Quote Originally Posted by jason_m View Post
I find what he writes to be somewhat mystical and superstitious. The notion, for instance, that one becomes altruistic when they are a thinking type, and this is always compensated for by some repressed 'dark feelings' smacks of Freudian psychology (which is similar to Jungian psychology, I guess), and I'm not sure I agree...

I don't think those particular ideas come from a place of superstition or mysticism (other than being connected to underlying ideas about balance and the relationship between opposites). But Jung was a practicing psychologist, and that means many of his examples are more extreme than the day-to-day descriptions we often use in socionics.

That anecdote isn't meant to describe what always happens to thinking types (in regards to them being altruistic, or having dark feelings underneath) but is an example of how repressed feeling can manifest. It's not too far removed from common reality. I'm sure you've met people who are obsessed with doing what's practically "best" for the situation but trample over everyone around them (which is almost certainly not the best approach). Or people who are very logical but come across as very emotive/angry/have favourites (these are, in fact, descriptions within socionics).

In simple terms, ignoring something doesn't mean it doesn't exist. People think this is obvious when it comes to logical matters (e.g. ignoring your rent doesn't mean there aren't consequences) but tend to lose that rigor in ethical matters.