
Originally Posted by
labocat
are those three relations the only ones capable of forming a "mask"? if so this could well be getting at the same phenomenon.
No, which is the point. If they are the only ones observable in practice, you & DarkAngelFireWolf69, to an extent your views are presented here, have a better theory. If not, and under some circumstances other "masks" form, socionics masks explanation may work better.
The question is how common each mask is, and what masks are possible. To be honest, when you mention that it might be I/E that's stable as opposed to P/J, but aren't sure, it sounds to me as if you were trying to form a theory that only allows one possibility while it isn't be obvious that there's one only. I am not saying it is the case, but there's always a possibility you might end up taking the most common case and even adjusting other evidence to fit it.
This might also bind in with Smilingeyes' theory, somehow. I can't help but notice that the common point all three have is super-ego - while everyone has a different theory, "survival" opposite club act is something all of them embrace. That might suggest predicted masks of dual, activity and conflictor are either not very common or don't happen in reality.
Smilexian behaviour tracker predicts Kindred and Business instead of Mirage and Semi-dual:
Kindred
This "mask" is associated with the problem of self-affirmation. At one time the person had not learned to assert himself as being worthwhile, had not mastered the techniques of strengthening his position among people, so now he has to act against his own type, breaking himself to "cover up" his weaknesses, he has to present himself to others and even to himself (and himself more than anyone) as if he were another person.
Business
This "mask" is associated with the problem of work: the feeling that one's workload prevents him from living a full life. Difficulties in organizing work, allocating priorities. Or the "mask" is related to the problem of a long job search.
One thing that's clear is that "masks" descriptions are very poor. They would need to be improved, and perhaps descriptions and examples in this thread can contribute to it.
Either way, looking at specific pairs might be a good place to start. Not to decide what is possible or impossible, but to observe if the particular "distortions" of sociotype correspond to specific relations in the first place.