Dario has come out with a new book about the functions, and I'm so excited I can barely sit still.
8 Keys to Self Leadership:
From Awareness to Action
He's composed some radical new descriptions for understanding the processes from a framework of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), and they're different from anything I've encountered. What follows is a tantalizing taste of what's inside:
For the sake of exploring INFJ and INFP differences, here are his descriptions (abbreviated by me!) of their favorite functions.
Favorite Processes
Ni
(favored by INFJs)
Ni is "transcending to a
meta-perspective." It's a way of seeing things that transcends
competing views. Accessing the process of introverted Intuiting starts with entering a trance-like "meditative
mode" to withdraw from the world in order to gain an insight or
realization. We can then refer to, align, refine, and apply a
meta-perspective. We evaluate our meta-perspective by asking,
"is there synergy?" "Applying" often means transformation --
trying out a new way to be. When we disagree with someone, taking a higher
view reframes the debate as we notice how a perspective is one of many.
This results in common ground if the other person can join us in the meta
perspective. Similarly, we can bypass a problem by thinking
differently. We might even become a whole other person for a time to achieve what we are
otherwise unable to do. Even then, there is still a sense of paradox,
that something can and cannot be at the same time, and there remains a
feeling that everything we think we know and do is just one understanding
among infinite levels of reality. The most powerful meta perspectives result
in a transformation, synthesis, or paradigm shift. People who prefer
introverted intuiting look inward for a steady stream of realizations and
mind-shifting to navigate and make sense of all aspects of living life.
Fi
(favored by INFPs)
Fi is "staying true to who you really
are." It's a way of making behavior and beliefs congruent.
Accessing the process of introverted Feeling starts with entering a "listening mode" and paying careful attention
to our conscience and others' feedback. We can refer to, align, refine,
and apply our personal identity. "Applying" often means making our
behavior congruent with our beliefs. We evaluate our personal identity
by asking, "do I have a clear conscience?" Identity is a gift
that can make everything worthwhile. We stay in touch
with what we want, what motivates us, and how we feel inside. We can ask
if a choice or situation is congruent with our identity, if something is worth
believing in, and if others believe in us. Identity is mostly
silent and indefinable, a great ocean; the surface waters only break when a
deep personal value is violated. Our silent empathy with all living
things tends to attract people. When we witness others' suffering
wrought by evil, we can experience great pathos and desire to defend
them. Those who prefer introverted
Feeling rely on their personal identity -- their innermost values, attitudes,
and beliefs -- to navigate and make sense of all aspects of living life.
Interface with the Outer World -- second favorite process
Fe
(for INFJs)
Fe is "building trust through giving
relationships." It's a way to give and receive in order to grow
closer. Accessing the process of extraverted Feeling starts with entering an empathic mode in order to
attend to others' needs and take on their needs and values as our own. We can refer
to, align, refine, and apply a relationship. "Applying" often means giving and
receiving support to grow closer. We evaluate our giving relationship by
asking, "do we both love, trust, and respect each other?" It
emphasizes "giving" for its own sake. Using extraverted
feeling asks us to be personal, compassionate, and lacking hard boundaries,
which may cause us to lose ourselves in others' needs and values.
(Warning: folks who favor Fe may be viewed as "chumps" by
unscrupulous people.) In its advanced use, Fe connects
and interacts with whole groups as if they are one unit, focusing on people's
feelings, values, and interests as a single entity and translating them into
cultural norms. People who prefer extraverted Feeling draw on personal
interactions and socially relevant roles to maintain a feeling of caring and
support as they navigate and make sense of all aspects of living life.
Ne
(for INFPs)
Ne is "flowing with the emerging patterns." A pattern is a set
of relationships. Emergence means this idea may lead to more and better
ideas. Accessing the process of extraverted
Intuiting starts with entering an "inference mode," wondering how
a pattern fits across various contexts, and generating hypotheses. We can refer
to, align, refine, and apply an emergent pattern. "Applying"
might mean shifting a situation's dynamics. We evaluate an emergent pattern by asking, "is it the best fit?"
Patterns emerge from interactions and interrelationships between people and
ideas, objects and emotions, paupers and princesses. We notice and follow
these patterns as they keep surfacing, trusting they lead somewhere
interesting. Two or more threads of meaning may
converge and suggest a possibility awaiting further exploration. Imaginatively playing with scenarios and
combining possibilities is fun in and of itself. We keep splitting off
from what's happening now to explore what could be. We keep asking
"what if?" and "what else is possible?" The way the
situation changes may lead to a new story. The patterns that emerge can
bring tremendous meaning and novelty. People who prefer extraverted intuiting rely on their abstract perceptiveness,
openness to potential, and quick imagination to navigate and make sense of all
aspects of living life.
*
I need to stress once more that these descriptions are severely condensed, and thus do not go into the slightly developed, moderately developed, and well developed distinctions of each process -- and since we can and do use all eight of the processes, it's easy to be misled around how well you use a process if you only rely on my descriptions above. I wish I could put Dario's entire book online for you, but I don't think that would honor him very appropriately. So buy the book!
