Typology, which found me about 35 years ago, was my eventual gateway into Jungian psychology. I remain a fan of type because it provides a practical way to understand our energy flow and the difficulties we have with people.
When I started this iteraton of my blog eight years ago, many of my early posts were about John Beebe’s model. It wasn’t the easiest book to understand, so writing about it helped me process it.
Speaking of difficult to understand type books, Jung’s Psychological Types, which is now over 100 years old, should be a logical starting point, as all of today’s typology models spring from it. If one starts there, however, there is a risk one might end there too.
Fortunately there are many authors we can turn to who bring clarity and a unique lens to typology. Let’s begin with two books that are my top recommendations for those newer to typology:
Personality Types by Daryl Sharp
Sharp adheres to Jung’s views in this book and, in only 128 pages, provides a concise overview, while also showing the practical application.
Lectures on Jung’s Typology by Marie-Louise von Franz and James Hillman
There is no one better than von Franz at explaining Jung’s type model. She focuses on the inferior functions of the types and her wit shines through. Hillman’s essay on the feeling function is brilliant.
Thes next two books go deeper into the topics of the archetypes of type and the role of type in individuation:
Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation: Overcoming One-sidedness in Self and Society by Steve Myers
Myers argues that typology is best viewed as a stepping stone on the path to indivudation and isn’t a meant to be the destination or a label.
Compass of the Soul: Archetypal Guides to a Fuller Life by John L. Giannini
This book focuses on the archetypes of the function pairs (NF, NT, ST, SF) and has a feeling function, or NF, vibe throughout; to read this book is to feel how type is a mandala and compass.
As much as I agree with type being a help during the individuation process, it cannot be denied that it is helpful in workplace settings, even when working with people who know nothing about Jung and individuation. The next two books are helpful in that context:
The Power of Polarities: An Innovative Method to Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations. Based on Carl Jung’s Theory of the Personality by John van der Steur
The author focuses on the polarity aspect of type and comes from the perspective of having used this in the work place and with sports teams. He is influenced by Robert A. Johnson and I love his interview with Johnson.
8 Keys to Self-Leadership: From Awareness to Action by Dario Nardi
The eight keys are the eight functions, of course, and, in INTJ style, there is a chapter devoted to each, with tips on developing each function.
Now we arrive at what I consider the pinnacle of type, which is Beebe’s eight-function model. These final two books are devoted to that:
Projection and Personality Development via the Eight-Function Model by Carol Shumate
This book explains John Beebe’s eight-function model with great clarity and I recommend reading it prior to, or in tandem with, Beebe’s own book. The tables and descriptons pull everything together in a way that is satisfying for one’s sensing and introverted thinking functions and I refer to them again and again. I also enjoyed her analysis of Abraham Lincoln’s INTP type.
Energies and Patterns in Psychological Type by John Beebe
Beebe expands Jung’s model to include four shadow functions and he also assigns archetypal roles to the function order. In this model type can breathe and becomes invaluable for shadow work. Beebe draws from film references in explaining his concepts and one can see how one’s own type is essentially a cast of characters. Beebe’s type is ENTP and his extraverted intuition takes one down many nooks and crannies; it’s best to go along for the ride and turn to Shumate’s book when you need clear definitions.
Any one of these books will help you find your way through the type world on your own terms. As Daryl Sharp wrote, “In the area of typology, as with any attempt to understand oneself, there is no substitute for prolonged self-reflection.“
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