Chapter I. Following The Nuance Flow
Carl Jung’s approach was genuinely flexible and profound in that he never attempted to force all psychological functions into a rigid, closed model, as many later derivative typological systems would do. Modern frameworks tend to “box” human beings into stacks, hierarchies, and fixed positions, thereby narrowing the richness and complexity of psychological life. Once a theory is transformed into mechanical classificatory schemes or behavior-based models, debates about right and wrong become meaningless, because what we are arguing over are already copies far removed from the original essence. To confine an individual’s psychology within sixteen predetermined templates is, in effect, to impose a limitation on one’s own capacity for a rich and living experience.
In my view, stopping at the identification of the dominant function is already sufficient and elegant. The remainder of the psyche – the unconscious functions – are not merely “weaker tools in need of improvement,” as MBTI tends to soften them into, but rather unconscious mechanisms through which we confront and work through each form of suffering encountered in life.
The crux of the matter is that many people want to identify the “dominant function” immediately, and they run into difficulty precisely because of this haste. The proper approach is through sensing one’s temperament – that which emanates from a person’s thinking, speech, and actions. That temperament is the dominant function. And the most reliable way to grasp it is to ask those around the person: what do they perceive this individual to be lacking?
Human beings are quick to notice flaws: they weigh a single mistake more heavily than dozens of good qualities, and they are drawn to drama because it is stimulating—triggering dopamine, soothes feelings of inferiority, inflates the ego, and makes them feel “better than others.” I apologize if this touches anyone, but this is a universal psychological tendency.
■ IDENTIFYING THE DOMINANT FUNCTION
›Step 1. Identifying the Nuance
A person’s area of deficiency is precisely their blind spot – the part of the psyche that becomes unconsciously numbed or behaves oddly under stress. This aspect is largely absent; and when it is forced to surface, it tends to appear in a distorted, unnatural form, often perceived as inauthentic or out of sync with the person as a whole. For this reason, it is usually easy to notice, both for the surrounding social environment and for those closest to the individual. So, let us begin with the question:
Terminology Note
(1) Conceptual: this does not refer to vague imagination or unfounded speculation, but to the capacity to organize reality into structure. If reality presents itself as scattered points, conceptual thinking is the line that connects those points into a meaningful form. It is a kind of “second sight” that allows one to see through the material surface and recognize the underlying movement, patterns, and hidden principles at work. Without conceptual thinking, a person becomes trapped in the fragments of the present – seeing the tree but not the forest, the event but not the trend – and are continually carried along by what is happening, rather than understanding the principles of why it happens the way it does.
(2) Experiential: This does not refer to fleeting emotion or instinctive reaction, but to the capacity to directly register what is unfolding, both internally and externally, before it is interpreted, generalized, or fitted into pre-existing frameworks. If conceptual thinking connects scattered points into a meaningful shape, direct experience consists in seeing and registering each point as it appears. It is the capacity to describe reality in an immediate and concrete manner, without seeking causes, meanings, or governing laws, but simply reflecting faithfully what is occurring. Without direct experience, people tend to impose old models onto the present and confuse interpretation with direct observation.
Rule of identification: the quality that stands in opposition to what is most noticeably lacking is precisely the observed person’s dominant function. From the answer above, we can therefore determine the dominant function as follows:
A note: many people may find it difficult to sense these nuances clearly; in that case, please refer to Appendix I. If you’re able to observe yourself, try to notice where your mind most naturally resists or feels unfamiliar, rather than on outward behaviors or skills you believe you lack.
›Step 2. Examining Energy Orientation
We can intuitively sense that every object contains flows of energy. Smaller currents converge into a larger stream. Human beings are no different. The energy that constitutes a person does not operate in isolation. It merges into an overall flow, and this flow always has a predominant direction.
This direction of flow functions as the hidden driver of perception. When a situation arises, we recognize it almost instantly in our own characteristic way. This may appear as a shiver, a sense of unease, sudden clarity, an idea surfacing, curiosity, or a feeling of realness. Perception does not select at random. It is drawn toward the direction in which this energy is already moving.
Attention therefore adheres to that direction. It repeats and reinforces it, gradually causing whatever lies along that flow to acquire value. This is not a conscious choice. It is the inertia of an energy flow already in motion. That inertia is what we refer to as energy orientation.
When the frame of reference is placed at the subject, all directions of flow can be reduced to two fundamental orientations. One projects outward from the subject, and the other draws inward toward the subject. Jung was the first to name these two orientations Extraversion and Introversion. Before proceeding, it is essential to grasp the nature of this energy orientation and to discard behavioral stereotypes.
Extraversion (Jungian) is not: being talkative, enjoying crowds, being lively or entertaining, socially outgoing, quick to open up, socially adept, or drawn to noise and stimulation.
Introversion (Jungian) is not: being shy, quiet, withdrawn, artistically introverted, disliking communication, socially anxious, passive, or avoiding conversation.
In essence, the direction of energy flow shapes how a person perceives and judges. At the level of basic orientation, introversion is governed by subjectivity: the inner world shapes the outer world. Conversely, extraversion is governed by objectivity: the outer world shapes the inner world.
Once the attitude orientation is clearly understood within the framework of Jung’s theory, we can turn to the psychological functions. Each function operates as a distinct psychological question.
- Logical It (Ti): “Does this hold up under my inquiry?”
- Affective If (Fi): “According to my conscience, what is right and what is wrong?”
- Experiential Is (Si): “What kind of inner sensation is this reality producing in me?”
- Conceptual In (Ni): “What is the underlying essence behind this?”
- Logical At (Te): “Which objective tools can I use for this?”
- Affective Af (Fe): “According to social ethics, what is fair?”
- Experiential As (Se): “What is objectively happening in reality?”
- Conceptual An (Ne): “What other forms could this subject possibly become?”
I agree with Jung’s principle, and through personal observation, I see the mind as operating through pure cognitive functions, with attitude orientation (E/I) serving as an active axis of direction. One may think of attitude orientation as the helmsman: it determines where psychic energy is being “projected.” It is this very combination that gives rise to what we call the dominant function.
The notation In, As, It, and so on is presented alongside the more familiar symbols (Ni, Se, Ti…) for ease of recognition. However, caution is necessary: if you approach this text through rigid, behavior-based definitions inherited from derivative systems, you will completely miss the essence of the flow. To truly touch the subtlety of temperament, you must clear away old assumptions and be willing to observe the psyche as a living stream of energy.
■ Identifying Energy Orientation Through Perspective
Attitude orientation reveals itself in whether one automatically responds from inner values or outer values.
It is crucial not to overlook the factor of time.
Judgments made in a few brief moments are highly prone to error.
This is a fundamentally “statistical” process, requiring observation of consistency across many different situations.
For example, a person with a dominant Is (Si) tends to speak from their own personal and subjective experiences – including sensations or impressions that have just occurred. This becomes particularly noticeable if the person is sensitive to bodily states or health, as their attention is often directed toward internal “traces.”
By contrast, a person with a dominant As (Se) focuses strongly on what is happening right in front of them. In some cases, if the individual does not have a strong capacity for detailed memory, this emphasis on the present moment makes their moment-by-moment mode of perception even more apparent.
The remainder – the chaotic unconscious, with all its diversity and psychological complexity – depends on each person’s developmental journey.
In the next section, prepare to follow me into deeper waters of theory. I will present it in the most concise and original form possible – like a steel framework – so that you have a firm point of support before we move on to observe the vivid, lived stories of the Ego that follow.