Right! But there is one aspect of type that is scary, especially when it is not expected and not dealt with in a timely manner. I'm referring to the sudden appearance of our fourth preference, also known as the inferior function, which can occur when we are under a lot of stress. Here is a short video which, though rather lighthearted, may help to set the mood for an introduction to this frightening aspect of ourselves.
The terms fourth and inferior, used above, have to do with the fascinating and complex field of type dynamics. I don't plan to give a full explanation of type dynamics here, although it is crucial information especially for those who prefer Introversion. Here I am only going to briefly explain the first and fourth, or dominant and inferior, mental functions, before describing how they act under stress.
If you know your type preferences, you can easily find your dominant preference or mental function by looking at the last of the four letters of your type code. This letter will show you which preference you show to the outer world. It will either be P, the function (Sensing or Intuition) which takes in information, or J, Thinking or Feeling, which makes decisions with this information. If you have a preference for Extraversion, this letter at the end of your type code is your dominant function. For instance, if your type code is ESTJ, your dominant function is extraverted Thinking.
However, this process is a bit more complicated for people who prefer Introversion since they use their dominant preference in their inner world and it is generally hidden from others. So their dominant function will be the letter, either the second or third, NOT pointed to by the fourth letter in their type code. For example, someone whose type code is ISFP has an extraverted perceiving function, Sensing. But because this person prefers Introversion, the judging preference is the one which is dominant. So the dominant function of a person with the type code ISFP is introverted Feeling.
Thus all who have a preference for Introversion have an introverted dominant function, and all who have a preference for Extraversion have an extraverted dominant function. Everyone's dominant function operates in his or her preferred world. Those who prefer Introversion prefer their inner world of ideas, thoughts and concepts, and so will have a dominant function which operates in that world. The dominant function of someone who prefers Extraversion, on the other hand, will operate in his or her preferred outer world of people and things.
Our fourth or inferior function is the complete opposite of the dominant. So since an ISFP's dominant function is introverted Feeling, his or her inferior function is extraverted Thinking. The two functions, dominant and inferior, are opposites in other ways, too. Our dominant function is the easiest for us to access and gives us the most energy. It is the function which leads our personality, just as a pilot flies a plane. Especially for young people, it is probably the best developed of our mental functions, and we tend to trust it the most.
Our inferior function, on the other hand, is the least developed of our functions and we are generally much less comfortable with it than with our dominant.
Often we first become aware of our inferior function when it manifests itself as an unwelcome, uninvited and unexpected guest during periods of major stress. This is usually not a positive occurrence and can cause us to feel like we are losing control and wonder what got into us to cause us to behave in such an uncharacteristic manner. In fact, it's downright scary!
I recently saw what I presumed to be this process taking place in my own life. As a dominant introverted Intuitive my focus is on the future, which generally looks rosy to me with the hope that my ideas could someday be implemented and the dreams I have for my own life could come to pass.
However, at times my typical creative and visionary focus on the future can turn against me. During a recent period of financial stress I found myself dreading a future I could see no good in. I'm sure that we all have such moments, but in my case it was taken to the extreme. My introverted Intuition had taken over my personality with nothing from my extraverted auxiliary preference, Feeling, to balance it. Spending too much time in my inner world generating grim possibilities became depressing! Doing so also proved very destructive to my creativity, which is normally one of my strengths as an Intuitive. But when my creativity is exaggerated and distorted by stress and worry it turns into an out - of - control monster like the one created by Frankenstein.
Sometimes this function is only called the inferior function when it gets to this point of negative intrusion into our lives. Often it is called the fourth function when it is still behaving itself. As the catalyst for unwelcome behavior it can also be called the shadow function or the shadow side of type.
So how do we avoid an unplanned, untimely meeting with the shadow side of our personality? In my case I believe what helped me stop my descent into a very depressing outlook, and possibly into negative behavior later, was engaging in more extraverted and/or Sensing activities. I believe this provided balance to the amount of time I was spending distorting Intuition's creative possibilities into worry about every future possibility. In particular my hobby of Volksmarching (hiking) helped me focus on the outer world of hiking trails and natural beauty and to interact with others.
There could certainly be a discussion as to whether hiking is introverted or extraverted, Sensing or Intuitive. Perhaps the answer is different for different people. To me it is an introverted Intuitive activity when I am by myself and an extraverted Sensing activity when I am with others. Since extraverted Sensing is my inferior function, does this mean that by deliberately accessing our inferior function now and then we can prevent it from coming out of the darkness to bite us later? I do not know and this is something I hope to learn much more about! I do know that when I am stressed, anything that helps me focus on the here and now whether it is something fun like hiking, or practical tasks such as errands or laundry, also helps to keep my dominant Intuition under control.
The eruption of the inferior function can indeed be more frightening than any monster seen in a Halloween movie or trick or treating at our doors. To drive out the dark side of our usually well - balanced personalities, we need to shine the light of self - care and self - awareness so we don't get overly stressed. When our normal personality turns into a distortion of itself as mine seemed to, it's time to stop, take a break, and restore balance to our lives by engaging in both introverted and extraverted, Sensing and Intuitive activities. This is just what the doctor ordered for making Halloween, as well as every other day, a lot less scary.
A helpful resource I referred to while writing this post is Jean M. Kummerow's 12 page booklet, Type Dynamics: Another Level of Type published in 2008 by the Center for Applications of Psychological Type.