PREVIOUS: Unhealthy  N

🛠 THINKING
HEALTHY Ti: “Wait, have we checked everything? I wanna make sure it works

Ti types (ISTP / INTP) look for factual analysis – SO they can react very intensely confused or complicated situations
▪︎ They value being skilled & clear-headed, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as ignorant or irrational

Unhealthy Ti – those who think they’ve got it all figured out, yet results prove otherwise. They’re often cynical & smart-assed – & not in a fun way – criticizing & avoiding everything human – like emotions, unity, spirituality….
When Ti goes into “as long as I get when I want” mode, it’s aggressively manipulative, disregarding others’ feelings

ATTITUDE: “Well, it’s logical to me. I don’t care if it doesn’t work for others. They’re just emotional fools”

EXP: extremely skeptical, overanalyzes, obsessively searches for truth, harshly critical, outright rejects group institutions or norms

As unhealthy DOM
Ti: Think they’re the smartest, but can’t actually follow thru. They’d rather pick apart other people’s points endlessly, because they like to. They’re cynical & lack empathy – as an automatic defense to avoid their own emotional shortcomings

🐶
HEALTHY Te: “OK, so these are the steps to make this happen. If anyone objects or has a new idea, let me know, because that matters

Te types (ENTJ / ESTJ) look for rational expediency –  SO they can react intensely against ambiguous or disorderly situations
▪︎ They value efficiency & competency, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as lazy or incompetent

Unhealthy Te – those who want everyone to stick to the rules, but are often the first to break or twist them when it works in their favor. Any “sound advice” will be sprinkled with insults about others’ ability to problem-solve, even their entire character. Most frustrating is that when people finally have had enough of them, they just don’t understand why. In their opinion, they’re actually the only rational & responsible ones

ATTITUDE: “I don’t care if you like it or not. That’s how it’s gonna be”

EXP: aggressive, B & W thinking, inconsiderate of/rejects others’ feelings, need for control, need for dominance, ruthless

As unhealthy DOM
Te: Boss people around, shouts judgments & criticism. Harsh & often belittling everyone. Prone to deny mistakes & shifts blame onto others

🛠 FEELING
HEALTHY Fi: “This is deep & personal to me. I want to live by it & lead by example

Fi types (ISFP / INFP) look for honor & integrity –  SO they can react intensely against unethical or infringing situations.
▪︎ They value being just & virtuous, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as callous or corrupt

Unhealthy Fi – masters at justifying everything they say & do. If all else fails, they’ll play the victim, loudly complaining that no one understands them. Their lives are often a disorganized mess, & please don’t offer them sound or logical advice, because that’ll really get them mad. They’ll gladly self-destruct even more – if it’ll get rid of you

ATTITUDE: “I don’t care if this hurts others. I’m gonna do it because it feels right”

EXP: excessively stubborn, hypersensitive, rejects objective decision-making, selfish, self-righteous, ‘special snowflake’ syndrome

As unhealthy DOM
Fi: Do & say whatever they please with total disregard for appropriateness – because that’s just “who they are”. Act irrationally, which they’ve mentally twisted into being the “right” thing to do. Refuse to take personal responsibility when things go south, since they’re convinced they were just being authentic & sticking to their guns

🐶
HEALTHY Fe: “I wanna make sure everyone’s OK with this. I win if we all win

Fe types (ESFJ / ENFJ) looks for social harmony –  SO they can react intensely against inequitable or contentious situations
▪︎ They value being considerate & respectful, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as selfish or impertinent

Unhealthy Fe – they know what everyone’s up to, believing they have an ‘uncanny knack’ for knowing what’s best for everyone else. They’re just trying to lift themselves up by knocking others down. This may be gossiping, or judging other’s behavior as if they wrote the “Etiquette” book.
Worst of all, they never seem to realize they can’t take care of themselves without a lot of help from others, which should be their top priority.

ATTITUDE: “If he’s not OK with this it’s HIS problem – the rest of us agree”

EXP: desperate for approval, emotionally volatile, manipulative, obsessed with social standing, rejects logical reasoning,  spineless, self-neglecting

As unhealthy DOM
Fe: Expect everyone to cater to them. Only want to hear what they want to hear. Sacrifice too much for others, then demand constant attention & validation. Publicly ostracize anyone they don’t feel an affinity with.

NEXT: DOM-AUX functions

PREVIOUS: Unhealthy S 

SITE: “Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms of Every MBTI Personality Type”  (How each type tries to defend their ego)

CARTOON ⬅️

FUNCTIONS
▶︎  Our top 2 functions can manage a lot of stress before they start getting overwhelmed, especially the HERO (Dom). The MENTOR (Aux) function can handle more than the Sidekick (Ter), but at the cost of getting worse at dealing with anxiety. The SIDEKICK can manage anxiety (internal), but struggles most with stress (external). Finally, the RIVAL (Inf) struggles to handle both anxiety & stress. (Code Flow)

▸ When a function is over-stimulated, steadying it with it’s opposite function may help (Intro / Extro)
▸ If a function is under-stimulated, boosting it with it’s inspirational function may help.
Inspirational triggers help boost your function to its max.
EXP: Ne provides patterns, possibilities & ideas – that can be essential to the philosopher’s Ni conceptualization.

 🛠 INTUITION
HEALTHY Ni: “I figured out the pattern & it could lead to something great!”

Ni types (INTJ / INFJ) look for meaningful purpose – SO they can react intensely against unpredictable or pointless situations
▪︎ They value a life-calling & long-term implications, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as fickle or short-sighted

Unhealthy Ni – those who’ll have a 2 hour ‘discussion’ with you, mostly monologue, & don’t seem to make a point. They’re excited about anything & everything, but never get specific or say how their experiences turned out.
They not only contradict themselves in a span of a few days, but sometimes even in the same statement. While they often think of themselves as knowledgeable on just about every subject, most of the time its only surface info, based on something they heard in passing

ATTITUDE: “I’ll get to the bottom of this no matter what the cost!”

EXP: all-or-nothing goal setting, dismisses others’ opinions, no spontaneity, obsessive visualization, refuses to back up conclusions with evidence, “all-knowing” attitude, single-minded

As unhealthy DOM  
Ni: Have a bad case of superiority complex, thinking they understand things better than everyone else – when they actually don’t. Stubborn in their ideals & refuse to budge when new information is presented. At the same time, they’re afraid to act if they don’t think they know how to proceed, panic & think they’ll die if they don’t understand everything.

🦋 🦋
HEALTHY Ne: “There are many side to this situation & many solutions”

Ne types (ENTP/ ENFP) look for mental stimulation – SO they can react intensely against repetitive or monotonous situations
▪︎ They value creativity & inspiration, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as narrow-minded or pessimistic

Unhealthy Ne – those who always think they understand stuff better than you, AND that their word is gospel. They effortlessly exude arrogance & superiority without even realizing it. Despite sounding ‘deep’, you still wouldn’t trade places with them, since they never seem to have had one minute of fun their whole life, & their only ounce of contentment is when someone says they were right about something

ATTITUDE: ‘I know I said I was gonna do that, but…. you know, something came up’

EXP: avoids mundane tasks, completely rejects traditional methods, detached from reality, extremely indecisive, commitment-phobic, flaky

As unhealthy DOM
Ne: Easily bored, constantly looking for something new.  Can’t stick with anything for more than a day or follow a schedule. Keep making the same mistakes over & over (maybe they need to be sure it is a mistake??) Often contradict themselves by the end of any pronouncement. Think everything established is old & worn out

🦋 🦋

EXAMPLE : ENFP plus & minus (from Flow Code)

NEXT: Unhealthy T / F

PREVIOUS: Unhealthy S / N

SITE: Many LINKS   re. the Inferior Function

CARTOON  ⬅️

▶︎ In MBTI terms, being unhealthy means using a function in ways that harm self &/or other people – because it’s not working well with the rest of our stack, especially its opposite (Ne/Si, Te/Fi…). Tracking our behavior over time will alert us which function(s) are/is causing problems in life. Learning the healthy version of each one & how it applies to our specific Type can be a blueprint for growth.

When stressed:
Extroverts = become fearful & insecure about taking action
Introverts = frequently burn out, because of feeling ‘forced’ to act
Judgers = become passive / apathetic, as nothing ever goes smoothly
Perceivers = get rigid / compulsive, since they keep falling behind
AND :
Sensers = will lack confidence in their abilities, despite being talented
iNtuitives = be pessimistic, never imagining a better life
Thinkers = be short-tempered, from constantly being thwarted
Feelers = sabotage relationships by controlling or immoral behavior

🛠 SENSING
HEATHY Si: “I hear your idea. Tell me more & I’ll consider it, even if it’s not for me”

Si types (ISTJ / ISFJ) look for material security – SO they can react intensely against disruptive, new, unknown, or risky situations
▪︎ They value authority & precedence, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as unreliable or improper

Unhealthy Si  – never change their mind about anything, always shoot down any kind of alternative or proposal, & love to criticize anything they’ve never even tried. They take everything literally & panic when there’s no plan.
Some will go as far as experiencing progress as The Enemy, so it would take a bulldozer to move them from their comfort zone.
You just want to punch them in the face when they call all excited about a new discovery that you’ve spent 5 years telling them about!

ATTITUDE: “Nope, that’s stupid. I don’t need to consider it – it’s just wrong”

EXP: always plays it safe, completely ignores contradictory information, fixated on the past, obsessed with detail, stagnant, rejects novelty

As unhealthy DOM
Si : Super narrow-minded, doesn’t want to step out of their comfort zone to consider new ways of seeing or doing things. Harshly judges & dismisses as crazy anything not ‘normal’ to them

🦋 🦋
HEATHY Se: “I want to full experience this – it makes me feel alive”

Se types (ESTP / ESFP) look for pleasurable engagement – SO they can react intensely against unsatisfying or tedious situations.
▪︎ They value being bold & adventurous, SO they’ll react against anyone they see as cowardly or passive (a parent?)

Unhealthy Se – they have a very short attention span, everything has to be FUN, & there’s no sense of the consequences of their actions. Always seem to be in trouble – legal, financial, professional….. so if you care about them you can easily get pulled into cleaning up one mess after another.
You’ll scratch your head when they ask to borrow money for the rent, & then buy something expensive, like a designer dress or a vacation trip……
They’re great for a night out on the town, but otherwise, it’s best to avoid them like the plague (from Steve)

ATTITUDE: “I wanna do this NOW. It won’t hit me in the butt later…. right?”

EXP: acts without considering consequences, completely rejects the theoretical, flighty, overindulgent, reckless, physically aggressive, refuses to plan ahead, (from High on MBTI)

As unhealthy DOM
Se: Unnecessarily risk-taking & reckless. Can’t for the life of them think 2 steps ahead, preferring to live all “Carpe Diem”, but at a hefty price. Will try to squirm their way out of every bad situation, rather than sitting back & thinking something through before they act
🦋 🦋

EXAMPLE : INFJ plus & minus (from Flow Code)

NEXT: Unhealthy T/F

NOTE to all my readers, recent & long term:
Thank you for your interest & loyalty all these years!

Re. “PROGRESS not Perfection”- & listening to friends reminding me of spelling errors, I decided it was time to do major housekeeping.

1. on the back office list I went through every post’s SLUG to make any needed corrections

2. going thru posts, starting at the beginning – to check spelling

3. cutting down any post that’s too long, keeping to about 650 words per.
Info on most topics is so dense & intense that making them into bite-size chunks is best.
It includes moving paragraphs around, reword some parts & add new info where appropriate

4. EACH new one also has to be added to the YEAR page, in the correct month
it goes in  (EXP: “ROLES” – in July 2011), making sure the links work – moving entries in the second column to fit

5. Need to correcting the TOPICS page (# of posts listed)

6. I also have to find new art work, which adds a lot more internet research time. Not complaining – just saying.

🧡 As of this writing, over the last 2 weeks – I’ve gotten through 2010 & half of 2011.

** That’s why you may be getting flooded with a lot of one-page posts, often as “Part 2”, (even though they’re dated to the appropriate month & year), which is interrupting the flow of a current topic about the MBTI.
Annoying, but it may serve as a reminder to review topics of interest, BUT please always start with Part 1.

PS: Other than spelling, this won’t have to be done for the last few years, as I’d started keeping to the lower word count.

AND now – DRUM ROLL:

NEXT: – More MBTI

PREVIOUS: MBTI & Scans #4

See Brain Area CHARTS in previous posts

APPLICATION
“All of us have the needs & values of 4 (S/N, T/F) MBTI Temperaments but one is “home base”- which comes naturally, the one we go to when under stress.
We can’t seem to live without it – the one we’re most drawn to & find satisfying (Dominant).
Equally, we dislike one of them, the one we avoid or are suspicious of.” (Inferior)   

MBTI Functions associated with Neocortex Regions:

Si – brain activity reflects background, training & expertise. ‘In the zone’ when reviewing past events, good at recalling info without context or kinship data
– high level of activity in T5 (respect for protocol & social order) when responding to social feedback
– activity in T6 (planning) when considering the future

▪︎ ISTJs & ISFJs are both visual (O1 &/or O2).
ISxJs favor Fp2 over Fp1, while ESxJs do the reverse.

Se – shows “Tennis hop” pattern. Quickly integrates body & sensory info
– has over-all low level cognitive activity (blue areas), allowing quick action response in the moment
– can easily go into ‘the zone’ in a crisis
– often bored : more activity when looking out window than when doing desk work

📈
Ni – (INFJ / INTJ) often shows ‘In Flow’ pattern when attacking new task
– works best when focused on a single Q without distraction (blue)
– strong activity in O1 & O2, the visual areas. like picturing the future
▪︎ Other types only show this pattern when engaged in their specific area of expertise, except Ni-users, who also show it when tackling a new problem

Ne – (ENTP / ENFP) often shows “Christmas Tree” activity
– least likely Types to have ‘In Flow’, unless due to expertise
– uses areas that support imagination (F7), often experience creative HIs
– has fast, creative responses, sometimes too much (‘Imaginative Mimic’) 
– hard to get in ‘the zone’, & then only after practicing / internalizing an activity over weeks, months or years

📈
Ti – sometimes shows ‘Tennis hop’ (ISTP). Least interested in listening
– INTPs tend to quickly stop listening, to assess relevance of what’s being said
– neocortex shuts out raw emotions, for objectivity
– tend to dissociate when arguing or meeting someone new
– high use of complex logical reasoning areas (F3, F4, P3, P4), which are deep inside neocortex, so can ‘detach’ by being away from visual, auditory & kinesthetic distractions
– engage the 4 areas, as well as Fp1 & 2, when examining a topic from multiple angles, to integrate info into coherent whole 

⚙︎ F3 – derives solutions linearly (ESTPs highest, then INTPs)
⚙︎ F4 – categorizes & defines concepts (INTPs highest, then ESTPs)
⚙︎ P3 – integrates visual-kinesthetic data (ISTPs highest, then ENTPs)
⚙︎ P4 – holistically weighs many pros & cons of uncertain or risky factors (ENTPs highest, then ISTPs)

Te – (ESTJ / ENTP) shows efficient use of mental energy
– relies on 4 key Left side areas (O1, C3, T3, Fp1 = hearing, seeing, recalling, deciding). Tends to not use other areas much, even with tasks that would normally invoke them in others
▪︎ IXTJs are more visual, attentive to tone of voice, & focus on applying details over quick decision-making
• ESTJs more open to brainstorming, & listen intently to authority figures

📈
Fi – (ISFP / INFP) excellent at active listening. EEG is solid bright blue, all parts being in sync
– high activity in T3 & T4 (language). Carefully compose speech (content & delivery)
– high activity in F8, stimulated by ranking importance
– least activity in anterior regions that encourage logic / – relies on left-brained (Fp1) decision-making

▪︎ INFPs will listen deeply for 10 min. & so can get to core of someone’s psychology. Less likely to defend their own views or take action, though when they stop listening, Fp1 gets very bright, from making a strong (or final) decision
• INSPs listen briefly for connection, then move to action (show ‘Christmas Tree’), but more attentive when others withhold info 

Fe – (ESFJ / ENFJ) increased brain activity focused on social responsibility
– active in T3 (diction & grammar) – stimulated by communicating explanations & decisions
– uses F5 a lot, which helps adjust to social feedback
– uses Fp1 to suppress emotional impulses from deep in the brain, in favor of mature cognitive responses
– uses Fp2 less, so may suddenly switch from highly composed to very angry
– least activity in visual areas (O1 & 2)

▪︎ ESFJs more left-brained, high activity in C3 & F7
▪︎ ENFJs more right-brained, high in F4 & T4

NEXT:  Unhealthy MBTI  functions

PREVIOUS:
Nardi – brain activity #2

MBTI & Brain Scans
• Brain activity does not equal behavior or preferences
EXP:  Most who enjoy brainstorming do not show the holistic ‘Christmas Tree’ pattern typical of Ne types, who excel at trans-contextual thinking

• Although areas of the brains can be identified & connected to the main function of each Type, we can not assign a Cognitive Process to those areas
EXP: F7 handles several functions, including mimicking others’ behaviors, asking “what if?” & drawing conclusions based on context

Participants performing tasks ⬇️
Med Blue = most used regions, Light blue – commonly used, Grey – used on some occasions, Black – almost unused.
Notice that INFP & ESTP are the exact reverse of each other = perfectly complementary.

⬇️ USAGE
•  The entire Prefrontal region is used a great deal by all Types, but those with a dominant “Rational” function (T or F), either E or I, show higher activity in Fp1, while ‘Irrationals’ (S or N) rely more on Fp2 (from Scionics)

• In general (with exceptions, of course) Es are more apt to use front of the brain, while Is tend more to use back areas

• Sensates tend to use Left side more (analytic), & Intuitives use the right (holistic)
• Thinkers show more activity in the reasoning areas (F3, F4, P3, P4 ), & Feelers have more access to C4, while Ts use C3 more.

• Every type uses some region in common with their ‘opposite’ type. An ISFP (Fi-Se) relies on some of the same regions as INTJs (Ni-Te) or ENTJs (Te-Ni)…

♠️ ♦️ ♣️♥️  EMOTIONS
✦ Various neocortex areas produce or enhance particular emotions which encourage or discourage us to act in certain ways, presumably for survival
▪︎ Everyone prefers some brain areas over others. When one region has maxed out its activity, another will take over

🌸 Result – each person has a somewhat different set of emotional dynamics

EMBARRASSMENT
“The brain acts as a feedback device. It gets external input which it considers along with other data (memories, values, theories), & then prompts us to act (or not). So, everyday distinctions like ’emotional vs rational self’ don’t really exist in the brain, which is more like a forest ecology than a matrix.

Many regions are involved in emotions as well as thinking, such as region T5 on the lower left, which helps us pay attention to social feedback. It light up when we notice how others are responding to us, such as being criticized, noticing a smile of approval…. or feeling embarrassment, which may spur us to change our behavior. (More….)
2 EXPs:
• ENFJs are quite easy to embarrass. Only the T5 is affected, but reacts to even minimally uncomfortable situations. The level of embarrassment is confined to that one area, & but increases proportional to the intensity of the circumstance.

▪︎ Normally, INTP’s T5 is rather hard to activate. But when embarrassment finally registers, reaction spills over to several neighboring regions, including ones responsible for dexterity, which can explain why some get klutzy.
⚫️ Always represents non-activity
🔴 shows the sudden emotional flooding in 5 other areas around T5 as well:
T3 = sexuality, C3 = factual recall / move step-wise, P3 = integrate vision /sensation & identify objects, O1 = build/rotate objects, & part of the mid-line.

NOTE: T4 also allows us to have a sense of humor!

“A bus station in where buses stop, & a train station is where trains stop. On my desk I have a work station.” 🤪
“To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research.”

⬇️ From: AncientSpirits (Dr. Nardi) 12 /2017
“EQ”: EMPATHY, MBTI Types & Brain Scans
The MBTI framework doesn’t cover emotions. So here’s an example from “Our Brains in Color” to consider. Multiple neocortex regions are involved in our functioning, & It’s rare for a person to have skills in all of them, but each Type has their strengths.

EXP:
▪︎ ESFPs tend to have more wiring & activity around voice tone / detecting intent…..
▪︎ …… while for ESTPs it’s around seeing & interpreting body language

▪︎ ISFJs tend to be a master of using FC6, ➡️ which helps sort out emotions in a social context

▪︎ ENFPs tend to be great at mirroring others’ emotions (F7) but not actually feeling it themselves (PC4), which is more ENFJ and ESFJ…..

NEXT: Nardi – brain activity #4

PREVIOUS: MBTI & Nardi scans #3

SITE:  Brain activity for each MBTI Type

Dr. NARDI:
✦ “In ‘Neuroscience of Personality’ I describe a variety of correlations between personality Type & Frequencies & Amplitudes (brain waves).
EXP: The solid bright blue relates to an ‘in Flow’ or waiting state, where all regions of the neocortex are dominated by very high amplitude delta waves. Anyone might show this pattern – the link to type has to do with which tasks or events cause it.

▪︎ Some people show much more activity in the prefrontal than other regions, at least in my lab. Among these are the dominant Extraverted Intuitives (ENFP & ENTP), & most Introvert Types…”

Brain Waves : EMOTIV EEG provides pictures of the 4 frequency bands. Lighter colors show amount of activity.   DELTA = for sleep
THETA = routine problem-solving
ALPHA = limbic-body connection
BETA /GAMMA = insight, learning, excitement

Brain Scan PATTERNS
DEF: The “In FLOW” map is whole-brained & zen-like, when all regions of the neocortex are in sync, with medium-low frequency & very high-amplitude brain waves. It shows up when someone:
▪︎ engages in a task they’re expert at – or at least imagines they are. (Any type)
▪︎ handles a crisis during role-play (ESTP / ESFP)
▪︎ reviews the past in detail (ISTJ / ISFJ)
▪︎ actively listens to others (INTJ / INFJ)
▪︎ listens to an authority figure (ESTJ)
(More….Slide #10) //  (ALSO…… )

MBTI & Nardi
✔️ Most individuals have 1-2 Low & 1-2 High -threshold functions
• Si: Access narrative past, use whole mind to review past events, tent toward rote memorization, repetition, in-depth reviews of daily events
• Se: Recall details of recent data with high fdelity, identify objects, gives smooth body motion, calm in tense situations

• Ti: Define, categorize, derive solution logically, minimal / optimized use of brain (when function is DOM)
• Te: Decision-making, explanation, construct visual images, fabricate / lie, minimal / optimized use of brain (when function is DOM))

• Ni: Project into future, draw on entire mind to foresee or determine an answer, weigh many factors at once
• Ne: Trans-contextual thinking (linking contexts), analogize, mirror others, mental what-if simulations – “Christmas tree” pattern is typical of Ne Types

• Fi: What’s of personal value to oneself, listen with the whole mind, tone of voice
• Fe: Attend to how others are responding to self, social appropriateness, attend to words

QUARTETS
Brain studies using MBTI data often group results into 4 types.  All quartets performed better than by chance, which suggests there’s more to personality types than limited ‘boxes’. Rather, there’s an underlying set of dynamics. When people share a dynamic, they share brain activity that helps them get along.

More COMMENTS
✦ “Regarding general intelligence, I’ve met :
• INFJs with more accurate mental models & effective definitions than their INTP counterparts sharing the same technical module. Similarly,
▪︎ I can imagine an ESFP having more effective organizing skills than their ESTJ peer & –

▪︎ ENFJs with more effective use of Se than ISTPs with the same module. Some reasons:
– better integration of self & the various functions
– more appropriate environment EXP: Who knows chemist better – an ISFP chemist or an INTP alchemist?)
– a different developmental space or level

✦ With regard to Feeling vs Thinking types, some research into EQ & type, strongly suggested that :
• Fs develop emotional competencies in a particular, steady order, that allows decent coverage of all competencies, while :
▪︎ Ts develop emotional competencies to meet environmental demands, often haphazardly, & so can be quite capable in some emotional areas & severely deficient in others.”
(Feb. 2016 Nardi interview)

NEXT: Nardi brain scans #4

 PREVIOUS: FRIENDS Inventory

SITEs: Interview w/ Dr Nardi
• NARDI website

BOOK: Neuroscience of Personality – Principles of the Psyche as a Living System – Dario Nardi, PhD, UCLA

Neuroscience studies the structure & function of the nervous system – mainly the brain. Imaging techniques (PET, MEG & SPECT scans, fMRI…) have made it possible to match neurological data points with cognitive theories about how the normal brain works.
PERSONALITY is the result of certain brain areas being dominant. Non-dominant thinking patterns need more stimulus – than dominant ones – to be activated, because neurons that ‘fire together wire together’.

✥ Some BRAIN Facts

▪︎ it’s modular, with 2 executive centers, with one usually dominant
▪︎ there are activity circuits that cause rapid responses ⬇️, & the engagement curve can be tracked (see below)
▪︎ each region has a threshold for activation, but there are also whole-brain patterns

▪︎ it’s neuro-plastic, so can change or adapt to new experiences (needs over 10,000 times of practice) “Experience Changes Brain Plasticity“

▪︎ it has a finite amount of energy in the form of glucose
▪︎ certain structures use more energy than others, such as the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC: decisions, prioritizing, problem-solving), which needs a great deal of fuel

▪︎ the PFC is critical for modulating behavior, by directing energy to various other areas
▪︎ the more developed the brain is, the more efficiently it uses energy
EXP: Info taken out of working memory (on to physical notes, idea boards….) frees up energy to solve a problem

✥ Jung emphasized that the purpose of his theory of Personality Types was to “provide a critical psychology which will make possible a methodical investigation & presentation of empirical material.” (explain our observations)

Professor Dario Nardi’s brain-mapping research has provided empirical evidence supporting Jung’s observational theory. Identifying modular & holistic characteristics of the brain suggests there are certain kinds of activity associated with psychological types.

He wrote : “The science is in! Each of the 8 Jungian cognitive processes (E-I, S-N, T-F, P-J) corresponds to a pattern of electrical activity that unites brain, mind, culture & context into a comprehensive model.”

His work only deals with the 6 lobes of the CEREBRAL CORTEX, which handle attention, awareness, consciousness, language, memory, perception & thought. And – the prefrontal-cortex manages the whole brain. 

Nardi’s research is done using an EEG* head cap or band, on volunteers of different MBTI types while they perform a variety of tasks that represent many daily activities – to measure neocortical activity along the scalp at 16 points of attachment. This has provided similarities & differences between the various Types.

* EEG (electro-encephalogram) records spontaneous electrical activity along the scalp produced by neurons firing in the outer layer of the brain, the neocortex.  Although EEG can’t reach the middle or deep layers of the brain directly, those deeper cognitive functions can still be detected by the activity on the surface.

THRESHOLD to ACTIVATION ➡️
• Individuality: Each brain region requires a different amount of stimulation to light up ⬇️
• 🔵 Low threshold: A medium amount of stimulus shows up as light colored regions,
⚫️ but a little stimulus has no effect
• 🔴 High threshold: Brain activity increases with more stimulation, & a lot of it creates a strong, possibly overwhelming neural response

ENGAGEMENT CURVE
▪︎ Engaged = competent &/or motivated
• Activities evoke progressively more brain activity as challenge & motivation increase
▪︎ Unfamiliar/unimportant tasks = no activity
TASKS: Sign your name, sign it backwards with each hand – for $, sign it in Urdu.

Response DIFFERENCES
Looking at the neurological scans, one possibility for the differences is that Introverts are still THINKING even when nothing’s going on externally
In contrast, Extroverts seem to go IDLE without any external input/stimulus

TESTING
▪︎ Randomly selected MBTI Types only shared 5-33% similar brain activity
▪︎ With same Personality Types, only HALF shared 70-80% of brain regions, the other half lean toward 50% similarity
▪︎ 20% were Atypical for their type (Annholm.net)
EXP: Of all the Types, ENFPs’ brain activity (by region) are most similar to each other

🌹OVERLAY list of brain lobes ⬆️ to see correlating with scalp points ⬇️.
The 8 neuro-patterns go smoothly with the 8 Jungian processes underlying the 16 MBTI types.
The categories on this map are based on information in neuroscience textbooks & hundreds of diverse published research papers.

NEXT: Nardi – brain activity #2

PREVIOUS: Real Friends

SITE: “How to be best friends forever“