The word phlegmatic probably immediately brings to mind phlegm and respiratory illnesses. In traditional medical astrology phlegm was associated with the water element and, when in balance, was believed to to lead to a calm and placid disposition.
By the way, speaking of medical astrology, here is a quick fun fact from Astro.com’s excellent wiki: “Belief in astrological influences over the humours, health, and personality was one reason why the predominant Christian authorities permitted medieval and renaissance medical students to study astrology even in times and places where the church banned astrology for predictive purposes.”
The phlegmatic temperament is associated with the water element (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces), the cold and wet qualities, and the winter season.
Would rather study one thing in depth than a lot of things superficially.
Visits the same places over and over, becoming more comfortable each time.
Greta Garbo: “I want to be alone.”
Inertia is wonderful.
Slow and steady wins the race – does winning even matter?
Linda Berens calls the phlegmatic temperament Rational in her temperament system and associates it with the INTJ, INTP, ENTP, and ENTJ Myers-Briggs personality types. Note, however, that she emphasizes that temperaments don’t directly correlate to MBTI types. John Beebe’s typology system is the one I follow for MBTI, but I like refering to Berens’ temperament system to see how her modern take on temperaments might enhance our understanding of the astrological temperaments.
Berens says that the Rational’s “prevailing mood is one of tranquility.” They “place a high value on competence, coherence, and quality” and are “born with a predisposition for the complex…Rationals tend to focus on patterns and ‘think systems,’ both technical and social, and move with ease from the big picture to the minute details of ideas or situations.”
As indicated in Greenbaum’s book, astrologer Joseph Crane correlates phlegmatic to the introverted feeling and introverted intuition functions of the personality type. This is because introversion is cold and intuition and feeling are wet. Cold plus wet equals phlegmatic.
Most people have a compound temperament, which is a blend of two temperaments, with perhaps a smattering of the other two. Refer to my post on the melancholy temperament for more information on temperament and how to calculate temperament. Knowing your temperament will help you better understand both your personality type and your natal chart.
I was delighted to discover archetypes for the eight functions in Michael Pierce’s book Motes and Beams: A Neo-Jungian Theory of Personality. Even better, these archetypes are from the I Ching. This is the first time I’ve seen the I Ching used in personality typology outside of Human Design. I’m also excited to see how these can be used with John Beebe’s archetypes for each role of the functions.
If you aren’t familiar with the I Ching, it is an ancient Taoist Chinese text comprised of 64 hexagrams and commentary of the meaning of the hexgram. There are eight main trigrams and a hexagram is made out of two of the eight three-line trigrams, for a total of six lines in the hexagram. Using coin tosses or yarrow stalks one can pose a question and receive an answer in the form of two hexagrams. There are 4,096 possible combinations and the answer you receive is often eerily accurate. Jung used the I Ching and was close friends with Richard Wilhelm, the first English translator of the I Ching. Jungian analyst John Beebe is an expert in the I Ching.
For the purposes of typology, Pierce focuses on the symbolism eight trigrams for the eight functions. But first, Pierce starts with the four binaries of the I Ching and compares them with the four functions The broken line (— —) represents receptivity and is yin. The unbroken line (——) represents lack of receptivity and is yang. Therefore the four binaries and the four functions are as follows:
The eight trigrams include a third line added to the above binaries. According to Pierce, a third line that is unbroken represents introversion. A third line that is broken represents extraversion. Below are the eight trigrams and the personality function that he assigns to each one. Keep in mind that the bottom line of the trigram is the first line and the foundation. The third line is the top or “roof.”
Extraverted Sensation (Se), Earth – With three broken yin lines, earth is the most receptive of the eight trigrams. Its symbol is earth because it is “plowed and sown” and receives from Heaven. According to Pierce, “Se is the function that deals with the most raw, unworked material, direct from the world.
Introverted Feeling (Fi), Heaven – With three unbroken lines, this is the most yang and unreceptive function. According to Pierce, “Fi is the made-up mind…Opinions are usually in conflict, so there is no room left for receptivity or compromise. Fi poses ideals and goals; it is the sun beyond Kant’s horizon of reason, drawing one on to greater heights (and depths). It is the expression of Man’s active hoping.”
Introverted Sensation (Si), Mountain – The unbroken line and two broken lines represent a mountain. Pierce says, “It is assertive of its own unassertiveness. While Se seeks external presence, Si seeks internal presence: it represents reality to itself in a way that is personally meaningful. Thus, like the earth, it endures all thiings; yet, unlike the earth, it remains fundamentally unchanged, except by the greatest and most sustained efforts against it.”
Extraverted Feeling (Fe), Wind – This is the opposite of the Si mountain with a broken line followed by two unbroken lines. As Pierce says, “Wind penetrates the thickest fortress walls with its infinite powers of diffusion. Just so, Fe penetrates the heart of the public – either with a breeze, or with a raging, overzealous hurricane, that can sweep the multitudes along.”
Introverted Intuition (Ni), Fire – A broken line between two unbroken lines. It is assertive in the same way fire “asserts” itself on its surroundings. Pierce says,”The seeds of fire lie in the earth (Se) and its products, dead grass and trees. Fire begins with a spark (the epiphany), and the Idea begins to smolder, dance and blaze, casting more and more light upon its environment, until it even rivals the stars. But this tremendous radiance is all dependent upon a receptive core, its eartly fuel source. It is a nothing that affects everything around it.”
Extraverted Thinking (Te), Water – An unbroken line between two broken lines. Pierce contrasts this with fire. Fire has arises upwards from an insubstantial center, where water has a substantial center, has weight, and rushes downward. Interestingly, Pierce says Te completes a cycle. “Earth (Se) sparks a fire (Ni), which rises into the heavens (Fi), from which rain waters down (Te) and runs back down into the earth (Se).” I like how he describe the motion in type.
Extraverted Intuition (Ne), Thunder – There are two broken lines with an unbroken line as the roof. Like Fire (Ni), thunder is caused by a spark or epiphany. Pierce says, “but unlike fire, which escalates, thunder is a concentrated burst of energy…The two broken lines indicate reception, namely, of static change, leading up to the consummate systole of energy (the top line) and the subsequent rousing percussion of the thunderclap. The mountain (Si) often serves as the grounding rod for this energy, because of its height. Thus, the Ne brainstorm, lancing and daggering the sky in every direction, finds its grounding in Si.
Introverted Thinking (Ti), Lake – There are two unbroken lines with a broken line as the roof. This is the opposite of Ne (Thunder) and, per Pierce, “represents resting water. … the lake is a rush of energy settling down to a halt. The water has finished running downhill for the time being, and now stands open to receive. Now, like Si, it is essentially unmoving. Ti has worked out is fundamental principles, and all that is left is to live by them.”
Putting it all together with the John Beebe archetypes
I like how visual and practical the I Ching archtypes are and am interested in how they can work with Beebe’s archetypes for the roles of each function: Hero, Parent, Child (Puer), Anima/Animus and shadow functions of Opposing Personality, Witch/Senex, Trickster, and Demon. (For fun, here is a post I did where I picked a tarot card for each of Beebe’s functions).
For example, someone with an INTJ type would have Fire as their Hero function, Water as their Parent function, Heaven as their Child function, and Earth as their anima/animus function. This provides a more complete picture of the personality and captures the movement between functions. The online typology communities often differ on how to define the eight functions, so starting with the trigrams provides a solid starting place.
I’ve thought about which astrological symbols might correlate to the eight functions, but there are only seven traditional planets and there are 12 zodiac signs, which is too many. Jung and Liz Greene say that the fire signs are intuition, the earth signs are sensation, air signs are thinking, and water signs are feeling. But that quickly falls apart when you start looking at the eight functions, which is why astrology is better for calculating temperament (here is my recent post on the melancholy temperament). You can work with both your temperament and personality type for a deeper understanding of yourself.
What do you think about the I Ching trigrams and the personality functions? Feel free to contact me if you have any comments questions.
Most everyone knows about melancholy and, unfortunately, often confuse it with depression. For this reason, the melancholic temperament is probably the most well-known of the four ancient temperaments (which include sanguine, choleric, and phlegmatic).
What is Temperament?
Before I describe the melancholic temperament, I will first describe a bit about temperament in general. Temperament is innate to the individual and means “mixture.” Temperament originated in the medical world with Hippocrates and Galen .It dates back to the fifth century B.C.E.
Astrologers began working with temperament early on, beginning with the Greeks and continuing through the Renaissance with Marsilio Ficino, Paracelsus, William Lilly, and others. Then astrology went into a recession in the west for the next 200+ years. In the 1800’s Rudolf Steiner and Marc Edmund Jones revived the temperaments and, along with Jung and several others, brought astrology back to life in the west. In the 20th century Linda Berens, David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates brought temperament into the personality typology world.
In astrology, temperaments are more than just descriptive – they are prescriptive. I calculate the temperament of my clients’ charts and charts of famous people that I study. If you know that someone has, for example, a melancholic/phlegmatic temperament (most people have a compound temperament of at least two predominant temperaments), then an upcoming transit from Mars potentially provides and opportunity for some much-needed energy and initiative. If the person instead has a choleric temperament, then they will likely need to guard against angry outbursts and find outlets for the excess of energy during that time period.
The Melancholic Temperament
Melancholic is associated with the earth element, cold and dry qualities, and the autumn season.
The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train.
Idea of a fun time is reading the dictionary.
Likes to play the blame game.
Can’t bear the idea of superficial knowledge.
Linda Berens calls the melancholic temperament the Guardian in her temperament system and associates it with the ESTJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, and ISFJ Myers-Briggs personality types. Astrologer Joseph Crane correlates it to the introverted thinking and introverted sensation functions of the personality type.
Melancholy vs. Melancholic
Although someone with a melancholic temperament may experience melancholy more often than other types, anyone can have melancholy. My favorite book about melancholy, and about Abraham Lincoln, is Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness. This book makes the case that Lincoln’s melancholy was the fuel for his achievements.
Unfortunately there isn’t an exact birth time available for Lincoln. In looking at the Aquarius rising chart that is typically used for him, he had a compound melancholic-phlegmatic temperament with a smidgen of choleric and sanguine. The phlegmatic adds some emotion to the melancholic temperament and one can see that in this description from the book: ‘Lincoln was reserved in personal details but quite open in showing his true emotional self, including the suffering that sometimes overtook him. Reporters, allies, and ordinary citizens who watched Lincoln rarely came away thinking they knew his secrets, but they often came away thinking they’d seen the man.”
How to Calculate Temperament
There are different formulas for calculating temperament from an astrology chart, but all of them involve the Moon, Sun, and Ascendant. I introduced one of the formulas in this post. I am now also testing a more intricate formula described in the book On The Heavenly Spheres by Helena Avelar & Luis Ribeiro. This formula closely adheres to the work of 17th century astrologer William Lilly.
Again, these formulas aren’t meant to reduce someone to a label. Temperament is a starting point in looking at a person’s whole potential and one must look at the entire chart for a complete picture. For those who are interested in Jungian personality typology, combining temperament with it is a winsome combination in my opinion because, unlike typology, temperament provides an objective starting point.
I will soon write posts on the other three temperaments. In the meantime, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
For fun I decided to find a tarot card that matches up with each of the eight John Beebe personality archetypes. This can be an aid to journaling about your personality and also gives you a visual to draw upon when you consciously use a function in a situation.
Here is a Jungian take on exploring the archetypal characters within us:
Jung believed that our disposition to experience the heroes, villains, lovers, and despots in ourselves derives from archetypal, which is to say, ancient, universal character formations that are the root structures of our psyches…in our deeper or fuller consciousness we are multiple beings…we have many personalities within us. Some of these other selves are surprisngly close to consciousness and can be awakened quite easily by the use of theater games and guided imagery exercises.
In astrology, there is a tarot card for each 10 degree slice of a zodiac sign (three cards per sign). These 10 degree slices are called decans. Decans were the earliest form of astrology beginning in the third millennium BCE. In the early 1900’s the Golden Dawn assigned a tarot card to each decan and the decans influenced the symbolism in the Rider Waite Smith deck.
I really enjoy the blending of tarot with astrology in that way and want to give a try at doing that with the personality types. I’ve seen tarot cards used to represent a single personality type, but let’s take a look at tarot cards for each of the 8 functions.
Here goes:
Hero function: The Sun. The Sun represents being seen for who you truly are. There is clarity, success, enthusiasm, feeling safe to be yourself. Wholeness and health. I find that this card resonates most with me for the hero archetype. There are other candidates too, like The Magician, Six of Wands, and Strength, so use whichever one resonates. The Sun’s opposite is the Moon, which I chose for the anima/animus (inferior) function, so that’s also why I settled on the Sun.
Parent function: The Empress/Emperor. The Empress is associated with the archetype of the mother. She is an emotional leader and represents unconditional love, nature, creativity. The Emperor is associated with the archetype of the traditional father. He represents stability, authority, and masculinity.
Eternal Child (Puer) function: The Fool. The Fool is innocent and unaware and at the beginning of the journey. This correlates well to the Eternal Child, which is a weaker function and where we remain child-like.
Anima/Animus function. The Moon. The Moon represents are deepest fears and being carried along by forces we pretend to understand. It represents being in the dark about something and acting instinctively. On the positive end, The Moon reminds us that the anima/animus (inferior) function is the gateway to the unconscious and the importance of dream work and shadow work.
Opposing Personality – The Hanged Man. The Hanged Man represents looking at things from a different perspective. Letting go, martyrdom, self-sacrifice, facing doubts. To me this matches up well with what is is like to use the function that is opposite our hero function.
Critical Parent/Senex/Witch –10 of Swords. 10 of Swords represents feeling hurt, criticized, stabbed in the back. It is opposite the Parenting function, and in the absence of proper parenting, the card represents feeling like you have to take care of everyone and the exhaustion that entails.
The Trickster – 7 of Swords. This card is the sneak. It represents lying or using manipulation to get out of or control a situation.
Demon – The Devil. Beebe says that the demon function is the part of us that is both devil and angel, so I chose the Devil card to represent this function. The Tower would work too. The Devil represents being chained to a person or situation. Darkness, chaos, destructive behavior, wanting what is forbidden are all part of The Devil.
I’d love to hear what you think about these tarot card associations and if you came up with any different ones. If you get this blog post by email, just click reply to email me. Otherwise click here for my contact page.
If I were to summarize why I love personality typology and astrology, it is because they can help us see and become who we already are.
In the Jungian world, personality typology is a stepping stone to wholeness and to discovering who we already are. Jung described the end result as the “transcendent function.”
Here is one of my favorite definitions of the transcendent function, from Jungian analyst Polly Young Eisendrath:
Resisting our tendencies to defend our complexes, we develop an ability that Jung called the “transcendent function.” It is the capacity to hold tensions and let a meaning emerge without prematurely deciding whether a situation is “good” or “bad.”
From a personality type perspective, Marie Louise-von Franz, Jung’s close associate, described it as how the first step is to assimilate our dominant function. Then we make the second more conscious and, eventually, the third. The inferior function always remains a problem and we can’t approach this function directly. Jung said the practice of active imagination is the best way to approach it. Painting, dancing, and other creative expression can help.
Additionally, focusing on the middle two functions of the personality type through active imagination forms a “middle ground” of the personality – a kind of “inner center” – and you can start using the functions at will instead of unconsciously. Remember that in the first half of life the focus is on developing the middle two functions of our personality type, with one of those becoming the auxiliary function. In the last half of life the focus turns to the inferior function.
Knowing where Mercury is in your astrology natal chart can help with this process. In the book Inner Planets, Howard Sasportas says Mercury is the mostly closely related to the transcendent function:
The secret of alchemy was in fact the transcendent function, the transformation of the personality through the blending and fusion of the noble with the base components, of the differentiated with the inferior functions, of the conscious with the unconscious. I believe that Mercury is the planet most closely aligned to the transcendent function.
Mercury was the only god that could go to the underworld and return. This back-and-forth quality of Mercury helps us unite the opposites within us. Mercury is also associated with communication, mediation, business, negotiation, analysis, and even back-and-forth games like tennis, pickleball (my favorite), basketball, and so on. Mercury also shows where we need variety and change and how we like to be playful and curious.
The zodiac wheel is divided into 12 areas of life called houses. Take a look at your natal chart to see which house and zodiac sign Mercury is in. This will show how Mercury can help bring the opposites together within you, in regards to personality type, and also the opposites form without in relationships and interactions with others.
For example, if Mercury is in Pisces in your 7th house of relationships this points to a more creative form of Mercury. Giving space to creative expression in whatever form appeals to you will make your personality flourish. Active imagination will probably come easy to you. Spirituality may also be important to you. Mercury here also means that relationships will play a key role in discovering who you already are.
Although it can be helpful to work with a typologist or Jungian analyst to discover your personality type, doing much of the work on your own will be even more meaningful, as it gets you in touch with your inner self.
Journaling is one of the best methods you can use for this process as it helps you keep track of trends over time. As author and Jungian Analyst Daryl Sharp wrote:
In the area of typology, as with any attempt to understand oneself, there is no substitute for prolonged self-reflection.
The daily journal prompts below draw from Jungian analyst John Beebe’s archetypal typology model, but they will work for any Jungian-based typology system, such as MBTI and Objective Personality.
I phrased these questions as archetypes because it important to not use the language of the functions in your journal entries. Refrain from saying “I used my Fe today while listening to my co-worker talk.” Instead say something like, “I “parented” my neighbor today by listening to her talk about her problems.” Don’t make assumptions about which function you are using. Instead, tell the story of how that archetypal role was apparent in your life that day.
Here are the prompts:
How did I act heroically today? This can be any activity you did effortlessly or in a flow state.
Did I “parent” anyone today? Described how you helped someone in a way that came naturally to you.
How did my inner eternal child show itself today? This can be a situation where someone else “parented” you and provided help in area you aren’t strong in. It can also be something you were enthusiastic about in a child-like way.
Did I get triggered in a positive or negative way today? This helps you track the “other” within you that gets overly upset when your ideals aren’t met and overjoyed when they are. Pay particular attention to surges of emotions you felt in your body.
Once you have settled on what your personality type might be you can continue to use these prompts to help you become less one-sided in your personality, which is the entire point of knowing your personality type, so that you can become the unique personality that you are.
The best way to make personality typology practical is to use it as a language when talking with people.
In her biography about Carl Jung, Barbara Hannah notes that Jung was able to speak the “language” of every type:
Jung was able to speak the “language” of every type. Just as he took a lot of trouble to learn the languages of his patients (English, French, and so on), so he learned to put things into the language of the psychological type to whom he was talking. Not that people can be classified in sharply defined types, but if someone is always concerned with what a thing means (thinking) he just does not understand if you speak in terms of values (feeling), for example.
I find it helpful to use John Beebe’s archetypes and definitions of the functions to think through how this would work in real life.
If a person with an INFJ type is discussing travel arrangements with an ISFJ, the conversation won’t go as well if the INFJ uses his “hero” introverted intuition and focuses on how he wants to go to Scotland because he has always felt drawn there and has a sense it will be a meaningful experience even though he can’t explain why. It would be more helpful for the INFJ to use their “parent” extraverted feeling function to present some details he knows will resonate with the ISFJ and help convincer her it is a good destination, such as hotel reviews, airplane ticket costs, possible tours to go on, and so forth.
Conversely, if it is the ISFJ making the suggestion for a travel destination, she would do well to not bog the INFJ down with details about a possible trip, but use her “parent” extraverted feeling function to first describe the vision and big picture of such a trip. The To-Do list can wait until later.
If an ESTJ type wants to discuss a potential bathroom remodel with her INTP, talking about her plans and To Do lists and the best process with her “hero” extraverted thinking function wouldn’t be the most effective. To help get him on board with the idea, she would do well to open the conversation with explaining why it is necessary to remodel the bathroom. She can use her “parent” introverted sensation function to select the right details to help him understand the goal, from which they can then proceed to talk further and get into the planning stage.
It takes work to communicate this way, and isn’t feasible for every interaction, obviously. But when you want to have an important conversation with someone, it’s worth taking a few moments to consider how to communicate with the person in a way that will resonate with the hero function of their personality type.
I read a bunch of books in 2021. I thought the total was 85, but a recount just now shows it was 91, which is the most I’ve ever read in one year. I will share below the eight books I enjoyed the most. They aren’t all Jungian psychology, typology, and astrology, I promise.
Also, I have a monthly newsletter where I share the best of what I read each month. I don’t put those in blog posts, so feel free to subscribe if you’d like to get that book email.
OK, here is my top 8 of the year:
C.G. Jung Speaking – This was my favorite of the year. It contains excerpts from his letters and observations from people who knew him. It is arranged chronologically so you can see the progression of his career and thoughts. It is much easier reading than his books and gives you a feel for what he must have been like as a person. I will definitely reread this.
The Forsaken Garden by Nancy Ryley. This was a very close second. It is a collection of interviews with Marion Woodman, Ross Woodman, Thomas Berry, and Laurens Van Der Post. They share very deep insights about the meaning of environmental illness from a Jungian perspective. I also learned a lot more about the Romantic poets.
The Overstory by Richard Powers. This novel is simply stunning. Trees are some of the main characters and I learned so much about trees that I never knew before. The first half of the book is like a collection of short stories about different characters and trees. Then in the last half of the book all the characters come together. It starts slow, but please stay with it.
Lincoln’s Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk. This book takes a unique angle of examining Lincoln’s childhood and career through the lens of his melancholy. You come away feeling like you know Lincoln on a personal level. It also shows how suffering can be transformed into serving others.
Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. I so enjoyed learning about President James Garfield, who unfortunately was assassinated a year into his presidency. This book also gives a fascinating look at the history of medicine at the time. Garfield would have survived if the American doctors who treated him hadn’t shunned the new discovery of germs and importance of antisepsis that Europe was already using.
Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers. At last, a book that carefully explains the difference between MBTI and Jungian personality typology. He is respectful towards MBTI and not hyper-critical the way so many are these days. He also shows how to use typology to further individuation and overcome one-sidedness.
The Heavens Declare: Astrological Ages and the Evolution of Consciousness by Alice O. Howell. What a delight it is to read Alice O. Howell. She was a Jungian astrologer who helped bridge the gap between Jungian psychology and astrology. She was allowed to teach at Jung Institutes even though she wasn’t an analyst. This book, and her Jungian Symbols in Astrology book, are collections of letters she wrote to a Jungian analyst. In addition to being fun to read they have many profound Jungian insights.
Jungian Spirituality by Vivianne Crowley. This gives a brief overview of Jung’s biography and his main areas of expertise, such as alchemy, astrology, personality types, and more. I especially enjoyed the chapters about Jung’s insights on Christianity and eastern religions. This is written in a way that accessible to those who don’t know much about Jung’s psychology.
If you read any of these books, or have any favorite books of your own you’d like to share, please email me or message me on Instagram. I’d like to hear from you!
The Objective Personality system expands the personality types to include “jumpers:” types where the third function is more used or respected than the second function. For example, an INFJ type could respect their third Ti (introverted thinking) function more than their second function of Fe (extraverted feeling).
This concept is not exclusive to Objective Personality and actually originates with Jungian typology. Carl Jung said that during the first half of life the middle two functions are vying for the second slot in order to “help” the ego. This is the source of most problems in the first half of life:
For example, if an individual has differentiated introverted feeling as a superior function, most problems in the first half of life will have to do with the opposition between sensing and intuiting, either in the extraverted or introverted modes, trying to align with the superior introverted feeling function. Through the opposition another function is being differentiated out for consciousness.
Typically for Jung only in the second half of life does one truly get into the problem of opposites involving the superior and inferior function in the classic sense described, for example, in Chapter IV [of Psychological Types]
Therefore the personality type of someone into their 30’s or so is going to fluctuate due to this jumper-type activity. Furthermore, Jung thought that for most people, the auxiliary function remains mostly unconscious, so getting too nuanced about type wouldn’t have been of much interest to him.
Jungian analyst Joseph Henderson, who worked closely with Jung, thought everyone was a jumper type, and said that his own type was Ne/Fe (an ENTP with extraverted feeling preference). Jungian analyst John Beebe, however, thinks this is a mistake:
Even those who recognized both Jo Wheelwright’s intuition and his feeling (and there were many who could only see one or the other of these functions when engaged by him) did not always know what to call them (some thought Jo’s extraverted intuition was simply intrusiveness, or narcissism), and few could figure out which of these functions was primary and which secondary (most people assumed that he had ‘extraverted feeling’ as his main modus operandi, not realizing, I believe, that they were conflating the extraversion of his superior function (intuition) with the availability or readiness of his auxiliary function (introverted feeling). This kind of conflation of the two leading functions into one—comprising the attitude of the dominant and the function of the auxiliary—is a very easy mistake to make in attempting type diagnosis. [emphasis mine]
Therefore, before coming to the conclusion someone has a jumper tendency in their type, one should check and see if you are conflating the attitude portion (i.e. the extraversion or introversion ) of the dominant function with the second/auxiliary function.
Marie-Louise von Franz said it was possible for someone to develop the third/tertiary function before developing the second/auxiliary function.
One of my issues with jumper types is that a jumper type would have the problem of being even more one-sided than a regular type because the top two functions (called “saviors” in Objective Personality typology) would both be either extraverted or introverted.
Overall I agree with Beebe that the order of the four functions is qualitative and not strictly linear at all times, because the archetypal roles of the personality (Hero, Parent, Child, Anima/Animus) display differently in each person. He also says that “a century of type research” has verified that the functions do not express the same way in each person. There is “normal variation” in the “strength and reliability of the functions” according to the preferences of that individual.
We all have our jumper moments. As Beebe says, “It is as if [the functions] form an interacting cast of characters through which the different functions may express themselves in the ongoing drama of self and shadow that is anyone’s lived psychological life.”
Someone on Instagram who is new to individuation and Jung recently messaged me to ask for book recommendations. I’ve been asked this before so I figured I would put my list in a blog post as well.
First I’ll quick mention that a few months ago I started a monthly email where I give very brief book reviews of the books I read the previous month. This is separate from the emails of my blog posts and the content in those newsletters isn’t posted on my blog. Click here if you would like to subscribe to the book newsletter. It is kind of an extension of my Instagram where I post daily quotes from the books I read.
OK, here is the list of my recommended Jungian books:
Creating a Life by James Hollis (and all books by James Hollis). I can’t think of a better gateway to Jungian psychology. He is a former English literature professor and writes in an elegant way.
Inner Work by Robert A. Johnson. His writing is so clear and he explains the practices of dream work and active imagination in a way that is easy to understand and immediately start implementing.
The Force of Character by James Hillman. I love Hillman’s work. This book is the one to start with if you haven’t read any of his other books. He considered himself a renegade psychologist and taught at the Jung Institute in Zurich early in his career. After you read that book, I recommend The Soul’s Code: In Search of Character and Calling and We’ve Had 100 Years of Psychotherapy – And the World’s Getting Worse. Hillman is a deconstructionist so I feel it’s important to read his more accessible books first, and also first gain more of an understanding of the Jungian basics, before reading his other books.
The Way of Woman by Helen Luke. Full of gentle wisdom. I especially like her compassionate take on divorce and her insights on Christianity, the I Ching, and spirituality.
Jungian Spirituality by Vivianne Crowley. This gives a brief overview of Jung’s life and his main areas of expertise, such as alchemy, astrology, personality types, and more. I especially enjoy the chapters about Jung’s insights on Christianity and eastern religions. This is written in a very accessible way.
The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock. This is a little dated at times because it was written in the early 1990’s, but the insights about mother/daughter relationships alone make it a worthwhile read.
Jung: His Life and Work by Barbara Hannah. Hannah spent a considerable amount of time with Jung and lived near him when she was roommates with Marie-Louise von Franz. This biography of Jung is a pleasure to read and has many behind-the scenes glimpses of his daily life and she shares a lot of the things he said in conversation with her. She also doesn’t shy away from telling some of the details about his relationship with Toni Wolff. She manages to provide a mostly objective take on Jung, although here and there you can see the adulation.
C.G. Jung Speaking is a collection of excerpts from Jung’s letters and speeches arranged in chronological order. It also contains reflections from people who knew Jung and recount conversations with him. I read this slowly over a few months and was enthralled with experiencing Jung in this way. It was like spending time with Jung and I learned so much more about him.
If you read any of these books, feel free to message me on Instagram or via email and let me know what you think of the book. If you’d like recommendations for Jungian books about personality types and astrology, let me know, and I’ll give you some.
