Understanding personality type: What do type dynamics tell us about life stages and stress reactions?

In the eighth article of her series, Anita Houghton explains how preferences interact and develop over time

In the first article of this series it was claimed that the beauty of psychological type is that it provides a simple framework to describe ways in which people differ, while allowing room for great depth and complexity within it. In this article we start to explore the complexity that is type dynamics. The dynamic nature of type means that for each type there is a hierarchy of preferences and these develop at different stages of our lives. Type dynamics are also important in understanding how different types respond to stress.

A beginner's guide to type dynamics

The two central letters of a type denote the functions - for example, S and T are the functions of the type ESTJ. One of these functions is dominant (in bold), and operates in either the extravert or the introvert mode, depending on that type's preference,¹ and the other letter denotes the second, auxiliary function. If the dominant function is extraverted, the auxiliary function will be introverted, and vice versa, thus providing balance and support for the dominant. In the type ESTJ, the dominant function is extraverted T, whereas the auxiliary is introverted S. There is then a tertiary function, which is the opposite of the auxiliary function (so if the auxiliary function is sensing, the tertiary function will be intuition), and finally, there is an inferior function, which is the opposite of the dominant function (see box 1 for example).

To work out your own hierarchy, you can check the dominant function of your type from the type table in the previous article and work out the others as described in the paragraph above. It takes most people a little while to get to grips with dynamics, so don't worry if it's as clear as pea soup just now. The important thing is to realise that these hierarchies exist and that every type uses every function, but we are less comfortable with using each function as we move down the list.

Development through life

One of the common questions posed about type is, "If these preferences are inborn, how come I've changed as I've got older?" and the answer is that our original preferences remain the same but we develop skills in using our less preferred preferences as we get older (see box 2 for life stages). In healthy type development, the preferences develop in order, with the dominant function developing during primary school, the auxiliary at secondary school, and the tertiary in mid-life. So, for example, an INTP (dominant thinking, auxiliary intuition, and tertiary sensing) will often become more comfortable at dealing with detail, and living in the here and now (S), as he or she moves through their thirties. Similarly, an ESTP (dominant sensing, auxiliary thinking, tertiary feeling) is likely to become more value driven and empathetic (F) as he or she gets older. Changes can also take place in the other preferences, with extraverts becoming more reserved, introverts becoming more outgoing, judging types learning flexibility, and perceivers getting ­scheduled.

What do type dynamics mean for career development?

These changes mean that what people enjoy and value about work may change over time. Midlife transition is the most likely time for the changes to become apparent, and those who have up till then subjugated their preferences in order to pursue a particular career are especially prone to a rocky ride at this time.² As Western society has a habit of directing academically able young people into the professions, it could be argued that career type mismatches are especially likely to be found in careers such as medicine. The realisation for someone that their working lives have required them for many years to concentrate on their least preferred functions at the expense of their strengths can be traumatic and life changing, and it may result in sudden and dramatic changes - for example, a surgeon handing in his or her scalpel and rushing off to the country to farm geese. In less extreme mismatches, or people who have had a good match between their type and their work and then start to develop their less preferred functions, you see people modifying their jobs, perhaps to do less clinical work in favour of management, or less research in favour of medical politics, or less work altogether, in favour of gardening, or learning the saxophone.

The inferior function and stress

Type dynamics also explains the different ways in which people experience and exhibit stress (box 3). Although we may gain a modicum of comfort with our inferior function as we grow older, it's never really under our control, and it appears in its most unhelpful form when we're highly stressed. Stress may occur for all kinds of reasons, but it terms of type it is most likely to occur when we are forced into using our less preferred functions for prolonged or intense periods. In the early stages of stress the dominant function becomes exaggerated. So an intuitive, for example, will produce more and more ideas and meanings; a sensing type will become more and more concerned with details.

As people become more stressed, they move down their hierarchy of functions until they reach their inferior function, the one they have least control over. And it is when people are "in the grip" of the inferior function, that they feel out of control and exhibit behaviour which is, quite literally "out of character."³ So the usually objective, analytical thinking type suddenly becomes overcome with emotion, or worried that nobody likes them (F); the live in the-moment sensing type is suddenly overcome with fear of future possibilities (N); the compassionate feeling type becomes hypercritical (T), and the intuitive "big picture" type becomes obsessed with detail. These are all extreme and dysfunctional versions of the preference.

It's difficult to say who these eruptions alarm most, the individual or those around them, but an understanding of where they come from can be very helpful for both and help people deal with their stress (box 4).

1. Houghton A. Understanding personality type: how it relates to job satisfaction. studentBMJ 2005;13:108-9. (March.)
2. Corlett E, Milner M. Navigating mid-life using typology as a guide. Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publishing, 1993.
3. Quenk N. Beside ourselves. Our hidden personality in everyday life Palo Alto, CA: Davies-Black Publishing, 1993.