Unlocking an INTJ's ESFP Subconscious

As far as personal development goes, developing the Inferior Function to gain the benefits of the Subconscious side of the mind could be one of the most single important aspects in Jungian Typology. Though modern Psychiatry is not what it was 100 years ago, Carl Jung stood by that neurotic symptoms such as depression, anxiety, obsessive thoughts, were not necessarily negative, but rather they are a sign that something in the patient’s life needed to change. In the present, Psychologists and Psychiatrists adamantly shove pills down our throats rather than assist their patients in spotting what is causing neurosis; which just masks our pain. As a result, we never develop into the people we are supposed to become. While I’m not advocating you quitting your regimen of these prescribed pharmaceuticals cold turkey, as that can be more dangerous than the side effects the medication already presents. What I am saying is maybe you should take a long look at yourself to really see why you are experiencing these symptoms. Jung wrote “ We should not try to “get rid” of a neurosis, but rather to experience what it means, what it has to teach, what its purpose is.”

Jung was well aware of the debilitating effects of childhood trauma, but Jung was more concerned with the neurosis that the patient was experiencing in the present. Jung performed psychoanalysis on thousands of patients, what he observed is that his patients often used their past trauma to steer him away from the present issue which is truly causing the subject’s ailment. It may be convenient to blame your current situation on your upbringing, or past inflictions on why you may be experiencing a slew of symptoms preventing you from living your life to the fullest. What is truly of importance is overcoming these symptoms that are holding you back, rather than dwell on the past. This is our shadow, or our unconscious mind bogging us down. Preventing us from ascending to the greatness we are capable of.

“In constructing a theory which derives the neurosis from causes in the distant past, we are first and foremost following the tendency of our patient to lure us as far away as possible from the critical present…It is mainly in the present that the affective causes lie, and here alone are the possibilities of removing them.”

In modern western culture, we are hellbent on instant gratification, ergo we take pills rather than confront our problems in a confrontational manner. Medication can only somewhat suppress these symptoms, so the underlying issues are still at hand; causing us to develop our Shadow rather than our Subconscious. Our Subconscious is where our happiness and true contentment lay hidden. Sadly, most people of any of the MBTI types never develop their Subconscious, and will live miserable lives, leading to a midlife crisis. Our education system is much to blame here, seeing that it teaches us to be obedient, and prepares us for a life of graduating, possibly getting into college, just to get a mind-numbing job that we loath; leading us into a spiral of neurosis.

For any person to develop one’s Subconscious, they have to tame the insecurities of their inferior function and aspire with it. More specifically, an INTJ has to overcome their fear of providing others with a bad experience. To do this, an INTJ must conquer the awkwardness of our Extraverted Sensation Inferior, and become like the gregarious ESFP. For a short time, an INTJ can access their Subconscious, and outperform the Performer. For instance, an INTJ might be at odds with themselves. An INTJ might have this strong inclination to become a dancer, but are petrified of looking stupid in front of others, so they settle, and go with the safe bet and become a civil engineer. While INTJ’s can make great engineers, this particular INTJ is inwardly repulsed by this career choice, gets stuck in their Unconscious Shadow, and by the age of 45, they buy a Harley and follow Lynyrd Skynyrd on tour.

As John Beebe states “The Inferior Function, in contrast, is a perpetual source of shame or embarrassment for most people. Acknowledging and accepting the shame with a measure of humility is at first, a necessary step towards knowing oneself, finding integrity, and beginning to make a meaningful connection to the unconscious.” (Beebe 129) In other words, it is best to humble oneself, and admit that as INTJ’s, we have a weakness that is known as Se Inferior. Humbling ourselves by admitting this flaw, we can get past all the shame and integrate our Subconscious and Unconscious to lead more fulfilling lives.

Anecdotally, one way that I started to develop my Se was through Judo. Overall, it took me three good attempts to really stick with it. Initially, it was awkward being in such close contact with other sweaty men, but it is a great way for an INTJ to aspire. From personal experience, I am always stuck in my head, naturally intuiting the future. To me, it seems Judo is an ultimate form of meditation, you MUST be in the present, or you will get thrown or submitted. Something else that I had to get over was performing badly, and causing someone to have a bad experience. This feeling can be terrifying. Introverted Intuition and Extraverted Sensation are always on, what Beebe calls, a Cognitive Axis. An INTJ has Ni for their Hero, or Superior Function, therefore Se will always be in the Inferior slot. If we were to look at the ESTP for example, the functions are reversed with Se being the Hero, and Ni the Inferior.

Another way that I developed my Se, which was almost purely coincidental, was through my current job. Currently, I am a paraprofessional at a school for children with behavioral issues and autism, and I am finding myself “performing” in ways that even 6 months ago I couldn’t imagine myself doing. Never in my life could I see myself standing in front of a class leading a lesson, or steering a class discussion. While it typically isn’t of a dense subject matter, it is quite a challenge in itself to explain where a decimal point goes on a calculator to a defiant teenage boy with autism and a bad attitude. When I first started this job a few short months ago, it was petrifying to stand in front of a group and be a firm leader and role model, but after doing so, it is one of the most invigorating experiences in my life. Pushing past the potential shame and embarrassment has earned me the respect of students and my peers alike.

Writing this blog has proved to be quite the challenge for me as well. Not only is the lack of time an obstacle, but sharing my thoughts and personal experiences has been quite demanding in itself. There have been times where my Se Inferior has kicked in heavily, and I feel “stupid” sharing my thoughts. Though I remain relatively anonymous, there is a fear that this blog will somehow infiltrate my personal life. Though I am sitting safely behind a computer screen in my bedroom, it seems that I am sticking my neck out there as irrational as it may sound. Knowing that I have a long journey ahead of me, I must push forward, because this will test me and greatly develop my character.

Like anything worthwhile, developing your subconscious is an arduous task, so a word of warning is warranted… Trying to Aspire your Inferior function is quite difficult. A thorn in the heel of any INTJ is the pitfall of Se Inferior. Anyone with Se in their top four functions often struggle with addiction in some form. For me, when I get stressed, I overeat, but others may drink or turn to drugs. There will be times where you get discouraged, and fall into the Ni-Fi Loop. When you fall into this loop, try to avoid beating yourself up. It seems commonplace that INTJ’s hold themselves to a higher standard than we do others (and more often than not, we hold others to high standards.) Just be mindful of what’s going on, write it down to sort through your thoughts if needed. It’s becoming a bit of a cliche, but mindfulness is a great tool for self betterment. It may be difficult, but show some humility and ask for help. Therapy is a great way to have someone analyze and point out the fallacies in your day to day thinking. No matter how difficult things get, never give up. If you fail, learn from it and try again.

Thank you for reading and all your support, and a special thank you is in order to those who have shown me verbal support and provided constructive feedback, it has kept me motivated. I really want to get my presence out there, so please follow me on Twitter and Instagram. You can also leave me a comment on here, or shoot me an email at INTJequation@gmail.com. I would love to hear your stories on what you are doing to better yourself. We possess the ability to make this world a better place, let’s use our minds for the good of all.

https://academyofideas.com/2019/01/carl-jung-value-of-anxiety-disorders/

Beebe, John, Energies and Patterns in Psychological Type, 2017, Routledge, New York, New York.