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In this episode Joel and Antonia continue talking about personality type “loops.” This week they ask the question “What About The Auxiliary-Inferior Personality Loop?”
In this podcast you’ll find:
- Car Model
- Growing your copilot is the highest leverage thing you can do.
- Looping can occur when two cognitive functions are of the same attitude (introvert/extravert).
- Driver and Tertiary functions share the same attitude.
- Copilot and Inferior functions share the same attitude.
- Dominant/Tertiary loop serves a specific function – defensiveness and maintaining cognitive dissonance.
- People stay where they are comfortable and dominant/tertiary loops are comfortable because they share our preferred attitude.
- We aren’t sure if there is a loop between copilot and inferior because it isn’t comfortable like the dom/tertiary.
- If it is a thing, it may explain why some people avoid using their copilot.
- The inferior function is our blind spot. We aren’t comfortable there.
- If our copilot puts us in the inferior space, it is an interesting idea to explore.
- We make up for the deficiencies in our inferior process by mastering our dominant and auxiliary processes.
- Like INFPs who use their copilot to find creative solutions for systematizing their lives.
- ENTJs who use Ni to offset their Fi blindspot.
- ESFPs can use Extraverted Sensing to make up for their Ni blind spot by reading people’s body language.
- We may need to build sophistication around our auxiliary function to help us overcome the blind spots in the inferior.
- It isn’t a loop; it’s a frustration.
- It’s not codependency; it’s a puzzle that still needs to be solved.
- Certain types may feel like they are looping with their aux/inf.
- The inferior may feel stuck.
- If an INFJ has really good Fe, they recognize the difference between needs and wants.
- If you feel like you are in an auxiliary/inferior loop, is it because you’ve ignored your inferior for too long?
- The Personality Hacker Owners Manuals have some handy hacks for giving the inferior process attention.
- Si inferiors can revisit old shows, music, video games, or amusement park rides.
- Our trauma can live in the least sophisticated part of ourselves.
- When we are stuck in our inferior, the auxiliary can be the tool we use to cut out whatever has us trapped.
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13 comments
For me one of the greatest benefits of this conversation was the deeper understanding of the role that the inferior process plays for other people. As an INTJ, my Se inferior process is inherently playful – it loves activity and abandon and adrenalin. It is the part of me that says, screw it, using Ni to do the work of a PhD scholar takes too much effort right now, so I want to go drink and dance on tables until 2 in the morning (which I haven’t done in years, but the urge is there!). Given that my 3-year-old process gravitates toward activities that seem immature and uninhibited anyway, it has been hard for me to talk to other types about their 3-year-olds – as blind spots and as meaningful members of their cognitive stack “family.”
For that reason, I particularly resonated with Antonia’s comment that every type may have their own narrative around their inferior process and what it means. The general theory as to what happens in the auxiliary-inferior loop didn’t resonate with me as a whole – I would propose that those of us with extroverted functions in our blind spots don’t tend to store trauma there and need healing from there in the same way that ENTPs and ENFPs do with Si Memory in that position. The inferior Se could be why INTJs fear losing control, or being exposed as frauds – like the id is always waiting to break free.
As for the intimate connection between my auxiliary Te and inferior Se, I think the main result for me is that I end up trying to micromanage my sensory pleasures and experiences. I tend to obsess about exercise and food and track numbers too much (minutes per mile, miles per week, calories burned vs. calories consumed), I frequently impose different rules around alcohol consumption even though it has never really been excessive, and I crave or resist colors and textures in clothing depending on mood. These are not healthy – but I think they are part of the pattern of an under-exercised Se trying to draw attention from the front seat, and getting the Te instead of the driver. The Te tries to get efficiency out of indulgences instead of letting me enjoy external experiences. When the driver Ni turns around and uses my Se, though, I get my abilities in the performing arts. Quite a different narrative!
A lot of this podcast resonated with me, especially the parts about how being in inferior grip often means that we haven’t developed our co-pilot enough to meet the inferior needs. Like how as an INFJ, I’ve noticed that I do the sensory indulgence thing less (for me it’s binge-playing cellphone games or bing-watching TV) now that I’m actively working on my co-pilot, because I an access what I need and look for a more appropriate way to meet it. Also a lot of times I’ll go on those indulgences because of perceived interpersonal conflict with someone, so using my copilot to resolve those would make the behavior go away. Much more effective than what I was doing in the past, which was using Ti-10 yr old to scold and try to explain logically why it was bad behavior. Ha, like a 3 yr old is going to listen to that!
Great episode. I enjoyed listening to both your Ne flow. :) I have experience with everything described in the episode with growing my auxiliary function (I’m INFJ, so Fe). Strengthening Fe has made inferior Se ask for attention. Now that I am aware of this, I can more appropriately respond to the Se request with, “What do I need?” A request Se has made often is desiring conversation. I would indulge with many chats however at the end of it all, I’d feel upset that I lost the time because I need to do a lot of things. Recently, I’ve been out with friends and have felt much more balanced because I time manage with physically seeing friends among the many things I need to do. This idea coupled with self awareness can be a great gauge for a status of the health of the auxiliary function.
I appreciate your notes, Lukas!
The dynamic that I observe in myself as an INTJ is this: I can really get into my co-pilot (extraverted thinking) and then I’m productive and goal-oriented and sometimes the driver process (introverted intuition) can’t keep up. And then I feel like I need to compensate the over-active co-pilot with indulging the 3 year old (extraverted sensing). This means that after having worked very efficiently I crave the sensation of food, wine, music, working out intensely and other sensations. But I always come out of it eventually because the driver gets hold of the wheel again (and I get “thoughty” and retreat mentally and physically). That’s why it does not feel like a loop necessarily – it’s more a momentary thing, not like the driver-10 year old dynamic which I think can go on for a long time and requires conscious effort on my part to “snap out of it”.
What I think helps in general is to integrate the dominant processes in your work / the majority of your time and then schedule specific activities or free time for the 10 year old and the 3 year old to “play”. And I resonated with the whole reviving your childhood memories: My introverted feeling 10 year old really enjoys watching old shows I watched as a kid, especially “feely” ones.