Socionics Theory for the Sane (Cache Link)

[Steve]

I think this used to be a sticky in the General Discussion forum. Could a mod please restore the material to sticky status? I think its good info - Thanks

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[UDP]

Yes, it used to be a sticky thread.

[CuriousSoul]

Original Article by Scrummy copied and pasted here for preservation.

Socionics Theory for the Sane

Seeing as that Beta is in recession, I thought I would just offer something to remember us by: a relatively concise explanation that puts this theory in perspective. This deals only with the underlying philosophy of the theory. I have not attempted to do an in-depth analysis of each type,or each function. There are much more accurate and helpful ways of learning about the specifics of the theory, but not enough people know about the fundamentals. I am working only off of what has been translated into English thus far. This is far from definitive and/or complete. Enjoy.

Socionics: A Concise Explanation
Socionics is a representation of the human psychological condition, not only in the static sense of “personality,” but one in which the evolution of human interaction and development is outlined. It was founded by Lithuanian Aushra Augustinavichute (Augusta) in Russia, the country in which the theory eventually took off. Fundamentally, Augusta based her theories on those of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung (1875-1961), as outlined in Jung’s book Psychological Types. Like Jung’s work, Socionics often borders between psychology, philosophy, and mysticism. In this sense, Augusta’s work is more representative of Jung’s work in spirit as opposed to empirically.

The Quadra: The Building Block of the Socion
As the name suggests, the idea of the Quadra revolves around the number four. Socionics accounts for four distinct Quadras: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta. Together, they form what is called the Socion, which is Socionics’ complete representation of human interaction and progress. Basically, the Socion incorperates all interactions and dynamics between people, and the possibilities that stem out of those dynamics. This can be more easily seen when the Quadra progression is understood.

These Quadras can be said to represent the progression of human psychological development. Alpha, being the first Quadra, is a state of novelty and freshness, perhaps even naivete. Beta closely follows, and represents intermediate understanding and euphoric innovation. Gamma is a more conscientious, more world-weary, and less aggressive. Delta represents maturity and a more complete understanding.

At the sociological level, the theory of Quadras has been used as an expression of the human lifetime, in essence reducing Shakespeare’s “seven ages of man” into four: Alpha as childishness, Beta as adolescence, Gamma as adulthood, Delta as old age. It has also been applied as a philosophical framing mechanism that can be applied to history: Alpha as the formative stages of a people, Beta as the development and/or revolutionary stages, Gamma as the more cautious period immediately following Beta, and Delta as a state of reflection after having considered all that precedes it.

This is no spacey, metaphysical theory. In fact, it is quite organic and straightforward in essence. We all of us experience the full range of development in our interaction with the world, its people, its places and objects, and its ideas. We have all progressed in from novelty, to innovation and conjecture, to a jaded state, to something that transcends all of these.

Returning to the number four, the Quadras are said to be composed of four psychological types each, based on Jung’s theory. Whereas the Quadra progression represents the development and flow of human nature, these personality types represent the more static patterns in the human condition.

Functions: The Material of the Psyche
According to Jung, two fundamental personality types can be differentiated when observing people: the introvert and the extrovert. I have found no truly comprehensive and accurate definition of these types. As defined by Jung, introversion and extroversion are indicative of “general interest” – that by which the individual orients himself. Baldly put, the introvert orients himself by his own internal consciousness, while the extrovert orients himself by means of the world around him.

Jung further developed his theory so that “functions” could be applied in the context of the introversion/extroversion division. The most accurate equivalent of “functions” is Jung’s own definition “preferences.” People develop, by virtue of nature and nurture (so far as we know), a preference for certain functions over others. These preferences are intuition, thinking, feeling, and sensing. (Here is that number four again!)

The four main functional divisions are best understood on two continuums: intuition vs. sensing, thinking vs. feeling. Intuition is the manipulation of the world of ideas. Sensing is the manipulation of the phenomenal world (the world of objects). Thinking has been described as objective evaluation. Feeling can be thought of as subjective evaluation. These four functions can then be said to orient themselves by the internal consciousness (introverted functions) or the external world (extroverted functions):

- Ni (introverted intuition or "white" intuition, as the Socionics symbols for introverted functions are the color white: )

- Ne (extroverted intuition or "black" intuition, as the Socionics symbols for extroverted functions are the color black: )

- Si (introverted sensing: )

- Se (extroverted sensing: )

- Ti (introverted thinking: )

- Te (extroverted thinking: )

- Fi (introverted feeling: )

- Fe (extroverted feeling: )

It should be noted that these functions are merely labels for phenomena and preferences most people are familiar with in the colloquial sense. For example, religious devotion is often attributed to Fe. Mysticism, spirituality, and philosophy are often attributed to Ni. Athleticism is attributed quite often to Se. (Though interest in spectator sports can be attributed to Si.) One is aware of one's own shortcomings and strengths, and only with these practicalities in mind one can truly understand the models of the psyche.

An Explanation of Model-A
Various models have been proposed as to how the eight functions (introverted and extroverted versions of the four main divisions) fit into the human personality. The most influential is model A, which organizes the eight functions within the context of Sigmund Freud's representation of the psyche based on the idea of Ego (conscious functions), and the Id (subconscious functions). These are further divided into the ego and super-ego, and the id and super-id. (Here we have the number four yet again!)

The eight functions are thus arranged two to each of these four main "blocks," as they have come to be called. (Model A is most easily understood in the form of a diagram - one of which can be found, here: http://www.the16types.info/models.php)

It is interesting to note that translation practices have essentially rendered Freud incomprehensible in English. It might be helpful to understand the original terminology as Jung, and consequently Russian Socionists after Augusta, might have concieved them. Freud's original terminology for the "Ego" was "das Ich" which translates to "the I." As the Ego represents the most conscious part of our psyche, this makes quite a bit of sense. The original termininology for the Id was "das Es" which translates to "the It." I will continue using the English standards, but it might help to keep in mind these more accurate renderings.

The most influential functions in determining one's personality are the two in the ego block. These are the Base function and the Creative function, respectively. It can be said that the Creative function serves as "fuel" for the Base function, through which that creativity is rendered. Thus, the Base is often the vehicle through which the Creative function is expressed.

The super-ego (Freud's term was "das Über-Ich" or "the super-I") block consists of those functions intermediate between the Ego (conscious) and Id (subconscious) realms of the psyche. Thus, the functions placed in this block (the Role function and Point of Least Resistance, respectively) are generally considered to be the cause of most self-consciousness in the individual.

The functions placed in the id block (the Suggestive and Estimative functions, respectively) are generally those in which one can readily admit weakness. Thus, most people are not offended when criticized on the functions placed here. Those placed in the super-id block (the Function of Personal Knowledge and the Function of Concrete Art, respectively) are those most obscured within the subconscious mind. These are strong functions which aid in driving motivation and memory, however, one is generally unaware of their actions.

Socionics in Practice
We have thus considered Socionics in theory. In practice, we can sum up the basic philosophy thusly: The Socion represents the entirety of human interaction, good and bad. Those types in the same Quadra generally have an easier understanding of each other and more smooth interaction than those in separate Quadras. Socionics is famous for a highly developed theory of intertype relations, which differentiates it from other personality theories. Essentially, this theory of relationships is based on the idea that those types who express understanding toward's each other's shortcomings (i.e., weak functions) and respect for each other's motives (i.e., strong functions) will have more smooth interactions with one another.

[CuriousSoul]

Unedited mess for preservation and possible restoration work.



Diana




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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 6:22 pm Post subject:

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When I saw the subject of this thread I was thinking "YES! Finally." But then I opened it and saw it was long -- so I haven't read it yet, but I will now.

Edit: And now I have. You've given a very good, clear explanation there Baby. Hmm. Well, I'll withhold judgement on the merits of socionics itself for the time being.

Last edited by Diana on Mon Jan 16, 2006 6:33 pm; edited 1 time in total

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Herzy




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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 6:31 pm Post subject:

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THANK YOU! Great job for typing all this up.

And bye bye Beta.
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schrödinger's cat




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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 6:39 pm Post subject:

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Very readable. Good job. Thanks.

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Rocky




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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 7:07 pm Post subject:

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Baby wrote:
According to Jung, two fundamental personality types can be differentiated when observing people: the introvert and the extrovert. I have found no truly comprehensive and accurate definition of these types. As defined by Jung, introversion and extroversion are indicative of “general interest” – that by which the individual orients himself. Baldly put, the introvert orients himself by his own internal consciousness, while the extrovert orients himself by means of the world around him.


I'll take a stab at it...

For one, the Extravert's and the Introvert's "viewpoints" of the world are different. Introverts would talk more about things as they relate to them. They see everything through *their* eyes, sort of like watching the outside world through binoculars, somewhat seperated or detached. Everything happening around them is just like a movie. An Introvert will talk about or descibe things in the way that they see themselves in relation to the outside world. Extraverts relate things as they see it from outside things or people. Jung called this "objective", because Extraverts don't let the thoughts in their heads get in the way of seeing things (or making decisions) in the outside world. So, the Introverts have more of an "internal" viewpoint of the world, and Extraverts have an "external" view.

There are other qualities you can tie to E/I, such as Introverts being more reflective on the outside world, while Extravets take more action on the inner world. Introverts conserve energy, while Extraverts expend it.

Also, Introverts can more easily see things in terms of *relationships*, while Extraverts can see things in terms of *objects*. So, an Introvert will have an easier time seeing how they relate to certain people, or how they fit in in certain situations, but find it harder to compare themselves to other people. Extraverts are always seeing how they stack up to others in ability, but seeing their relationships amongst the subjects/objects is harder.

Introverts also have the tendancy to try the same thing, several times, even if it didn't work the first time. This is because Introverts try to extract several differnt experiences from one thing, whereas Extraverts like to move on to a variety of things.
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"My scheme of typology is only a scheme of orientation. There is such a factor as introversion, there is such a factor as extraversion. The classification of individuals means nothing, nothing at all. It is only the instrumentarium for the practical psychologist to explain for instance, the husband to a wife or vice versa." ~Carl Jung


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reniarbon
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:01 pm Post subject:

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On the avatar, is that John Lennon feeding a baby?

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gilligan87




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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:11 pm Post subject:

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Yeah, John Lennon with double D's. Way to notice the fucking beach balls hanging off "his" chest.
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reniarbon
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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 8:30 pm Post subject:

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Yeah, he was in all sorts of thing

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Scrummy




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Posted: Mon Jan 16, 2006 11:37 pm Post subject:

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I'm glad you enjoyed it and found it helpful. I have just edited it it and added a considerable mount to the original draft, spelling out the functions and their role, and addressing intertype relations. It is still relatively concise, but more comprehensive.

Thanks Rocky for expounding on the introversion/extroversion point. I thinkgenerally speaking, the best definition is the most fundamental - the kernal of truth in the context of which everything else seems to make more sense. I've tried to stick with that for my little exposition, but definitely feel free to use this thread to expand on any topics addressed in the explanation that deserve more depth.

Herzblut wrote:
THANK YOU! Great job for typing all this up.

And bye bye Beta.


Don't worry! We Beta people do much better when someone else is in charge. Like when Alpha ruled the day and we could have our moods (remember our moods, Herzy? )!

reniarbon wrote:
On the avatar, is that John Lennon feeding a baby?

No.

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heathiep
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Posted: Tue Jan 17, 2006 9:44 am Post subject:

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here is another misconception:

extraverts talking about themselves.

they talk about the situation, object, or joke(oftentimes aligned with the situation) at hand.

by the way, i view all personality theory from a social perspective. As in how these people act when around other people, what they talk about, how they talk about it, etc.

Dig the prefix, right?

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Functianalyst




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Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2006 7:31 pm Post subject:

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I have been searching the site for definitions of the Quadra groups. Are there any on this site? If not, where can I read up more about them?

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Topaz




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Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2006 12:26 am Post subject:

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Wow! Introverts are the ultimate existentialist! Agreed? Yes or no?
Does that get lonely?
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discojoe




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BABY 4 EVAR

Good job.
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Cone




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Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2006 1:19 am Post subject:

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Wait, no, I'm undefined. I'm half-positivist and half-existentialist.
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What is the difference between the man who believes in things that do not exist and the man who simply fantasizes about things he knows do not exist?

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Topaz




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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 5:52 am Post subject:

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Cone wrote:
Wait, no, I'm undefined. I'm half-positivist and half-existentialist.
what exactly is a positivist?
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Topaz
The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.

[CuriousSoul]

The second cached page unedited.


Cone




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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2006 6:07 am Post subject:

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In my terms, it means purely objective, with no regard to personal values.
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Topaz




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Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 5:37 pm Post subject:

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Cone wrote:
In my terms, it means purely objective, with no regard to personal values.
impossible!
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Topaz
The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.

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Cone




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Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 5:41 pm Post subject:

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I believe the answer to life is a contradiction.
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INTp

These past centuries have involved more than any time before them the pursuit of vast amounts of knowledge about us and our world. We know so much about what we are and how we work, but we know so little of our origin. It is the pursuit of this origin that I believe will be the lifeblood of this century and the next.

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Topaz




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Posted: Fri Mar 03, 2006 5:42 pm Post subject:

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Cone wrote:
I believe the answer to life is a contradiction.
hmmm .... go on...
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Topaz
The artifact which is the source of my power will not be kept on the Mountain of Despair beyond the River of Fire guarded by the Dragons of Eternity. It will be in my safe-deposit box. The same applies to the object which is my one weakness.

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Phaedrus




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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 12:13 pm Post subject:

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I know that the answer to life is not a contradiction.

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niveK




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Phaedrus wrote:
I know that the answer to life is not a contradiction.

I never even realized life was a question. I do, however, know the meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42. However, the question is "What is 6 times 9?" so I suppose that's contradictory. Or it was until someone figured out that it works in base-13 math. I'll admit I haven't tested that particular factoid, though. This is your Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference of the day. You may now return to your regularly scheduled topic.
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Cone




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Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2006 11:13 pm Post subject:

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Phaedrus wrote:
I know that the answer to life is not a contradiction.


Then how do you reconcile a completely objective viewpoint with your own human flesh and blood? How is it possible to be completely objective and subjective at the same time?
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INTp

These past centuries have involved more than any time before them the pursuit of vast amounts of knowledge about us and our world. We know so much about what we are and how we work, but we know so little of our origin. It is the pursuit of this origin that I believe will be the lifeblood of this century and the next.

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Traveler




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Posted: Tue Jul 25, 2006 1:24 pm Post subject:

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niveK wrote:
Phaedrus wrote:
I know that the answer to life is not a contradiction.

I never even realized life was a question. I do, however, know the meaning of life, the universe and everything is 42. However, the question is "What is 6 times 9?" so I suppose that's contradictory. Or it was until someone figured out that it works in base-13 math. I'll admit I haven't tested that particular factoid, though. This is your Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference of the day. You may now return to your regularly scheduled topic.


I believe the number 42 means the number of habitable planets with life sustaining organisms or intelligent life could be 42. Therefore that is the answer to life if you take it literally.