Two Birds in a Tree: Integrating the Four Functions

“That which we do not bring to consciousness appears in our lives as fate.”
- C.G. Jung

In Jungian psychology knowing what your "type" is isn't enough, you have to move through the functions, integrating them one by one. This is one of the main reasons why it isn't accurate to call these "types"; if one is actually individuating one's personality will change over the course of one's life as we integrate each function. This is, in fact, a large part of the individuation process itself.

Those who have only one function developed will be at the mercy of the unconscious as it comes in the three other "doors" (as Marie Louise von Franz puts it); the unconscious can catch us as it barges in, taking over our consciousness and making us do things that in retrospect may appall us. As we work to develop and differentiate each of the first three functions, we slowly shut the doors as we bring these functions under the control of the conscious ego. This continues on up to the third function. The fourth and final function, the inferior function, can never be brought under the control of the ego, allowing the unconscious a place to enter into our lives.

Below is a re-post of a an article from my previous blog:

The four functions aren't actually "types," unless people get stuck in a particular function. And then the Self will send neuroses in order to poke and prod at us until we get moving and growing. But in order to do so, we have to take a meandering path that snakes from our primary function to our auxiliary function, to the tertiary function, and finally to our inferior function. This whole process takes a very long time (we can finish it by the time we die, if we’re lucky) and it doesn't have to be particularly clear cut or even sequential, either. This is how we move around the circle, integrating the first three functions. When you integrate a function, you live that function, and all its strengths and weaknesses are yours.

The assimilation of functions is such a serious business that people generally spend a very long time in assimilating their auxiliary functions and sometimes, say for at least eight to ten years, become a type which was not their original type. I once, for example, knew a woman who was an introverted feeling type; that is, in the past she had been a feeling type, but in the stage at which we met, she had already switched the process to developing intuition and at that stage had as much trouble with her sensation as if she had been a genuine intuitive... [S]he went through all the crises of having to switch from intuition to sensation which you see with a primarily intuitive type; for example, she became completely inaccurate about facts and had trouble relating to them, exactly as an intuitive does. She then stated with great emphasis that it had always been an error to call her a feeling type, for she was an intuitive, but she was wrong! She was right and wrong for at the stage at which she was, she was exactly like an intuitive, but that was because she was at the stage of living in her second function and was just in the crisis of getting over to the third.

(von Franz, Psychotherapy, p. 131)

What seems to happen is your dominant function gets worn out from overuse; you get tired of using it and life gets sterile, lifeless; it feels meaningless. In my case I had a combination of fascination for things of the intuitive sphere and actual messages from dreams and the Tarot that pretty clearly told me it was time to move on . When we integrate another function we become that function - all of its strengths and weaknesses become ours. A feeling type that starts integrating sensation will have problems with flashes of sinister, and completely unfounded, suspicion. Or, as in my case, a thinking type moves to integrate intuition and can't balance her checkbook or keep her apartment clean if her life depended on it.

- Integrating the Four Functions (from Queen of the Night)

We're usually born with one function that is clearly our best function, along with a secondary function that's also pretty dependable. As we try to succeed in the world, we naturally lean on our strongest function(s), which develops them to a high level. At some point, though, this first function starts becoming fatigued; overuse makes it boring and sterile. Imagine playing the same game over and over, or watching the same movie over and over. It may be a lot of fun the first few times but eventually it's going to get boring and lifeless. In order to keep the juice flowing in our lives we need to start working on a new function. This often takes place during our middle years, when we have (hopefully) accomplished a large part of what had we set out to accomplish.

The Car Model (Personality Hacker)

Personality Hacker uses the image of a car with the driver and three passengers as a way to illustrate the way the four functions operate. The primary function (the "Driver") is the main cognitive function, the one we most strongly identify with, and the one with which we can get into what they call a "flow" state. It's the function in which we have competency that operates unconsciously; we're so good at it that we don't even have to think about it.

The auxiliary function (the "Co-Pilot") is the other function that we have or can develop competency at. We can get good at it but never as good as the Driver function; there will always be an element of conscious attention required when using this function

The tertiary function (the "10 Year Old") is one of our two weak functions. However, we do have a measure of control over it - we can eventually close the door here - therefore we'd say that it's the inferior function that we are conscious of. With conscious attention, we can, with some effort, bring it under the control of the ego.

The last function, the inferior function (the "3 Year Old"), is not and cannot ever be brought under the control of the ego. As with the Driver function, the 3 Year Old is also unconscious, but it's the function in which we have unconscious incompetence. As with a toddler, we can never bring it under our control.

(From Personality Hacker)

When we're still undeveloped our natural tendency is to go to the 10 Year Old, or the tertiary, function as our defense. This will be the function that we run to when we're scared, including when we're trying to avoid our growth function, the Co-Pilot. To develop, we need to move into the Co-Pilot function. Doing this balances out weaknesses in our primary function, while also keeping us from using the tertiary function defensively.

The people at Personality Hacker don't go too much into integrating the third function but, based on what I know of Jungian psychology, the third, or 10 Year Old, function will also eventually need to be integrated in a healthy, non-defensive way. From what I've seen, this seems to involve using the 3rd function as a kind of meditation. For example, an ESFP friend of mine goes to his thinking as a way bring his mind to a calm state. I've found the same thing; when I do physical work, like cooking or cleaning, with attention (my third function; introverted sensation) I find myself going into a meditative state.

The fourth and final function - the 3 Year Old in the Car Model - can never be integrated into consciousness. It will always act up, usually at the worst possible time. It's also the source of life and spontaneity, just like a 3 year old. The fourth function needs time and attention, and love. It will never easy to deal with, but with time, attention, and love, it will bring some of the greatest rewards into our lives.

Integrating the inferior function is, at root, shadow work. One's shadow is represented by the psyche as a person of the same sex as you but with the worst qualities of your inferior function, at least at first. This demonic figure often catches us from behind; when we're sick, tired, or in other states in which the control of our ego is weakened. It causes us to behave in ways we would normally find reprehensible, in the very opposite ways in which we like to view ourselves. Others around us are easily able to see our hypocrisies but they will remain hidden to us because we don't want to see them.

Integrating one's inferior function is about accepting one's own helplessness, weakness, stupidity, selfishness, and all the other human weaknesses that we all have. This is the moral work that that we have to carry out... and this is one of the main reasons why so few people undertake individuation. As you work on integrating the shadow/inferior function, however, this figure often expresses her/his better qualities, and you come to see that the dark adversary is actually an angel of light.

A man who is unconscious of himself acts in a blind, instinctive way and is in addition fooled by all the illusions that arise when he sees everything that he is not conscious of in himself coming to meet him from outside as projections upon his neighbour.

- “The Philosophical Tree” (1945). In CW 13: Alchemical Studies. P.335

The change of character brought about by the uprush of collective forces is amazing. A gentle and reasonable being can be transformed into a maniac or a savage beast. One is always inclined to lay the blame on external circumstances, but nothing could explode in us if it had not been there. As a matter of fact, we are constantly living on the edge of a volcano, and there is, so far as we know, no way of protecting ourselves from a possible outburst that will destroy everybody within reach. It is certainly a good thing to preach reason and common sense, but what if you have a lunatic asylum for an audience or a crowd in a collective frenzy? There is not much difference between them because the madman and the mob are both moved by impersonal, overwhelming forces.

- Psychology and Religion” (1938). In CW 11: Psychology and Religion: West and East. P.25

To confront a person with his shadow is to show him his own light. Once one has experienced a few times what it is like to stand judgingly between the opposites, one begins to understand what is meant by the self. Anyone who perceives his shadow and his light simultaneously sees himself from two sides and thus gets in the middle.