One of the most practical contributions of C.G. Jung’s psychology is his typological system. Jung introduced his theory of types in 1921 with his publication Psychological Types. Typology is a theory rooted in empirical observation, nonetheless, it is still a theory and should be approached accordingly. Jung (1921/1971) himself was cautious about applying the theory too rigidly.

“It is not the purpose of a psychological typology to classify human beings into categories—this in itself would be pretty pointless. Its purpose rather is to provide a critical psychology which will make a methodical investigation and presentation of the empirical material possible” (CW6, para. 986).

Jung did not intend his typological system to force people into artificial caricatures of type. He alluded to eight primary types in his work. We arrive at the number eight by combining the two attitudes (extraversion and introversion) with the four functions or cognitive modes (thinking, feeling, intuition, and sensation). The MBTI® on the other hand models 16 personality types. Yet, one can reach a far greater number of types depending how exhaustively one decides to measure the phenomenology of consciousness.

Jung underscored this point when he wrote:

“Obviously one could increase this number at will if each of the functions were split into three subgroups, which would not be impossible empirically. One could, for example, easily divide thinking into its three well-known forms: intuitive and speculative, logical and mathematical, empirical and positivist, the last being mainly dependent on sense perception. Similar subgroups could be made of the other functions, as in the case of intuition, which has an intellectual as well as an emotional and sensory aspect. In this way a large number of types could be established, each new division becoming increasingly subtle” (CW6, para. 913).

If nothing else, typology offers an approximate tool to assess the whole personality.

Extraversion refers to a general tendency of libido (i.e., psychic energy) to move in a centrifugal (outward) direction. Extraverts tend to gravitate to the external world of objects, things, and people. Introversion, on the other hand, refers to a general tendency of libido to move in a centripetal (inward) direction. Introverts are more inclined to show interest in the inner world of their subjective ideas and thoughts. Jung succinctly described the four functions in a very simple way: “Thinking tells you what things mean, feeling tells you what they are worth, sensation tells you what they really are, and intuition tells you the possibilities of a situation” (1984, p. 315).

Elsewhere Jung noted that:

“In order to orient ourselves, we must have a function which ascertains that something is there (sensation); a second function which establishes what it is (thinking); a third function which states whether it suits us or not, whether we wish to accept it or not (feeling); and a fourth function which indicates where it came from and where it is going (intuition).” (CW11, para. 246).

Both thinking and feeling are rational activities because they compel one to either evaluate or recognize experience. In other words, a person sees a painting and expresses an interest in it. One could approach the picture through the criterion of thinking or feeling. The thinker would view the picture in conceptual terms—The picture is square. The picture has a wooden frame. The picture was painted by Rembrandt—whereas the feeling person would view it in terms of values—The picture is pretty. The picture is ugly. The picture makes me happy, etc.

Sensation and intuition, on the other hand, are a priori to experience. In other words, they are immediately given. People can perceive without forming conscious judgments or opinions. One does not have to think about the fact that he is has a body. It is simply accepted as a given. When one senses an intuitive hunch from the unconscious, it just occurs in the backdrop of experience and it is difficult to place in any rational framework. I. N. Marshall (1968) referred to this distinction between the rational and irrational types as the functions of option (thinking and feeling) versus the functions of the given (sensation and intuition) (p. 19).

Jung presented another helpful way to look at the functions as four kinds of realities: Jung (1989/2012) succinctly described them as follows: “(1) static reality that comes to us through sensation; (2) the dynamic reality revealed by intuition; (3) static images given [to] us by thinking; (4) dynamic images sensed by feeling” (p. 134). In other words, the function types are modes of apprehension. To recap, we use the irrational functions to perceive reality, which is immediately given to us and does not require a judgment. On the other hand, we are presented with the rational functions which presuppose a judgement of something in either a static or dynamic configuration. When presented with a sensation or intuition, what follows is a judgement the experience in the form of recognition (i.e., thinking) or valuation (i.e., feeling).

Marshall cleverly articulated this distinction when he wrote the following:

“Thinking is concerned with efforts to describe or represent realities; feeling is concerned with efforts to influence or interact with realities. Any proposed interaction with a reality is a maneuver or strategy. Hypotheses may be rationally evaluated as true or false; maneuvers may be rationally evaluated as good or bad. When permanently adopted, hypotheses became beliefs and maneuvers became general policies.” (p. 9)

A Brief Description of Jung’s Eight Function-Attitude Types

Extraverted Sensation

This type is concretely grounded in the here and now. They are objective, matter-of-fact, and take reality for face value. For these types, what you see is what you get.

Introverted Sensation

This type deals primarily with subjective participation and is primarily focused on comparing past experiences with present ones. In this way, they usually view the present in terms of the past. This type can come across as self-absorbed.

Extraverted Intuition

In its extraverted configuration, expectations are directed toward the object and the possible future. Expectation and suggestion figure prominently in this type. The downside about extraverted intuition is that it is so busy trying to predict new possibilities that is often fails to make any real connection to the present. Extraverted intuitive seem to never tire of novelty.

Introverted Intuition

Because this function deals with unconscious contents, it is difficult to describe and measure. This type focuses on inner possibilities that subjectively arise from the unconscious. Prophets and visionaries usually fall into this category. This type often has a difficult time sorting through the countless hunches and ideas that surface.

Extraverted Thinking

This type tends to arrange ideas into a conceptual relationship, usually a linear one. For them, conceptual thinking is central. They primarily deal in objective facts of the external world. Modern scientific approaches are rooted in extraverted sensation and thinking.

Introverted Thinking

This type is primarily focused on internal ideas. Their primary criterion is a subjective one, thus, their thinking is less conceptually constrained than the extraverted thinking type. They have no problem thinking through an image. Since the accent does not rest on the external collective, an internal idea can be just as true as an external fact (e.g., The sky is blue.)

Extraverted Feeling

Extraverted feeling is about objective values, that is to say, the values that are found in the collective sphere. This type aspires to harmonize with the external world. How one feels about an event is more important than logical criteria. Extraverted feeling types usually have a very well-developed persona.

Introverted Feeling

The term “still waters run deep” tends to epitomize this type. Subjective feelings are primary and abide deeply by their individual values and they leave little room for compromise in this regard.

Finally, there are a few additional things to consider . . .

The main function (e.g., thinking) is directly supported by an auxiliary function which helps guide the personality’s course like the rudder of a ship.
If the superior function is judging, the auxiliary function will be perceiving. This is generally implied within Jung’s type theory but it is not a settled issue.
Typology is not an exact science.
The four functions could be viewed as snapshots of reality in static and dynamic configurations.
Although psychometric instruments are valuable, there is no substitute for self-knowledge. Most people can tell what type they are if they honestly assess themselves and understand the basic typological criteria.

References

Jung, C. G. (1971). Psychological types. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler & W. McGuire (Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 6). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (original work published in 1921)

Jung, C. G. (1975). A psychological approach to the dogma of the trinity. In H. Read, M. Fordham, G. Adler & W. McGuire (Eds.), The collected works of C.G. Jung (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.) (2nd ed., Vol. 11). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (original work published in 1948)

Jung, C. G. (1984). Dream analysis: Notes on the seminar given in 1928-1930 by C. G. Jung (W. McGuire, Ed.). Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1938)

Jung, C. G. (2012). Introduction to Jungian psychology: Notes on the seminar on analytical psychology given in 1925. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (Original work published 1989)

Marshall, I. (1968). The four functions: A conceptual analysis. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 13 (1), 1-32.