Can Upbringing Develop Cognitive Functions Outside Our Personality?

Listen To The "10 Minute Type Advice" Episode: Can Upbringing Develop Cognitive Functions Outside Our Personality?

How Early Environment Impacts Your Personal Growth Journey

Imagine growing up in an environment where your natural inclinations are consistently discouraged. Perhaps you're an INFP child, naturally guided by Authenticity (Introverted Feeling), yet your surroundings demand you to prioritize Effectiveness (Extraverted Thinking). Over time, you might adapt, but at what cost to your authentic self—and your long-term growth?

In a recent episode of Personality Hacker’s 10-Minute Type Advice, Joel Mark Witt and Antonia Dodge explore how upbringing can shape the development of cognitive functions that fall outside your natural personality type. And more importantly, how that shaping influences your personal development and identity.

The Interplay Between Nature, Nurture, and Personal Growth

Dr. Dario Nardi’s EEG research offers compelling insight: while personality type is innate, external influences—especially gender roles and career paths—can shape how our cognitive functions develop. These factors significantly impact the trajectory of personal growth, particularly in adulthood.

So while we’re born with a fixed cognitive foundation, the path of personal development is anything but fixed.

The Car Model: Navigating Cognitive Functions for Growth

At Personality Hacker, we use the Car Model to guide people through a more aligned and sustainable growth process:

• Driver (Dominant Function): The core mental process that fuels our best thinking and decision-making.

• Co-Pilot (Auxiliary Function): Offers balance and helps shape mature perspectives.

• 10-Year-Old (Tertiary Function): Playful or reactive, it can mature with care.

• 3-Year-Old (Inferior Function): A stress point and an opportunity for deeper insight.

When upbringing stifles the Driver and Co-Pilot, people often default to reactive modes, cutting off access to authentic personal expression and growth potential.

The Emotional Cost of Misaligned Development

Antonia Dodge emphasizes the emotional toll of suppressed development:

“If we’re raised in a situation that punishes us for using our Driver and Co-Pilot, we’re going to have a sense of not being ourselves… you lack motivation… you just kind of feel blah all the time.”

This misalignment can result in:

• Dysthymia: Low-grade, persistent emotional discomfort.

• Identity Confusion: Feeling lost in who you are or what path to take.

• Defensive Behavior: Operating from shadow functions as a survival mechanism.

All of these outcomes severely hinder development and forward momentum.

Restoring Connection to Authentic Growth

Reconnecting with your natural self means reclaiming your innate wiring and engaging intentionally with your best-fit cognitive functions. True personal growth happens when we stop playing roles imposed by others and start living in alignment with how we’re designed.

To begin this shift:

1. Identify Suppressed Functions – Reflect on where your growth was restricted.

2. Create Supportive Environments – Surround yourself with people and spaces that reinforce your strengths.

3. Build New Habits – Practice using your preferred functions in day-to-day life.

4. Seek Support – Coaching can help you navigate the roadblocks to authentic personal evolution.

The INFP Growth Journey

For INFPs, this process is especially intimate. Your dominant function, Authenticity (Introverted Feeling), is the cornerstone of your personal truth. But when that voice is silenced early on, you may spend years disconnected from who you really are.

That’s why we created the INFP Owner’s Manual—a clear and actionable roadmap to help you unlock your core strengths and accelerate your personal growth.

• Discover how to live your values without compromise
• Avoid the most common INFP growth traps
• Reconnect with your purpose
• Make the impact you were born to create

➡️ Act now and get your copy of the INFP Owners Manual. Build a life rooted in your deepest convictions—because the world needs your unique perspective and personal mission.

Have you experienced a disconnect between your upbringing and your natural inclinations? Share your experience in the comments below, and explore more personal growth resources at Personality Hacker. Your journey toward a more aligned, empowered life begins today.