Psychological Types

Psychic energy can be either channeled externally, towards the outside world
(extraversion), or internally towards the self (introversion).
 Introverts: people who prefer their internal world of thoughts, feelings,
fantasies, dreams, and so on.
 Extroverts: prefer the external world of things, people, and activities.
Jung referred to the persona and outer reality as extroversion, and toward the
collective unconscious and its archetypes as introversion.
Jung proposed that all individuals have the capacity for both attitudes but only
one becomes dominant in the personality. The dominant attitude directs the
person’s behavior.
Psychological Functions:
As Jung recognized that there were different kinds of extroverts and introverts,
he proposed additional distinctions among people based on what he called
Psychological Functions.
Whether we are introverts and extroverts, we need to deal with the world (both
inner and outer), and each of us has our preferred ways of dealing with it. These
preferred strategies are basically different and opposing ways of perceiving the
external and the inner world. This lead to the four functions of the Psyche:
1) Sensing
Getting information by means of the senses.
It tells us that something exists and detects the presence of things. Sensing does
not evaluate.
A sensing person is good at looking and listening and generally getting to know
the world.
Jung called this as an irrational function, meaning that it involves perception
rather than judging of information.
2) Thinking
Thinking tells what a thing is, gives names and categories to things, defines
alternatives and reasons objectively.
Thinking means evaluating information or ideas rationally, or logically.
Jung called this a rational function, meaning that it involves decision making or
judging, rather than simple intake of information.
3) Intuition
Intuition uses hunches, sees possibilities around corners and goes beyond the
facts.
It is a kind of perception that works outside of the usual conscious processes.
It is irrational or perceptual, like sensing, but comes from the complex
integration of large amounts of information, rather than simple seeing or
hearing.
4) Feelings
Feeling tells whether something is good or bad, acceptable or unacceptable.
Like thinking, it is a matter of evaluating information.
Jung called it rational, obviously not in the usual sense of the word.

Thinking and feeling are called rational functions because they make use of
reason, judgement or abstraction.
Sensation and intuition are called irrational because there is no judgement or
evaluation. These tend to be more reflexive or automatic.

According to Jung, we all have these functions but in different proportions.

Combining the two attitudes and four functions, Jung came up with eight
personality types:

Thinking Extrovert: Objective reality dominates and intellectual analysis of

objective experience is very important. Personal and social matters are often
ignored. E.g. scientist
Thinking Introvert: Subjective reality dominates. Subjective truth is the only
truth. E.g. Jung himself.

Feeling Extrovert: This type responds emotionally to objective reality but the
feelings tend to be influenced by social influences or how a person ‘should’
respond in such a situation. Such persons may pick their love objects by their
own social status as opposed to how they really ‘feel’ about them. E.g. some
movie stars.
Feeling Introvert: Objective reality is important only in that it elicits subjective
images that can be privately experienced and valued. There is no need to
impress or influence others. E.g. poets

Sensing Extrovert: This person is a realist and tends to be concerned only with
objective facts. He tends to see the world in concrete ways and reject subjective
thoughts and feelings as guides for living. E.g. an income tax officer.
Sensing Introvert: These types give their own meaning to sensory experiences.
Sensory experience is important in that it elicits subjective images. E.g. an
artist.

Intuiting Extrovert: As new experiences are sought repeatedly, there tends to

be little concern with the convictions or morality of others. So, this person may
be seen as immoral. E.g. some politicians.
Intuiting Introvert: These persons are often described as mystics or
daydreamers. They often produce new or strange ideas. E.g. philosophers or
religious leaders.

Assessment in Jung’s Theory

Jung believed that the fantasies of his patients were real and he accepted them at
face value
The basic techniques he used to evaluate personality were:
 Word Association Test
 Dream Analysis
 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (it was developed later on to assess Jung’s
psychological types)
Word Association Test
In the early 1900, Jung measured the power of a complex by using the word
association test.
In this test, a list of single words (stimulus) is read one at a time and the
individual must reply with the first word that comes to mind (response).
Jung measured the response time and physiological reactions to determine the
emotional effects of the stimulus words.
Unusual responses and delays in responding might indicate that a psychological
complex is activated.
Dream Analysis
Freud believed that dreams emerged from the repressed material from the
unconscious; Jung proposed that dreams represented the unconscious message
to the dreamer expressed in symbolic terms.
Dreams are prospective (help individuals prepare for experiences and events
that they anticipate will occur) as well as compensatory (help bring out a
balance between opposites in the psyche by compensating for the
overdevelopment of one psychic structure).
Jung did not interpret each dream individually as Freud did but instead worked
with a series of dreams that a person had over a period of time. This would help
to discover recurring themes, issues, and problems that were present in the
individual’s unconscious.
Jung did not distinguish between the manifest and the latent content of a dream.
He regarded the manifest content of the dream as the true-dream.
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Developed by Katherine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers in 1920s.
Well standardized pencil and paper inventory that measures for bipolar
dimensions:
 Introversion vs Extraversion
 Thinking vs Feeling
 Sensation vs Intuition
 Perception vs Judgment
Become the main method for conducting research on Jung’s eight psychological
types and the attitudes of introversion an extraversion.
Widely used in vocational and educational guidance and other research and
applied purposes.
Strengths of Jung’s Theory
 Introversion and extraversion have become a part of everyday language.
 Concept of collective unconscious – viewed as some of the most unique
and creative ideas in psychology.
 Concept of complexes
 Active interest in psychosis and made significant contributions to our
understanding of schizophrenia.
 Idea of use of fewer than four sessions per week and face to face
interviews
Limitations
 Psychology and religion
 Constructs of collective unconscious has been criticized as being mystical
and unscientific.
 His writings are viewed as often illogical and difficult for others to
comprehend.
 Jung regarded thoughts and fantasies as independent events that happen
to individuals. These thought are caused by complexes that have a
purpose of their own. Thus, not only does it become normal to hear
voices within one’s head, they are also essential to learn from the
collective unconscious. This position of Jung is radically different from
modern psychological standards where hearing of inner voices in itself is
sufficient for an individual to be admitted into a mental institution.