Jungian Typology | #1: Basic Terms
Introduction
Jungian typology is a modern term used to define typology models that are directly or indirectly derived from Carl Gustav Jung’s description of types and associated primitives in his famous book “Psychological Types”, which includes MBTI and Socionics models. And one who has read this book often considers it an eye-opener in understanding the abstract structure of how we process information.
However, the major modern frameworks based on Jung’s work have many serious structural weaknesses, often introducing a black-box theory which doesn’t explain why something is the way it is. While it is very tempting to provide some examples to show how inconsistent they are, we would stick to explaining some of the basic terminology that Jung mentions in Psychological Types, which will soon become the basis of the whole theory’s understanding. And if these are missed, understanding the attitudes (E vs I) and functions (T vs F vs S vs N) will become considerably difficult.
These terms don’t introduce anything difficult to understand. Instead, these are some of the simplest terms in the whole theory, while being equally important for bearing the weight of the rest of the theory. And in subsequent articles I will explain about attitudes, functions, types, modern notations, debunk online myths, and many more.
Terms discussed (in order) are consciousness, ego, subject, object, repression, factor (subjective & objective), attitude, function.
Disclosure: I am the founder of Typology Atlas, an independent platform focused on personality typology and evidence-based analysis. References to the platform in this article are made in that capacity.
I am going to quote where Jung speaks of these terms, then add some commentary to help you understand them. Sometimes I might display their equivalent Oxford definition for clarification. Short definitions of these terms can be found in Typology Atlas’ theory library. A general explanation of features of Typology Atlas will be given in one of the subsequent articles, as it includes unique ones which are first in its kind like AI-vetted character analysis (unlike contemporary typing platforms), debate chambers, etc.
1. Consciousness
Jung, paragraph 667:
“To recapitulate for the sake of clarity: the products of all functions can be conscious, but we speak of the ‘consciousness’ of a function only when its use is under the control of the will and, at the same time, its governing principle is the decisive one for the orientation of consciousness.”
Jung didn’t define what consciousness is directly, but we can include a definition as given by the Oxford Dictionary to make it quite clear.
“The state of realizing or noticing that something exists”
So consciousness basically means our general ability to notice something. It can be a concrete object, attention to our thoughts, or just the awareness that things around us exist. It’s not about processing them or determining what they are, but simply the awareness that notices them.
2. Ego
Jung, paragraph 623:
“The really fundamental subject, the self, is far more comprehensive than the ego, since the former includes the unconscious whereas the latter is essentially the focal point of consciousness.”
It very clearly tells what ‘ego’ is in the second half of the sentence. Ego is basically the sense of ‘I’ or ‘Me’, which requires consciousness to be aware of self. Without consciousness, ego won’t exist in the first place. Because how else would you identify yourself without having awareness?
3. Subject
Jung, paragraph 621:
“But what is the subject? The subject is man himself — we are the subject.”
He further explains in paragraph 622:
“By the subjective factor I understand that psychological action or reaction which merges with the effect produced by the object and so gives rise to a new psychic datum.”
So, a subject is essentially the center of consciousness, the entity which takes in information to process it. For example, from your perspective, you are the subject. And from my perspective, I am the subject. From your friend’s perspective, he/she is the subject. As simple as that.
4. Object
Jung, paragraph 622:
“By the subjective factor I understand that psychological action or reaction which merges with the effect produced by the object and so gives rise to a new psychic datum.”
He again doesn’t define ‘object’ separately, but the way it is written, it becomes quite clear what it is. The object can basically be everything other than the subject. You saw a skateboarder on the footpath? The skateboarder, along with his skateboard and attire, is an object. Having a lot of laughter over some memory with friends? That piece of memory under your attention is an object too.
5. Repression
Jung, paragraph 571:
“These impulses (thoughts, wishes, affects, needs, feelings, etc.) take on a regressive character according to the degree of repression; the less they are acknowledged, the more infantile and archaic they become.”
Repression is basically something being suppressed, but unconsciously. This is different from suppression, where we can consciously press a feeling. Unlike that, repression occurs unconsciously without our awareness.
6. Subjective Factor, Objective Factor
If you ever read Chapter X of Psychological Types, which specifically discusses about attitudes, functions, and types, you will notice that two terms appear repeatedly, which are subjective factor and objective factor. And these would be important, as they are the defining factors when deciding whether someone is extraverted (E) or introverted (I).
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Well, but what are they? The term subjective factor is used to indicate whether someone orients or leans more towards their subjective point of view. The objective factor is the term used to tell whether someone orients or leans more towards the objective point of view. Objectivity need not necessarily mean “opinion of others”, but the actuality of the object as evidently experienced. For instance, there is a difference between saying “this machine must be working like this as per given controls” and “this machine works like this as per the disassembly”.
7. Attitude
Carl Jung, Psychological Types, Chapter X, paragraph 621:
“The attitude is a readiness of the psyche to act or react in a certain way.”
That was very to the point. As said, attitude is the state in which one generally remains in order to respond to the object or the stimulus (trigger). It is either extraverted (E) or introverted (I).
8. Function
Repeating the quote again for clarity, Carl Jung, Psychological Types, Chapter X, paragraph 667:
“To recapitulate for the sake of clarity: the products of all functions can be conscious, but we speak of the ‘consciousness’ of a function only when its use is under the control of the will and, at the same time, its governing principle is the decisive one for the orientation of consciousness.”
Essentially, functions are the possible modes through which the psyche can relate to information. These can be in the form of Thinking (T), Feeling (F), Sensing (S), or Intuition (N). For example, two people can see different aspects of an object. If both of them are observing a bird fly, one might focus on its color and build while the other might judge how aerodynamics work around it.
Conclusion
That was the end of this article (refer to the sources below this paragraph). As we now know how easy-to-get yet important these terms were, in subsequent articles, we will discuss further about attitudes, functions, types, etc. And at the end, you will be able to understand how every type processes information, and more importantly, how each type is formed with a combination of attitude & function, which no one otherwise bothers to explain. We will also debunk famous online misconceptions that mislead readers, including those around MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator).
References
- Jung, C. G. (1921). Psychological Types
- Typology Atlas (for short definitions)
