The Dynamic Nature of Type Development
A word about type development. This is important to touch on, as we don’t want to give the impression that this theory of type dynamics and type development is predictive or that our personalities are on some pre-set and never-to-be-changed track. Nothing of the sort!
This theory of type dynamics and development assumes that we grow – we experience things in our lives that we respond and react to, we choose pathways to growth and change, and at other times change and growth “happen to us”. However it occurs, we are alive and dynamic beings – not static or one-tracked.
Over the course of your life, different personality preferences may emerge and be used more often, as well as more easily.
As you develop and experience life, the way you see the world and the way you behave often expands. You learn to behave in certain ways, depending on what your circumstances are and what is required of you. This is very true when you have work that calls for skills and behaviors that are outside of your innate way of being, such as you can learn how to pay more attention to detail, if you tend to focus on the big picture more naturally, or become more organised and plan ahead even when this may not be your preferred way of being.
This is a natural part of adult development, of becoming more self-aware, and is to be expected.
The Energy Factor
Your Style Type code is a shorthand to describe the interaction of your personality preferences, which ones you naturally use first, and which you use best—that you trust the most and use without conscious thought.
One of the four letters in your Style Type code represents the most developed preference of your personality DNA. According to the psychological type theory of type dynamics, this aspect of your personality has the most influence on you and how you approach life.
This is usually called the dominant function—your favorite function, your ‘go to’ function, the one that you rely on and trust over the others.
According to type theory, this innate part of your personality developed first, when you were a child –this is why you might not be all that conscious of your dominant function, it’s so elemental to who you are that you may be simply unaware of its presence and impact.
As the theory goes, your auxiliary or supporting function developed next, and is always in service to your dominant leading function.
The Dynamic Nature of Your Type
Your Style Type code is a shorthand to describe the interaction of your personality preferences, which ones you naturally use first, and which you use best—that you trust the most and use without conscious thought.
One of the four letters in your Style Type code represents the most developed preference of your personality DNA. According to the psychological type theory of type dynamics, this aspect of your personality has the most influence on you and how you approach life.
This is usually called the dominant function—your favorite function, your ‘go to’ function, the one that you rely on and trust over the others.
According to type theory, this innate part of your personality developed first, when you were a child –this is why you might not be all that conscious of your dominant function, it’s so elemental to who you are that you may be simply unaware of its presence and impact.
As the theory goes, your auxiliary or supporting function developed next, and is always in service to your dominant leading function.
Your Leading (or Dominant) Function
Consider the lead character in a movie, around whom the entire plot revolves; the story simply does not make sense without this character. The Dominant/Leading Function is like the lead character in the movie of you.
Understanding your leading function can help you know why you do the things you do, why you react to certain things, and how other people experience you. If you are interested in knowing more about the impact you have on others, learning more about your leading function is an excellent way to explore that.
There is a formula which determines your leading and supporting function (or “function stack” as they are sometimes known), and we are using this formula in presenting this information to you. Like the driver of a car, you can simply enjoy the fact that the car works without having to be a mechanic or an engineer who understands how a motor works or is built!
Below, we’ll give you the Leading Function for each of the 16 Style Types. Take your time with this – Exploration questions follow.
The Leading Functions for All 16 Style Types
The Expressive Stylist, ENFJ: The Style Connector – leading function is Feeling
The Charismatic Stylist, ENFP: The Style Inspirer – leading function is iNtuition
The Standout Stylist, ENTJ: The Style Powerhouse – leading function is Thinking
The Enterprising Stylist, ENTP: The Style Chameleon – leading function is iNtuition
The Charming Stylist, ESFJ: The Style Adviser – leading function is Feeling
The Vivacious Stylist, ESFP: The Style Celebrator – leading function is Sensing
The Effective Stylist, ESTJ: The Style Traditionalist – leading function is Thinking
The Resourceful Stylist, ESTP: The Style Explorer – leading function is Sensing
The Subtle Stylist, INFJ: The Style Enigma – leading function is iNtuition
The Eclectic Stylist, INFP: The Style Original – leading function is Feeling
The Independent Stylist, INTJ: The Style Scientist – leading function is iNtuition
The Complex Stylist, INTP: The Style Theorist – leading function is Thinking
The Harmonious Stylist, ISFJ: The Style Friend – leading function is Sensing
The Whimsical Stylist, ISFP: The Style Artisan – leading function is Feeling
The Appropriate Stylist, ISTJ: The Style Organizer – leading function is Sensing
The Individualistic Stylist, ISTP: The Style Maverick – leading function is Thinking
Before you move on
Take a moment to identify and write down your leading function from the list above.
Your Leading Function and Attitude
There’s one final aspect to your leading function, and that is called it’s Attitude. This refers to whether it is Introverted or Extraverted – the first letter of your Style Type.
Again, we are using type dynamic theory to determine this Attitude. Attitude- Extraversion or Introversion – is at the core of Psychological Type theory as CG Jung discovered and described it.
The core of this part of the theory is that each of the functions (S, N, T and F) are oriented toward either Extraversion or Introversion, giving us 8 functions.
The 8 Cognitive Functions are:
- Extraverted Sensing
- Introverted Sensing
- Extraverted iNtuition
- Introverted iNtuition
- Extraverted Thinking
- Introverted Thinking
- Extraverted Feeling
- Introverted Feeling
These attitudes are flavors, if you like, of the functions. These flavors are very different to one another.
So in addition to you having a function – Sensing, iNtuition, Thinking, or Feeling – as your leading function, that function also has an Attitude.
This Attitude will be either Introverted (I) or Extraverted (E). Whether it is I or E depends on the first letter of your Style Type code.
On the next page, we identify the attitude that goes with the function to form your full leading function.
This takes us a step deeper into this Type Dynamics territory. This can be complex, so take your time, follow the process and be open to what you are discovering. Exploration questions follow.
The Leading Functions and Attitudes for All 16 Style Types
The Expressive Stylist, ENFJ: The Style Connector – leading function is Extraverted Feeling
The Charismatic Stylist, ENFP: The Style Inspirer – leading function is Extraverted iNtuition
The Standout Stylist, ENTJ: The Style Powerhouse – leading function is Extraverted Thinking
The Enterprising Stylist, ENTP: The Style Chameleon – leading function is iNtuition
The Charming Stylist, ESFJ: The Style Adviser – leading function is Extraverted Feeling
The Vivacious Stylist, ESFP: The Style Celebrator – leading function is Extraverted Sensing
The Effective Stylist, ESTJ: The Style Traditionalist – leading function is Extraverted Thinking
The Resourceful Stylist, ESTP: The Style Explorer – leading function is Extraverted Sensing
The Subtle Stylist, INFJ: The Style Enigma – leading function is Introverted iNtuition
The Eclectic Stylist, INFP: The Style Original – leading function is Introverted Feeling
The Independent Stylist, INTJ: The Style Scientist – leading function is Introverted iNtuition
The Complex Stylist, INTP: The Style Theorist – leading function is Introverted Thinking
The Harmonious Stylist, ISFJ: The Style Friend – leading function is Introverted Sensing
The Whimsical Stylist, ISFP: The Style Artisan – leading function is Introverted Feeling
The Appropriate Stylist, ISTJ: The Style Organizer – leading function is Introverted Sensing
The Individualistic Stylist, ISTP: The Style Maverick – leading function is Introverted Thinking
Before you move on
Take a moment to identify and write down your leading function with its attitude from the list above.
The Eight Leading Functions of the 16 Style Types
This might all be a lot to take in – this is the complex and beautiful aspect to this model of personality, to psychological type: it is rich and multi-layered.
Remember to take this material at your own pace, and to use the Facebook Group for discussion.
We’re now going to continue our exploration of these 8 cognitive functions – your leading function – by sharing with you some more of each of them, including more information and a metaphor and some visuals to flesh them out and make them easier to understand. And to access.
You’ll also notice quite quickly that there are 8 Cognitive Functions – yet 16 Style Types. How that is mapped (8 à 16) is the same leading function exists for two Style Types. This does not mean those two Style Types are the same, because their supporting (their second) function is always different.
But it does mean that those two Style Types have something significant in common: a large part of their psychological DNA – their leading function – is the same.
The 8 Cognitive Functions and the 16 Style Types are mapped this way:
- Extraverted Sensing – leading function for ESTP and ESFP
- Introverted Sensing – leading function for ISTJ and ISFJ
- Extraverted iNtuition – leading function for ENTP and ENFP
- Introverted iNtuition – leading function for INTJ and INFJ
- Extraverted Thinking – leading function for ENTJ and ESTJ
- Introverted Thinking – leading function for INTP and ISFP
- Extraverted Feeling – leading function for ENFJ and ESFJ
- Introverted Feeling – leading function for INFP and ISFP
Different Flavors of the Functions
It’s interesting to note here the two flavors of each function:
Sensing has two flavors – Extraverted Sensing and Introverted Sensing. Both are about the practical and tangible, yet they are very different to one another.
iNtuition has two flavors – Extraverted iNtuition and Introverted iNtuition. Both deal with ideas and connections, yet they are very different to one another.
Thinking has two flavors – Extraverted Thinking and Introverted Thinking. Both use logic and systems, but very differently.
Feeling has two flavors – Extraverted Feeling and Introverted Feeling. Both focus on harmony and people, but very differently.
Please focus on YOUR leading function, although of course you are free to read it all. It is your self-discovery we are concerned with in this program, and that is also where the Exploration Areas will be focused.
The following sections describe the 8 leading functions. For each leading function you will find:
- The gifts and blind spots for that leading function.
- The contribution that leading function makes, what happens when it becomes rigid or is overused, communication clues, learning needs.
- The five metaphors for that leading function. More on that below.
All the information about the functions has been very carefully put together, and represents an extraordinary amount of knowledge gained over many years. We ask you to please note copyright issues (these pages are not for sharing outside this program). Everything on the following pages is specific and deliberate.
The Leading Functions are presented in this order:
- Sensing Types of ESTP, ESFP followed by ISTJ, ISFJ
- iNtuitive Types of ENTP, ENFP followed by INTJ, INFJ
- Thinking Types of ENTJ, ESTJ followed by INTP, ISTP
- Feeling Types of ENFJ, ESFJ followed by INFP, ISFP
Explorations follow the next sections on each of the functions, with the focus being on YOUR leading function.
You will need to Mark Complete each of the functions to move on with the program.
The Power of the Metaphor
Each of the following 8 Cognitive Functions contains 5 metaphors + icons to denote and depict them. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that means one thing is used to describe an object or idea to which it is not literally applicable, an example being “heart of gold”.
Metaphors have incredible power when we are trying to understanding something. If that something is brand new, it can spark understanding in a way that words often cannot. If that something is familiar to us, it can give a new perspective through which to view it – very helpful if we wish to go deeper in our understanding and go beyond the borders of our current knowledge. Which of course we hope you wish to do here!
These metaphors will help you to look at your leading function in a fresh way. They will give you a different pathway to explore it, a new light to appreciate it in, they can shift your frame of reference, and help you make new connections. A great learning tool!
And if you have been undecided or uncertain about your Style Type four-letter code, it can also be an excellent way to “tie break”, assuming you are not looking to decide between two Style Types who share the same leading function. For example, if you were deciding between ENFP and INFP then the metaphors can help you decide which is more you, as ENFP has one set of metaphors (for Extraverted iNtuition) and INFP has another (for Introverted Feeling).
Making Your Way Through This Module
As this module contains some information you don’t “need” to know – about functions that are not yours (though you may be interested in learning about all the functions so you can have a greater understanding of how others perceive and make decisions) you will need to go through this module and mark each page “complete” so you can jump around should you wish to if you want to compare different functions out of order.
