“Judging” and “Perceiving” in MBTI Are Wrong Indicators

This page is a continuation of “Personality Theory”

 

As mentioned at the end of the previous page, I have changed the interpretation of the two indicators “Judging and Perceiving” used in the MBTI.

No, to be precise, I have reverted to an interpretation that fits the original Jungian Typology.

 

If you know the correct meaning of “Judging and Perceiving” in Jungian Typology, you will be able to understand more about your personality type.

 

Which Function Is “Superior” and Which Is “Inferior”?

 

First, see the figure below.

This figure is often used in Jungian psychology to show the state of personality functions.

Putting aside whether extroverted or introverted, the figure in ① shows a case in which the superior function is Thinking, and the auxiliary function is Sensation.

Conversely, in the case of ②, the superior function is Sensation, and the auxiliary function is Thinking.

 

Both figures have in common that Thinking and Sensation are dominant.

However, they differ in terms of which of them is superior and which is auxiliary.

 

 

Again, I would like to remind you of what I stated on the previous page.

Jung classified the four functions as follows.

 

So, you can say as follows:

When either thinking or feeling is the superior function, it is the “Judging type.”

And if either sensation or intuition is the superior function, it is the “Perceiving type.”

 

Thus, I used the MRTI’s “Judging” and “Perceiving” indicators to distinguish between the superior and auxiliary functions in the Jungian Typology.

 

 

Now, let’s look again at the previous figure.

You probably already know this, but let me explain the above figure.

 

With the above method, I realized my idea of using the MBTI form to express the original Jungian Typology.

 

 

Why Is MBTI Unintelligible?

 

The interpretation of “Judging” and “Perceiving” in MBTI is quite strange.

Let me explain why I think so.

 

Look again at the previous figure.

Let’s consider the figure in ①.

In this case, the superior function should be “thinking,” and the auxiliary function should be “sensation” (in Jung’s Typology, “intuition” is also considered as an auxiliary).

 

“Thinking” belongs to the “judging function.”

Therefore, if a person with this type is an extrovert, the MBTI would call this type an ESTJ.

 

Then, if the person is an introvert, would the MBTI call this type an ISTJ?

In fact, this is the biggest mystery of the MBTI, the core of its errors, and even the reason why they often consider to be of the same genre as tarot cards.

 

To answer my earlier question, the introverted version of the ESTJ is the ISTP, not ISTJ.

 

In addition, I will explain the figure in ②.

If the person with personality ② is an extrovert, the MBTI calls this type an ESTP.

The reason is that “sensation,” which belongs to the “perceiving function,” is the superior.

However, if the same person is an introvert, the type name is ISTJ, not ISTP.

 

Now, you are probably getting confused as you read this article.

But that is not my fault.

Interpretation of the MBTI (especially of introverts) is confusing us.

 

 

There is a reason why the interpretation of the MBTI has deviated from Jung’s Typology.

Simply put, Jung’s and the MBTI’s perspectives on people are fundamentally different.

 

When Jung analyzed human personality types, he based his perspective on the person’s internal mind.

On the other hand, MBTI analyzes personality types from “other people’s point of view,” i.e., “how the people around the person see the person.”

(Of course, other people’s perspectives are often unreliable!)

 

In other words, the MBTI methodology is nothing more than superficial human observation.

So the MBTI is not the same as Jung’s analytical psychology, and it does not understand the human being as deeply as Jung did.

 

 

If you aren’t familiar with Jung’s Typology, this explanation may be difficult to understand.

But don’t worry!

This is just an explanation of my ideas for Jungian learners.

Just read your test results.