelechies and broadening towards higher levels of sophistication; of course, that progression can be stunted as it's contingent on a fairly benevolent environment, which the world sometimes isn't, right? Anyway, I'd say the last six functions could pose problems for puerile people, especially early in life and when they have this braggadocio and inflated confidence about the powers of their dominant function.

 

[Vrecknidj]

I do think that the tertiary is often a good tool for identifying people's types.

I've had others make this same connection that's suggested in this thread.

Dave

 

[Beholder]

I've been thinking the exact same thing for a long time, here is part of a message I sent to a friend I was discussing this with:

I don't know exactly why, but I suspect it has something to do with the odd place the third function holds, the same way we (I at least) have an awkward relationship with my Si - it's there, I try to disregard it, but it has a sort of emotional hold on me (always seeking nostalgia, trying to recreate rituals from the past...)
Since Ne is the dominant function in an ENTP, when they're engaging with others, they will default to it, hardly ever using Fe at all, although it is a powerful motivator for them (social acceptance/dominance etc... I'm really just speaking about [ENTP1] here, because he's the only one I know well enough, but I think it fits for [ENTP1] and [ENTP3] also - their desire to dominate everyone as I recall you putting it).