Enneagram and MBTI: Definitions
Introversion-Extroversion
Let’s start with the definitions of the words “introvert” and “extrovert,” which represent the first pair of Jungian functions. The Cambridge Dictionaries Online
define “introvert “ as “someone who is shy, quiet and unable to make
friends easily,” and “extrovert, extravert” as “an energetic, happy
person who enjoys being with other people.”
Compare those definitions to the definitions offered by the Myers Briggs Foundation:
“The first pair of psychological preferences is Extraversion and
Introversion. Where do you put your attention and get your energy? Do
you like to spend time in the outer world of people and things
(Extraversion), or in your inner world of ideas and images
(Introversion)?
“Extraversion and Introversion as terms used by C. G. Jung, explain
different attitudes people use to direct their energy. These words have
a meaning in psychology that is different from the way they are used in
everyday language.
“Everyone spends some time extraverting and some time introverting.
Don’t confuse Introversion with shyness or reclusiveness. They are not
related.”
By the MBTI definitions of introvert and extrovert, a person can be a
friendly introvert or a shy extrovert. This is very different from the
commonly-used, dictionary definitions of the words.
Sensing-iNtuiting
Next,
in the Jungian system, comes the distinction between the functions of
Sensing (S) and iNtuiting (N). This is another area in which the common
definitions and usage of the words are very different from usage in the
type descriptions.The Cambridge Dictionaries Online defines
the word “sense” as “an ability to understand, recognize, value or
react to something, especially any of the five physical abilities to
see, hear, smell, taste and feel…” or as “a general feeling or
understanding: ‘Did you get any sense of how they might react?’ or ‘The
helicopters hovering overhead added to the sense of urgency.’”
The dictionary definition of “intuition“ is “(knowledge obtained from)
an ability to understand or know something immediately without needing
to think about it, learn it or discover it by using reason… ‘I can't
explain how I knew - I just had an intuition that you'd been involved
in an accident.’”
In real speech, people often use the words “sense” and “intuition”
interchangeably. For example, people often say “I just sensed that
something was wrong,” in the same way as intuition is used in the above
example, “I just had an intuition that you’d been involved in an
accident.” In fact, the term “sixth sense” is often used to talk about
intuition.
I recently purchased Tom Condon’s Intuition Training CD set, and he
talks about intuition as being in touch with gut feelings and inner
knowing. However, as defined by the Jungian typology, gut feelings fall
clearly in the domain of the Sensing function.
The Jungian functions have more to do with how one pays attention to
sensory information: “The second pair of psychological preferences is
Sensing and Intuition. Do you pay more attention to information that
comes in through your five senses (Sensing), or do you pay more
attention to the patterns and possibilities that you see in the
information you receive (Intuition)?”
Sensing is a present orientation to sights, sounds, smells, and bodily
feelings. Intuition refers to how one makes sense of these sensations,
in terms seeing patterns and possibilities. The iNtuiting function has
more to do with the past or future, than with the present.
Thinking-Feeling
Fortunately,
the third pair of functions, Thinking or Feeling, are pretty much as
they seem. However, the thinking function has nothing to do with
intelligence, and the feeling function has nothing to do with emotional
intelligence. This pair is about how we prefer to make decisions. “This
third preference pair describes how you like to make decisions. Do you
like to put more weight on objective principles and impersonal facts
(Thinking) or do you put more weight on personal concerns and the
people involved (Feeling)?
“Don’t confuse Feeling with emotion. Everyone has emotions about the
decisions they make. Also do not confuse Thinking with intelligence.”
Judging-PerceivingThe definitions of the
fourth pair of functions, Judging and Perceiving, are where things
really get confusing. The judging function has nothing do with actual
judging, or being judgmental. The perceiving function has little to do
with being perceptive. This pair is all about how people interact with
the world. But don’t take my word for it. According to the wise folks
at the Myers & Briggs organization:
“This fourth preference pair describes how you like to live your outer
life--what are the behaviors others tend to see? Do you prefer a more
structured and decided lifestyle (Judging) or a more flexible and
adaptable lifestyle (Perceiving)? This preference may also be thought
of as your orientation to the outer world.
“Everyone extraverts some of the time. This pair describes whether you
extravert (act in the outer world) when you are making decisions or
when you are taking in information.
“Some people interact with the outside world when they are taking in
information. Whether they use the Sensing preference or the Intuitive
preference, they are still interacting in the outside world.
“Other people do their interacting when they are making decisions. It
doesn’t matter whether they are using a Thinking preference or a
Feeling preference; they are still interacting in the outside world.
“Everyone takes in information some of the time. Everyone makes
decisions some of the time. However, when it comes to dealing with the
outer world, people who tend to focus on making decisions have a
preference for Judging because they tend to like things decided. People
who tend to focus on taking in information prefer Perceiving because
they stay open to a final decision in order to get more information.
“Sometimes people feel they have both. That is true. The J or P
preference only tells which preference the person extraverts. One
person may feel very orderly/structured (J) on the inside, yet their
outer life looks spontaneous and adaptable (P). Another person may feel
very curious and open-ended (P) in their inner world, yet their outer
life looks more structured or decided (J).
“Don’t confuse Judging and Perceiving with a person’s level of organization. Either preference can be organized.”
Clear Enough?
Are you clear on the definitions of the functions? Good. Now let’s look
at how the Jungian functions correlate, or don’t correlate, to the
Enneagram Types.
Oh, and by the way, the Socionics people take issue with the
distinction between Judging and Perceiving in the Jungian functions,
and have come up with their own definitions. You can find out about
Socionics here: http://socionics.com/main/types.html.
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