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The Inferior Function: Opening to the Interior

The Inferior Function: Opening to the Interior

FromThis Jungian Life Podcast


The Inferior Function: Opening to the Interior

FromThis Jungian Life Podcast

ratings:
Length:
78 minutes
Released:
Sep 29, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

There is a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in. LEONARD COHEN   Jung’s system of typology—our characteristic way of orienting to the world—led to the creation of the widely used Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Jung observed four essential ego functions. Thinking and feeling are rational functions of assigning value and making decisions, and intuition and sensation are non-rational modes of perception and attention. Ordered hierarchically from most to least developed, our inferior function lies closest to the unconscious and tends to manifest through tasks, people and situations that throw us off balance: we feel confused, overloaded, and unable to get a grip. The inferior function pushes in through the cracks in ego’s efforts at supremacy and opens us to what is unknown and unlived. For Jung, however, this seeming weak spot in the personality was also “the treasure hard to attain,” for it is also the source of our aliveness, freedom, and fun.   Dream I was swimming in the ocean at nighttime. I was surrounded by a school of gigantic, hot-pink jellyfish the size of hot air balloons. They were almost bioluminescent. I looked down and saw a massive sea creature rising from the depths. At first, I thought it was a blue whale. As it got closer, however, I realized it was the size of several blue whales and shaped almost like a man. I was filled with terror and awe and swam away to the shore. On the shore, I was talking urgently with Doctor Who. Suddenly, we were attacked by Daleks (a fictional alien species). As they flew toward us, we ran away toward the ocean. We didn’t go underwater, however, we ran on top of it. As we ran across the sea pursued by the Daleks, the jellyfish and whale man from before rose out of the water, running and flying around us to protect us.    References Lenore Thomson. Personality Type: An Owner’s Manual. https://www.amazon.com/Personality-Type-Practical-Understanding-Yourself/dp/0877739870/ref=sr_1_1?crid=11WCVMO2CS0BO&keywords=Lenore+Thomson+Personality+Type&qid=1663764521&s=books&sprefix=lenore+thomson+personality+type%2Cstripbooks%2C63&sr=1-1   Marie-Louise von Franz, Lectures on Jung’s Typology. https://www.amazon.com/Lectures-Jungs-Typology-Marie-Louise-Franz-ebook/dp/B00G2CBJ0K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KQU165MH6E1C&keywords=jung%27s+typology+marie-louise+von+franz&qid=1663764457&s=books&sprefix=jung%27s+typololy+marie-louise+von+franz%2Cstripbooks%2C58&sr=1-1   Ann Ulanov. The Danger and the Treasure of the Inferior Function, Psychological Perspectives, 52: 9-53, 2009.
Released:
Sep 29, 2022
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Eavesdrop on three Jungian analysts as they engage in lively, sometimes irreverent conversations about a wide range of topics. Join them for discussion of news events, family dynamics, personal issues and more as they share what it’s like to see the world through the depth psychological lens provided by CG Jung. Half of each episode is spent discussing a dream submitted by a listener. Lisa, Joseph and Deb went through their Jungian training together, becoming friends and developing working partnerships. Now they are engaged in a new creative venture with a spirit of adventure and hope you will join them.