Type Messages
I introduced the topic of "type messages" in April and worked on the concept a bit more in this article, hoping to flesh out the messages into type descriptions. Months passed, and I have returned to them again as part of my new type test.
The idea of a "type message" is to formulate in a few short words the principal contribution of each type to the world around him/her. Here are my current formulations:
ILE - Searching for the unknown and spreading knowledge.
SEI - Deriving enjoyment from all your activities and interactions.
ESE - Turning life into an enjoyable, beautiful experience.
LII - Structuring reality and creating correct systems of thought.
EIE - Riveting attention and energy to meaningful causes.
LSI - Establishing and overseeing correct structures and systems.
SLE - Challenging the current order and expanding influence.
IEI - Creating meaning in the events of life around you.
SEE - Acquiring social territory and influencing people.
ILI - Recognizing underlying processes and deriving benefit from them.
LIE - Achieving beneficial efficiency in all areas of life.
ESI - Recognizing and balancing people's needs and expectations.
LSE - Managing worthwhile, productive, and wholesome activities.
EII - Being exemplary and instilling ideal values.
IEE - Expanding your horizons and helping people develop.
SLI - Balanced, harmonious living and temperance.
Of course, none of these are perfect - as no short, crisp descriptions can be - but they capture something essential about each type.
18 comments:
You use the words "temperance and balance" when describing the type messages of SLIs. But what does it mean exactly?
>> You use the words "temperance and balance" when describing the type messages of SLIs. But what does it mean exactly?
Avoiding unhealthy extremes, taking part in anything that brings enjoyment - as long as it is not harmful, making sure one's life includes all elements of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
Thanks for the reply.
How does this differ from the SEI type message "Deriving enjoyment from all your actions and interactions"?
>> How does this differ from the SEI type message "Deriving enjoyment from all your actions and interactions"?
They're very similar, but the SLI message is about deriving enjoyment from one's life processes and activities, whereas the SEI message is about deriving enjoyment from interaction. SLIs are focused on utility and worthwhileness (from extraverted logic), while SEIs are focused on exciting interaction (from extraverted sensing). When giving advice, SEIs emphasize fun over worthwhileness, and SLIs emphasize worthwhileness over fun.
Sorry, typo here:
while SEIs are focused on exciting interaction (from extraverted sensing).
I meant "from extraverted ethics".
As an SLI, I find it very interesting that even though I think of myself as a hedonist, I have always had a natural tendency to stop while I'm ahead. For example, I'll be drinking at the party, but at some point, I just switch over to water. I don't tell myself "Oh, you're gonna get a hangover if you keep it up," - I just naturally feel like I've had enough. I've always wondered how I got so lucky!
One minor change and the LII message would be just about perfect: "and" => "by".
btw, can we consider this type message program finished?
Nope. Wrong. I do not emphasize fun over worthwhileness. I'm an ISFP and an ISFp. The MB F descriptions talk about how for F types what is worthwhile is thought about a lot.
This way of seeing types is very narrow IMO. Have you abandoned this approach?
No, actually. I return to this concept again and again. It is a very big-picture view of the types that helps to clarify difficult typing cases and boil down what a person is all about. I think it's a natural way to perceive people for an extraverted intuition type.
Just because it’s the natural way for Ne types to perceive people it doesn't mean it is right.
The messages give the impression that there is only one manifestation of functions, IMO that would be narrow.
If one reads the article I link to about the idea of type messages, it should be clear that I'm not talking about manifestations of functions, but the gist of a person's advice, solutions, and contributions to society: "What are they always trying to get people to see or do? What kinds of solutions do they see to problems? What is the "point" of all of their advice, comments, and worldview?"
Sometimes it's useful to narrow in on specific manifestations of functions, other times it's useful to step back and generalize broadly. Both approaches have their place.
"What are they always trying to get people to see or do? What kinds of solutions do they see to problems? What is the "point" of all of their advice, comments, and worldview?"
How is the above not manifestations of functions? If you're talking about types and almost anything they do/think/feel in relatively concrete terms you're basically talking about manifestations.
Anyway I don't think these messages as they are describe the entirety of the message and I'm not sure it is even possible to even do that. So IMO the approach will always be narrow.
We're having semantic misunderstandings here. Type messages are manifestations of functions, but they are only discernable after a long period of observation. They are not moment-to-moment manifestations of functions.
To clarify I don't think the messages could ever be perfect, even with a 300 page book on every message.
From reader who had read the introductory article on type messages at Socionics.us:
>> Maybe I can shed some light on the LIE message; I am a LIE from the northeastern U.S., and I know that my message (probably not that of all LIE's, but I hope it helps anyway) is: searching for knowledge and doing things efficiently. It's somewhat cliche, I know, but isn't that the point? Hope it helps.
It is very interesting, I think, not merely to examine the coalescence of the base function and the creative function in producing these type messages, but to consider the tension between the base function and the vulnerable function.
As an example, an apt ILI message would be "the fleetingness and insignificance of human passions" or something like that.
Or an LSI message: "minimizing chaos and randomness and pursuing structure and order" or something.
Hi Rick. I've been having trouble deciding what type I am, am stuck betweeb iee and iei. I find this concept of type message VERY interesting and its easy to see the truth of it in the people around me. But am confused about myself. am always encouraging people to reach for the stars and teaching them their own worth and value but in doing this I find meaning in all my experiences which I'll teach others...so how do I separate the two?
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