Thread by @vworpvworp, Let's talk MBTI and the eight functions that underpin all sixteen types. [...]

Let's talk MBTI and the eight functions that underpin all sixteen types. Folks who are already familiar with them are MORE than welcome to jump in with thoughts and additions

First of all, forget about the letters you already know. I'm an ESFJ, and will draw a lot of on my own experiences of the functions based on how I use and interact with them, but when I'm talking about the eight functions, don't try to map each one literally onto my E, S, F, & J

For now, think of ESFJ and every other type as a whole word that cant' be broken down, not a collection of letters.

So: The eight functions

Intuition, Sensing, Thinking, and Feeling

Each one has an extroverted (used to look at the outside world) mode and an introverted (used to look inside) mode.

Here's the shorthand that gets used to talk about each one

Introverted Intuition: Ni
Introverted Thinking: Ti
Introverted Sensing: Si
Introverted Feeling: Fi

Extroverted Intuition: Ne
Extraverted Thinking: Te
Extroverted Sensing: Se
Extroverted Feeling: Fe

Every type uses every function but we all use them in a different order. But Brorel, that's more than sixteen combinations!

If the 2-3 tweets are more overwhelming than informative right now, that's a-ok. I didn't understand these patterns until I was months into this and someone else explained them to me. I'm including them bc I know some people learn better this way. It's ok if you (like me) don't.

When building a function stack (aka the order your eight functions come in) you always have to alternate between introverted and extroverted (or extroverted then introverted) function

You can't have two extraverted or two introverted functions next to each other

*I know I said the next 2-3 tweets but I'm using those 2-3 tweets to lay some foundations we all need to know. I'll speak up before the potentially-overwhelming tweets ACTUALLY start

The first four functions in your stack are called your conscious stack. These are your best developed functions, that you use most easily, in generally decreasing order of development/comfort.

The last four are you unconscious stack. YOU USE ALL FOUR OF THESE TOO. But they're generally harder to draw on and are not as well-developed.

Here's the ESFJ function stack:

Extraverted Feeling (Fe)
Introverted Sensing (Si)
Extraverted Intuition (Ne)
Introverted Thinking (Ni)
--------------------------
Introverted Feeling (Fi)
Extraverted Sensing (Se)
Introverted Intuition (Ni)
Extraverted Thinking (Te)

So there are the alternating functions I said had to be there, and the line goes between my conscious (easier to access) functions and my unconscious (harder to access) functions

"This still doesn't explain why there are only 16 combinations."

Yes ok, getting to that now. We're starting to get into the technical details of how to build a function stack, but if that's not how you wanna learn this you can just google "[type] function stack"

I'll do another thread after this one about what each function looks/feels like!

So: 16 types from 8 functions. Some functions HAVE to be paired together.

In really broad strokes, extraverted functions are about gathering information from the outside world and introverted functions are about sorting, classifying, and making sense of that information.

If you use Extraverted Intuition (Ne) you HAVE to use Introverted Sensing (Si) and vice versa.

It's the same with Extraverted Thinking (Te) and Introverted Feeling (Fi) and their reverse numbers.

In a way, you don't have a stack of eight functions, you have a stack of four pairs of functions.

Your first and fourth functions will always be a pair and so will your second and third.

Your unconscious functions will ALWAYS be the same order but with the Introversion/Extraversion angles flipped

For ESFJs that means Fe first and Ti fourth, and Fe first and Fi fifth.

If you dive deep into MBTI fandom that's why sometimes you'll just see a type written as "FeSi" (or the equivalent function combination)

If I see "FeSi" I know Ne *has* to come third, that Ti has to be fourth, and that order of the last four functions has to be FiSeNiTe

If you wanna bring the letters from ESFJ back into this, you'll know I'm an SF from just my function stack, because my first two functions are Extraverted Feeling and Introverted Sensing. My Intuition and Thinking are third and fourth slot, which means they're less dominant.

I'm an Exxx bc I lead with an extraverted function (Extraverted Feeling) and a J because Fe is a judging function (tbh I don't super get which ones are perceiving and judging functions and why, and like a lot of sensors, not super invested unless given a concrete reason to)

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