Both introversion and extraversion can combine with any one or more of four func- tions, forming eight possible orientations, or types. The four functions—sensing, thinking, feeling, and intuiting—can be briefly defined as follows: Sensing tells peo- ple that something exists; thinking enables them to recognize its meaning; feeling tells them its value or worth; and intuition allows them to know about it without knowing how they know.
Thinking
Logical intellectual activity that produces a chain of ideas is called thinking.The thinking type can be either extraverted or introverted, depending on a person’s basic attitude.
FIGURE 4.3 The Balance of Introversion and Extraversion.
Introverted Extroverted
A
B
C
Extraverted thinking people rely heavily on concrete thoughts, but they may also use abstract ideas if these ideas have been transmitted to them from without, for example, from parents or teachers. Mathematicians and engineers make frequent use of extraverted thinking in their work. Accountants, too, are extraverted thinking types because they must be objective and not subjective in their approach to num- bers. Not all objective thinking, however, is productive. Without at least some indi- vidual interpretation, ideas are merely previously known facts with no originality or creativity (Jung, 1921/1971).
Introverted thinkingpeople react to external stimuli, but their interpretation of an event is colored more by the internal meaning they bring with them than by the objective facts themselves. Inventors and philosophers are often introverted thinking types because they react to the external world in a highly subjective and creative manner, interpreting old data in new ways. When carried to an extreme, introverted thinking results in unproductive mystical thoughts that are so individualized that they are useless to any other person (Jung, 1921/1971).
Feeling
Jung used the term feelingto describe the process of evaluating an idea or event. Per- haps a more accurate word would be valuing,a term less likely to be confused with either sensing or intuiting. For example, when people say, “This surface feels smooth,” they are using their sensing function, and when they say, “I have a feeling that this will be my lucky day,” they are intuiting, not feeling.
The feeling function should be distinguished from emotion. Feeling is the evaluation of every conscious activity, even those valued as indifferent. Most of these evaluations have no emotional content, but they are capable of becoming emo- tions if their intensity increases to the point of stimulating physiological changes within the person. Emotions, however, are not limited to feelings; any of the four functions can lead to emotion when their strength is increased.
Extraverted feeling people use objective data to make evaluations. They are not guided so much by their subjective opinion, but by external values and widely accepted standards of judgment. They are likely to be at ease in social situations, knowing on the spur of the moment what to say and how to say it. They are usually well liked because of their sociability, but in their quest to conform to social standards, they may appear artificial, shallow, and unreliable. Their value judgments will have an easily detectable false ring. Extraverted feeling people often become businesspeople or politicians because these professions demand and reward the making of value judgments based on objective information (Jung, 1921/1971).
Introverted feeling people base their value judgments primarily on subjective perceptions rather than objective facts. Critics of the various art forms make much use of introverted feeling, making value judgments on the basis of subjective indi- vidualized data. These people have an individualized conscience, a taciturn de- meanor, and an unfathomable psyche. They ignore traditional opinions and beliefs, and their nearly complete indifference to the objective world (including people) often causes persons around them to feel uncomfortable and to cool their attitude to- ward them (Jung, 1921/1971).
Sensing
The function that receives physical stimuli and transmits them to perceptual con- sciousness is called sensation.Sensing is not identical to the physical stimulus but is simply the individual’s perception of sensory impulses. These perceptions are not dependent on logical thinking or feeling but exist as absolute, elementary facts within each person.
Extraverted sensing people perceive external stimuli objectively, in much the same way that these stimuli exist in reality. Their sensations are not greatly influ- enced by their subjective attitudes. This facility is essential in such occupations as proofreader, house painter, wine taster, or any other job demanding sensory dis- criminations congruent with those of most people (Jung, 1921/1971).
Introverted sensingpeople are largely influenced by their subjective sensations of sight, sound, taste, touch, and so forth. They are guided by their interpretation of sense stimuli rather than the stimuli themselves. Portrait artists, especially those whose paintings are extremely personalized, rely on an introverted-sensing attitude.
They give a subjective interpretation to objective phenomena yet are able to com- municate meaning to others. When the subjective sensing attitude is carried to its ex- treme, however, it may result in hallucinations or esoteric and incomprehensible speech (Jung, 1921/1971).
Intuiting
Intuitioninvolves perception beyond the workings of consciousness. Like sensing, it is based on the perception of absolute elementary facts, ones that provide the raw material for thinking and feeling. Intuiting differs from sensing in that it is more cre- ative, often adding or subtracting elements from conscious sensation.
Extraverted intuitive people are oriented toward facts in the external world.
Rather than fully sensing them, however, they merely perceive them subliminally.
Because strong sensory stimuli interfere with intuition, intuitive people suppress many of their sensations and are guided by hunches and guesses contrary to sensory data. An example of an extraverted intuitive type might be inventors who must in- hibit distracting sensory data and concentrate on unconscious solutions to objective problems. They may create things that fill a need few other people realized existed.
Introverted intuitivepeople are guided by unconscious perception of facts that are basically subjective and have little or no resemblance to external reality. Their subjective intuitive perceptions are often remarkably strong and capable of motivat- ing decisions of monumental magnitude. Introverted intuitive people, such as mys- tics, prophets, surrealistic artists, or religious fanatics, often appear peculiar to peo- ple of other types who have little comprehension of their motives. Actually, Jung (1921/1971) believed that introverted intuitive people may not clearly understand their own motivations, yet they are deeply moved by them. (See Table 4.1 for the eight Jungian types with some possible examples of each.)
The four functions usually appear in a hierarchy, with one occupying a supe- rior position, another a secondary position, and the other two inferior positions.
Most people cultivate only one function, so they characteristically approach a situa- tion relying on the one dominant or superior function. Some people develop two functions, and a few very mature individuals have cultivated three. A person who has
theoretically achieved self-realization or individuation would have all four functions highly developed.