So what are these vital functions, anyway?

[Creepy-male]

So, I was giving a fellow ESE a crash course in Socionics, and we covered the Ego block without a problem (though, that could've been the Barnum effect in action. Weak Ti, lololol).

But, I found I didn't have a suitable explanation for the Super-Id (for the sake of simplicity, I just started with valued functions, since it worked neatly with my delicious food analogy). I wound up just regurgitating definitions.

So, if the Ego block is a pair of "things we use, consciously", what's the Super-Id?

Gentlemen, start your keyboards!

[Creepy-male]

Erm, qualities that you admire in another person and like it when they shower those things on you but that you feel pretty shit at yourself?

Fine, fine. *hug*

But, in terms of how you use them? How do they exist... in the person themselves?

[Gilly]

They don't exist. Functions aren't some kind of subconscious mechanism that exists in your psyche. It's just a way of categorizing people's behavior.

[Creepy-male]

"Functions don't exist. Functions exist." is what you just said, imo.

[Gilly]

You're oversimplifying. They exist as categorical methods of observing people's behavior, as a theory. They don't exist as actual mechanisms in our brains.

My point is that your friend doesn't have a "super id" that you can teach him to observe. You can just tell him, "This is how this theory categorizes your behavior in this and that area."

[Creepy-male]

Ok, that's a fair answer.

But, like, the Ego is easy to describe. "You're Fe base. You see emotions, you know how to deal with people. Information is constantly moving through your head about how peeps interact and whatnot."
"<extended ESE-monologue about totally seeing that and when it's happened and wow this is scarily accurate lol>"

Then I get to the Super-Id and it's like... general behaviour patterns? That seems somehow to be too radically different from the Ego. I dunno. Something's not quite clicking for me.

[Gilly]

Danke

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

They exist as categorical methods of observing people's behavior, as a theory. They don't exist as actual mechanisms in our brains.

I like this. Finally some reason. +5.

[Creepy-male]

I like this. Finally some reason. +5.

Useful post.