

First off, it’s relevant to note that the ordering, number wise, has more to do with how close they are to your “ego” and just having them mirror the first 4 functions than their actual strenfght - If we’re talking only about the ones in the stack, this corresponds with strenght, but if you feature in the shadow functions that’s not necessarily the case, not just because their ordering is actually closer to “6th, 8th, 5th, 7th” but because they’re interspersed with the main ones - that’s right, often you get the idea that they’re all so insignificantly developed that they hardly make a difference, like string theory style extra dimensions,

If you’ve ever taken a cognitive functions test that measures them all individually instead of just the preferences, you might in fact already have come across this phenomenon: If their strenght were in order of numbering, you would expect that for an INTP, the 8th function (Fi) would be the lowest, but I actually had a relatively high score - other people will have almost equally high values on ‘mutually excluive’ functions like Fe and Fi. More on that later, but this alone should indicate that they’re actually somewhat important and serve some unique roles in your psyche.

5th Function -

This one is comparable to your tertiary in strenght/ tends to be in the “average use” bracket, depending on how much you’ve developed your teriary of course, but you probably hardly use it and find doing so very exhausting or counterproductive. Nonetheless, the fifth function is the one shadow function that you can consciously flip on to its full extent without needing to learn how to do so, when the situation calls for it, but it’s likely that you don’t want you:

In fact it’s called “opposing” or “negative hero” function because you might really resist having to use this one, or feeling you need to filter it out. Take, for example, and INTP for whom the 5th function is Te - INTPs are not known for organizational skills (to say the least) and like many perceivers actually feel uncomfortable with too much sheduling, but there’s more to it, because in a way it represents an alternative approach: Te is concerned with finding what seems to work on an almost completely empirical basis, Ti, at least in a high-end user, is about finding out why things work or putting them in a self-consistent framework where most factors are accounted for - ultimately even here we need room for a reasonable doubt,

The Te shadow might be the reason for this phenomenon where the diaries of some reclusive, reasonable INTP-ish researchers are found, and it’s discovered that they were well ahead of their time (Gauss is a famous example) and had the next decades’ worth of advances sitting right there, but didn’t pblish them because they weren’t fully sure off/ satisfied with their

Since “pragmatic feasibility” (or whatever your fifth function is) is already a sort of devil’s advocate in your head, it can also come out in arguments/debates, when you’re “opposing” others - Say, your criticise an INTPs model/theory/conclusion, and they will pull some facts, studies, or feasibility considerations to support their conclusions. (I’ve actually observd this in myself) Or, I read one INTJ reflecting on the Ne shadow; The person observed how when their ideas are criticised, they would defend them via “finding alternatives” - For how the person they’re arguing with could be wrong, or how to patch up/ bugfix their Ni-derived idea with minor changes.

I’m not fully sure how this would work for someone leading with a feeling function, but I have noticed a pattern that I previously just chalked up to my general poor people skills and delicacy, where an ISFP in my family (5th function: Fe) would become upset about something that went wrong/ she felt she mucked up, and I would try to move to comfort her in what might have been a clumsy-tastic way, and she would react really negatively and get out the snarky voice. Now it has dawned on me that dealing with me in addition to the initial situation probably just added extra stress and that I should probably let her finish reacting internally instead of repeating my points (”Come on, it wasn’t your fault”) -.-°

(Although it can’tthat my skill at comforting people rarely goes beyond “it’s the thought that matters” and my perceptiveness rarely exceeds picking up the obvious, ie, that a person who’s crying or saying they’re upset is probably upset. She probably has more Fe than I have even if she mostly uses it to tell a person when they should back off and let her internally process in peace)

But in all examples you can see that this is a relatively “narrow”, small scale application of the function: Your starting point is your base function’s conclusion, you don’t - and likely can’t - scale the whole field of possibilities.

At best, this can slightly ‘round out’ or complement your primary and thus become a part of yourprocess (for example: devise theory -> go test it! Or, in a job rather than private setting, recognize the need to have someone else do the testing) but you’ve got to be careful not to use it in a wholly self-serving way (ie, confirmation bias. Only cite studies that agree with your theory, only find possibilities that , only pick up that ridiculous Big sis is being ridiculous and not that she’s trying to help (though lemme state that litte sis is not guilty of this, she was more like, “I get that you mean well but take a hint” if more politely worded))



Interestingly, just like your inferior supposedly influences your choice in mates a bit can lead you to go after someone you see as having something you lack/ an idealized version of yourself, the fifth function influences your idea of “dark sexy”, the bad boy/girl rather than the dream one or a sentiment “I don’t think I could or want to be like this person but there’s some parts of them I can’t help but admire or be slightly jealous of” (at least according to Beebe theory).

6th Function -

This is perhaps the most interesting one, and therefore one I wish I had found more information on - You find more information about the other three as they can really cause problems, aligning with the base idea of the shadow functions as “stuff you suck at that you don’t realize you suck at” (as opposed to say, your inferior, where your suckage is more unpleasant but also more noticeable to you personally.) but the sixth function is more about stuff you’re good at that you don’t know -

Depending on which source you believe (and the individual’s) this can be anywhere between nearly as strong as the secondary function, and comparable to the primary one. This is actually one of your strongest functions, a “latent hidden strenght” every type has, and actually uses every day without noticing. It’s called the “demonstrative function”, maybe because others actually notice it more easily than you do and might even value this good quality in you.

So I’m particularly interested in learning how to get more use out of this. My 6th function would be Ni and I think we can all agree that Ni is basically black magic.

About how exactly you use this, the sources vary. Some sources say that the into/processing this gathers feeds into the conclusions of your base and auxillary, but you don’t know how to flip it on independently of those. Like the fifth function (Like in the INTP example, “I need to know WHY/HOW I know so I don’t trust, or dare to make, an estimate”. Conversely, an INTj might not see the point in dissecting something in detail when they’re comfortable making the mental jump to the end result and don’t see it getting them closer to their goals) Some said that it’s things that seem “obvious” to you, that you see without being aware that actual thinking/processing has taken place, or that you use them in “inverted” negative ways as a tool for criticism (sort of like the fifth one) and part of your panic mode.

When I first read this I was clueless as to how this is present in my life but I’ve since read up on both this thing and Ni and observed my thinking and… I do frequently find myself going “I should have known this would happen because of A and B” in a self-critical way/ and avoid A and B in the future, sometimes I even distinctly recall a moment where I thought “Won’t that thing happen if I do this?” but dismissed it (maybe I should follow/trust that more often?)

Ni is also supposedly tied to symbolism, analysis of deeper meanings, predicting what will happen next in a story, finding patterns etc. This is something that at very least interests me as a fun hobby activity.

To give another example, my mom is an ENFP, so her sixth function is Fe. If you asked her why she does things, she would reply in a way indicative of Fi-style internal processing, “I believe in XY value”, “You can’t do [wrong thing] and expect your children to grow up with [positive trait]” or “I think WZ is important”, but she’s a lot more loudly expressive than other Fi users in our family, and cultivates a warm and lively atmosphere around her.

Or for, INFJs, it’s Fi. They’ll reason in very other-oriented ways of wanting to help and do right by everyone, but when reading their many tumblr posts you do get the sense that many of them actually have deep ethical/personal convictions.

7th Function -

Called the “Point of least resitance”, “Vulnerable Function”, or “Polar Function” , this is your weakest function overall, even more pitiful than your inferior, so unused as to seem completely absent, and as such quite relevant to what makes up a person because this is the thing that everyone else in the room has or is consciously or unconsciously sensitive to, while you aren’t, and might not know the thing you lack is even a thing.

This is why it’s often called the “blind spot” beccause it’s really like not having a sense - or lacking a screen on which to broadcast certain things.

Even more so than the inferior, it’s an “all-or-nothing” thing, either completely off or berserk - on the other hand, this being off most of the time contributes to the freedom you have with your auxillary, as this function rarely ever flips it off, and having people who do not respond to one certain communication channel can, in a way, be helpful to society as you will also be nearly immune to some of its pitfalls and have an unique perspective with which to evaluate things.

In fact the guy explaining this said that he sometimes finds it easier to type people by what is utterly absent fem when they’re hard to pin down.

You are likely to distrust things or activities related to this function and ome ppl expend a lot of energy resisting it, so understanding it and the philosophy behind it/ what it does for others can help a bit, though mostly you’ll have to use your other functions to compensate for this/ express some of the things you’d normally use this one for in a different way.

Again this is something that’s easier to see in others than yourself - My brother is an INFP and it’s easy to see how he’s “Se polar” it’s something I noticed about him long before I had a word for it, though of course from my perspective it looks different than most ppl’s. He’s even less into material things than me and generally the most civilized,patient, reasonable guy you could find, and I can count on a hand the times I’ve seen him display overt agression (if anythng he gets passive-agressive when truly stressed), just very little animal parts inside him.

For me, this would also be Se, which, in the simplest way, is about data intake and immediate in-the-moment reaction to things, so obsly, I’m clumsy, I miss stuff that’s directly in front of me, I’m not that big on pretty objects (MTBI has really helped me understand why some people do and look at them in a different, more neutral/open fashion), I usually do things for a reason…

But there’s more to it, the “secondary powers” include being really aware of posture - a high-end Se user is going to be someone with good and reliable instincts and reflexes and “intuition” in the colloquial, gut-feeling-y sense rather than the myers-briggs sense (not quite “mere” impulsiveness and way more reliable), they’d be more aware of what their body language is projecting, the tangible impact they’re making, or have more deliberateness about it, force and the ability to make themselves seen, and these are all things I don’t really have.

I might accidentally come off as irreverent, but on the other hand, someone going all alpha/gesturing isn’t going to intimiate me that much nor is status that big a temptation, so society’s going to have this reservoir of quiet people who step out of the shadows to say “Wait a sec big guy, this does not make any sense/ is unethical!”

So when all those ppl told me to “show more assertive attitude/ body language to scare off bullies” they might as well been talking chinese to me. From what I’ve read another way this can manifest is that INXPs don’t have this poking them in the butt telling them to produce tangible results so we might spend much time building our ideas without ever doing anything with them which… is certainly a problem I’ve encountered, actually doing stuff.

So… don’t assume INXPs are pushovers.

I guess the same could be said for, say, IXTJs (7th function: Fe) who might come of as serious, humor-less an unpersonable… but might or might not actually be that way once you get to know them, they’re just not aware of how/why to broadcast it beyond perhaps a purely intellectual understanding of the concepts.

Or, EXTPs (7th function: Fi) and how some of them might come off as hilariously inappropiate/ insensitive sometimes. They might genuinely not realize/ not have intended to cross any lines and it’s possible that they have some personal principles/codes in their own way.

It is possible to learn to tap into it (say, an INXP who learns to project a bit of a presence for public speaking or to become slightly less clumsy at sports) but it’s never going to be more than a slight mitigation.

I, personally, have come to find that I can walk down a street in such a manner that ppl are slightly less likely to run into me, make myself slightly more aware of the weight and outline of my limbs, notice slightly more things in the corners of my vision field while doing so, and speak in a manner that is… not exactly assertive but more chill than clueless, and… that’s it. As long as I have complete unbroken concentration, that is.

(I have little to no interest in becoming more athletic or imposing anytime soon, but it was an interesting experience)

The last two functions also shape and influence your concept and perception of evil, both what you associate with evil and what sort of evil particularly shocks you. For example, an INFP could particlarly dislike shallowness and uncivilized barbarism. (What did Tolkien (one notable ISFP) make the enemies? Hordes of bestial Orcs and people who were crazy for status.)

8th Function -

The so-called “Role Function” also potentially relevant for mistypings and the like.

This is a function you actualy have a pretty decent understanding of, comparable to your tertiary depending on how much you’ve practiced it (and as you can practice this one way more easily than the other shadow functions this can vary) but as it’s the most disconnected from your sense of “self”, you see it in a very “instrumental” perspective - At worst, as something society or the external world expects from you, and at best as something that’s sometimes useful as a tool - hence why socionic calls it the “role function” as it’s used to play a societally expected role-

So sometimes this is something you see when you first meet the person,

In the case of 8th function Fi, (as for INTPs), this might be a person who’s formal and polite in word choice but blunt in the actual content of what they’re saying, or, as in my case, sometimes over-the-top stiff polite with new people, but not very polite at all, or even not seeing that much actual value in it. (I’m somewhat polite with new people/ never know when to first-name-basis someone, but in private (or online) I pretty much say “fuck” a lot.)

Now you Fi affectionados might wonder, “But isn’t connectin to your core self the whole point of Fi? What does it even do?”

Well, I write. I do discuss ethical conepts sometimes, I’m fairly articulate at describing nuances

Kind of frustrating that I can describe in detail the complicated motivations/ mixed feelings of some fictional character or discuss varying position to an issue, but can only express my own as “XD”, “=D”, “>.<”, “.////.”, “:(” or “Rawwwr!!” thanks to my brilliant Fe - which is why I have really preferred written communication from an early age. But on the other hand, I didn’t see this as a painful limitation of my self, but just “can’t make other ppl understand my point/rationale”

Which is anotherthing about the Role Function - there’s a tedency for you to veer off into your lead function’s territory/ steer the conversation/argument there, like seeing an ethical discussion in terms of “what makes sense” and such concerns or putting feelings into analytical frameworks.

Because while the role function is halfway decent, it “describes” the same sphere as your lead function, which is very comfortable to use so you default to it.

This can also lead to scrambled signals, such as presenting something as a factual conclusion that’s really fueled by subconscious emotion, or, conversely, an INFP might present something as an ethical conlusion that really comes from a place of calculation - So this is a pitfall to watch out for.

But as it is ‘disconnected’/ unvalued/ not used for actual decision making, in some respect it might well be as ‘nigh-absent’ as the 7th function - For example, I’ve always been rubbish at describing myself for online profiles. Other people just immediately spit out a description, I often find myself having to use conscious thought when asked for my preferences -



Whereas when you ask me specific questions, I can react to them and come up with verbose replies by the power of Ne.

Another classic example is an EXTJ using Fe - They might seem warm in the job interview or know the strategic value of cultivating a sense of cameradery in their followers, but are actually “get down to work!” sort of bosses in day-to-day life. You’ll see some of them use artificial charm or finesse here and there but underneath, be actually pretty awkward when forced in situations relating to their genuine emotions, and there’s no ‘pipeline’ between the true feelings and whatever produces their artificial projections.

I also know one INFP who was moderately good with maths & had mild interest technology, so he had some decent Ti there, but he didn’t use it as a basis for personal decisions… at all, and, after giving a semester of computer science a go, decided that a job where he’d have to do math all day would not be fulfilling to him/ decided to become a history teacher instead and use his “reasonable diplomatic big brother” skills to mentor kids and tell the curriculum in an interesting way. (ie, something that would utilize more Fi)

As a general statement, I find it interesting how each type uses each function (including the ones on the stack) in a very unique way even if they’re weak, so when you feel frustrated with your inability consider that if you don’t get discouraged, you might add something unique to the world. Your teritary and inferior might but they can be - or at least become - actually pretty good in things related to your main interests/ pursuits - Say, an INTP will never be any good at logistics or picking up what person X wore on day Y the way a highgrade Si user would, but Si is apparently what saves and catalogues all that random nerd knowledge. Another example I read is that an ESXPs Ni is quite workeable on a “short range” context, like having some gut feeling about a business desicion or how your conversation partner is going to react to the next thing you’re about to do, though it often spits out only doomsday scenarion when used “long range”/ “large scale”. Or lowgrade Fe manifesting as troll humor and a general, abstract caring about “the greater good” while still being able to make hard logical decisions… there’s times where society might need someone with a perspective like that as much as it very much needs the directly interpersonal caring and nurturing of an EXFJ.