Psychic Functions

     Jung (1971) developed a psychological typology for the personality.  His two main attitude types are the introvert (i) and the extrovert (e). He gave the ego four psychic functions; two primary or dominant functions, thinking (T) and feeling (F), and two secondary or auxiliary functions, intuition (I) and sensation (S). Jung’s eight ego attitude functions are:

                       TiI = introvert thinking intuition                      TiS = introvert thinking sensation

                      TeI = extrovert thinking intuition                   TeS = extrovert thinking sensation

                        FiI = introvert feeling intuition                      FiS = introvert feeling sensation

                       FeI = extrovert feeling intuition                    FeS = extrovert feeling sensation

            The ego usually operates with only two of these functions to give four “normal” possibilities for energy:

                                                E_F1 = TiI + TiS = Ti(I + S)

                                                E_F2 = TeI + TeS = Te(I + S)

                                                E_F3 = FiI + FiS = Fi(I + S)

                                                E_F4 = FeI + FeS = Fe(I + S)

            We are usually either an introvert or extrovert, and usually are either Thinking (cognitive) or Feeling (affective). However, all four possibilities exist in potential form in  every ego. We can define E_FUNCTIONS as the total energy devoted to these functions:

                                     E_FUNCTIONS = EE_F =  E_F1 + E_F2 + E_F3 + E_F4

            If we let willpower, the energy that consciously governs these functions, be E_WILL then

                                                            E_FUNCTIONS # E_WILL

and                                                     E_FUNCTIONS = E_WILL - (E_INSTINCTS

where ( is the repression factor. Substituting gives a basic equation for the energy of the psychic functions:

            As the ego increases in psychic integrity (psychic maturity and self-image), more decisions are made using the will than the instincts and E_FUNCTIONS is positive (assertive or initiative). When psychic integrity is small (this is normal with young children but pathological with adults), decisions tend to be made based on instincts and E_FUNCTIONS is negative (passive).

            According to Jung (1981), E_INSTINCTS has at least five components:  the sexual instinct, the drive to activity, the reflective instinct, the self-preservation instinct, and the creative instinct. This suggests an enormous complexity for this ordering parameter.  The other two ordering parameters, E_WILL and N, are almost equally complex.

            Figure 29 shows that for any given value of E_WILL and various values of E_INSTINCTS, as psychic integrity increases, E_FUNCTIONS always approaches the value of E_WILL (In Figure 29, E_WILL is assigned a constant value of 2). As psychic integrity increases, the energy available to the ego also increases and some of this energy is used to increase E_WILL. Thus E_WILL % N' and the value of E_FUNCTIONS dramatically increases by this feedback process.

Figure 29.  Energy of Functions vs Psychic Integrity.

            All ego functions normally mature at mid-life. Thinking (Jung’s superior function) is normally conscious while feeling (Jung’s inferior function) is normally unconscious. The intuition and sensation usually partake of both the conscious and unconscious. Ego development, measured by the increase in psychic integrity, involves balancing these functions until each uses approximately an equal amount of energy.

            Figure 30 shows the energy of the psychic functions in each of the four ego states (see Figure 14). Willpower approaches zero in the dream and sleep states, while instinctual energy approaches zero in the sleep and transpersonal states.

Figure 30. Energy of the Functions in Each Ego State.

            According to Kast (1992), the conscious experience of our sense of identity includes the parameters of vitality, self-realization, and ego-activity. From this we can define the energy of the self-conscious ego, C_S, as

where :/p is the psychic mass of the ego; the ego’s intensity times the probability that the ego is being affected by archetypal activity; a measure of vitality.

             N  is the strength of the ego’s self-image; N%W where W is the worldview as defined in the next section.

             ' is psychic maturity.

            N' is psychic integrity; a measure of self-realization.  

            E_FUNCTIONS is defined above; a measure of ego-activity.

             N:/p is a measure of E_PERSONA when the archetypal activity is caused by the archetype of adaptation, the inherent human need for social acceptance and conformance.

            The fact that ' is itself a function of C suggests the feedback nature of self consciousness, which increases as conscious awareness itself increases.