3 Reasons Why it is Hard to Type People

3 Reasons Why it is Hard to Type People

I’m currently reading Personality by C.A. Meier. Dr. Meier was a close associate of Carl Jung’s, so I’ve been keen to read this book, because Jung published Psychological Types early in his career, so Meier has an understanding of Jung’s thoughts about type later on in his career.

Anyway, Meier talks briefly about how it is hard to type people, so I will provide a summary of that here.

First, Meier says that “in our neighbor the inferior function is more conspicuous than the superior one, because the main function operates naturally, almost automatically, and thus remains inconspicuous.” Also, “it is a common human weakness to see another’s Achilles heel sooner than his strong points.” We tend to look for the negative in others.

Second, in the real world we are dealing with people, not types. Things are always more complicated in the real world.

Third, type can change throughout life. “External influences such as upbringing, family tradition, education, career, the course of one’s life and fate can play a role.” Jung was very clear on this point but it is one that has seemed to be lost in many online discussions of type.

Overall he says that it is easier to make a type diagnosis by a process of elimination. This takes time, careful observation, and interaction with the person.

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The most important thing about personality types

The most important thing about personality types

Becoming a better version of our personality type tends to be the focus of Myers-Briggs and other typology systems.

However, as Steve Myers writes in Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation:

…as the Jungian analyst Joseph Wheelwright put it, the most important thing about types is detyping. The aim is to give full parity to the inferior so that – as von Franz describes – the conscious structure collapses and something new comes up. This transforms the personality, making it more whole and individual.

Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers p. 185

Detyping is the same thing as the “transcendent function” that Jung described in Psychological Types: “Individuation is closely connected with the transcendent function… since this function creates individual lines of development which could never be reached by keeping to the path prescribed by collective norms.”

Anyway, I like that word “detyping.” Rather than focusing so much on being better at a weaker function in the personality, typology should be more about becoming our unique self that transcends a particular personality type.

Sources:

Myers-Briggs Typology vs. Jungian Individuation by Steve Myers

Psychological Types by CG Jung

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The Moon and Your Personality Part 2: Needs

The Moon and Your Personality Part 2: Needs

Just like a fuller understanding of personality should include persona, it is also helpful to take into account the human needs.

Noel Tyl defines needs as follows in chapter 3 of Astrology and Personality about Abraham Maslow’s need psychology:

Needs make things happen. The tensions of development reflect the meeting of needs and environmental demands within experience. The personality develops in relation to the measure of success and failure of need satisfaction.

Astrology and Personality by Noel Tyl, p. 56

According to Tyl, the Moon sign shows us a person’s needs:

For Astrology, the Moon and its Sign tells us the reigning needs of the individual. …The aspects made with the Moon further modify the need profile and the House position of the Moon determines the experiences within which the drama of need fulfillment is principally played.

Here is a list of needs for each sign from Demetra George’s Astrology and the Authentic Self book. Look for the sign that the Moon is in in your chart:

Aries—the need to be independent and develop self-awareness

Taurus—the need to be resourceful and get productive results

Gemini—the need to communicate and make mental contact with others

Cancer—the need to give and receive emotional warmth and security

Leo—the need for creative expression and appreciation by others

Virgo—the need to analyze, discriminate, and function efficiently

Libra—the need to relate to others and create harmony and balance

Scorpio—the need for deep involvements and intense transformations

Sagittarius—the need to explore and expand mental and actual horizons

Capricorn—the need for structure, organization, and discipline

Aquarius—the need to innovate, be original, and create social change

Pisces—the need to commit to a dream or ideal

Maslow’s need psychology also includes the concept of “press”, which is an environmental factor(s) that put pressure on the personality. This includes things like danger, rejection, sex, betrayal, inferiority, illness, lack of family support, and many more.

Tyl says that “aspects made by the Moon would show the press upon the personality and its work to fulfill individual needs.” (p. 60). Squares and oppositions to the Moon bring tension and difficulties. Sextiles and trines are supportive.

Tyl goes on to state that each planet in the chart represents a need of its own in service to the overarching need of the Moon:

Mercury will suggest the needs of the mind; Venus, the needs of the emotions and the aesthetic sense; Mars, the needs for energy expression; Jupiter, the religious, ethical, and opportunity needs; Saturn the needs of ambition…The synthesis of the horoscope relates the support needs to the reigning need symbolized by the Moon. [emphasis mine]

Astrology and Personality by Noel Tyl, p. 61-62

To tie this in with persona, one can think of the persona as the mask we wear when attempting to fulfill our core need when interacting with the environment.

I’d love to hear what you think about your Moon sign and if the need associated with it seems accurate to you. Feel free to message me on Instagram or email me via the contact page.

______

Sources:

Astrology and Personality by Noel Tyl

Astrology and the Authentic Self by Demetra George

Also see this post of mine with more information about the history of needs in personality types.

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The Moon and Your Personality Part 1: The Persona

The Moon and Your Personality Part 1: The Persona

The persona can make it difficult to determine one’s personality type. This is where astrology can come in and help identify the persona. There are 12 different moon signs, and each moon sign is in one of 12 different house. So, if my math is right, each of the 16 personality types will have one of 144 personas. (Very broadly speaking, of course, because the moon doesn’t exist in isolation in the chart and forms aspects to other planets in the chart).

While at Half Price Books recently I came across a copy of the out-of-print 1974 book Astrology and Personality by Noel Tyl (1936-2019), who was an influential 20th century astrologer. There is a chapter on Jung, so of course I bought the book.

Tyl makes the interesting point that the Moon in the natal chart can show us the persona – the mask we have selected consciously or unconsciously to help us interact with the outer world.

I haven’t heard the moon described in this way before, but after thinking about it, it seems to make sense. The Moon needs to feel safe, which the persona plays a role in. The Moon also likes to belong (By contrast, Saturn, which is the Moon’s opposite, demands that we focus on our own purpose rather than on fitting in with others), The moon also represents our instinctual self.

Finally, the Moon’s location in the chart shows where you are adaptable and make room for others. One can see that the persona can play a role in this adaptability as well.

In modern astrology a common mistake is to view the ascendant (rising sign) as merely a persona, which is not at all how ancient astrologers viewed the ascendant. To them it was very aligned with our personality, character, health, and body. So it was nice to see that Tyl instead attributes persona to the Moon.

In part 2 I will analyze what Tyl says about human needs, the Moon, and the personality.

Sources:

Wikipedia page on Noel Tyl

Astrology of Personality by Noel Tyl

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The Difficult Life of an Introverted Intuitive

The Difficult Life of an Introverted Intuitive

For greater depth of understanding about personality type, there is nothing better than returning to the source, Carl Jung. In the book C.G. Jung Speaking: Interviews and Encounters, there is a section from pages 304-314 where an interviewer asks him about type.

Of particular note is what Jung said about introverted intuitive types (what today we would call INTJ and INFJ):

So you see, if the introverted intuitive were to speak of what he really perceives, practically no one would understand him. They learn to keep things to themselves, and you hardly ever hear them talking of these things. That is a great disadvantage, but it is an enormous advantage in another way, not to speak of the experiences they have in that respect and also in their human relations.

For instance, they come into the presence of somebody they don’t know, and suddenly they have inner images, and these images give them more or less complete information about the psychology of the partner.

It can also happen that they come into the presence of somebody they don’t know at all, not from Adam, and they know an important piece out of the biography of that person, and are not aware of it, and they tell the story, and then the fat is in the fire.

So the introverted intuitive has in a way a very difficult life, although one of the most interesting lives, but it is often difficult to get into their confidence. [emphasis mine]

C.G Jung Speaking, p. 311

In this section of the book Jung also tells a funny story about an intuitive type, where the woman noticed through intuition that Jung had seen a male patient earlier than morning, even though she was completely oblivious to the physical clue of a half-smoked cigar right in front of her. This prompted Jung to say:

The intuitive is a type that doesn’t see, doesn’t see the stumbling block before his feet, but he smells a rat for ten miles.

C.G. Jung Speaking p. 309

If your type is introverted intuitive, I’d love to hear if the above insights from Jung resonate with you. Instagram is a good place to message me.

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How a CIA Spy Uses Myers-Briggs (MBTI)

The CIA has been using MBTI since the 1930’s when it was the OSS (as I wrote about here), so it was fun to hear ex-CIA spy Andrew Bustamante talk in this video about how he used MBTI when he was a spy, even though he doesn’t take a particularly Jungian approach.

He says the real value in personality type isn’t what it teaches you about yourself but what type tells you about other people. I take issue with that a bit, because type is an important stepping stone towards individuation. But on a practical day-to-day level type is indeed helpful for understanding coworkers, family, etc.

The interviewer said he gets confused by the letters, so Bustamante gave three main things type helps you understand about other people:

1.) Where do they get their energy?

2.) How do they interpret data? (sensation vs. intuition)

3.) How do they make decisions? (feeler vs. perceiver, which he describes as sensation vs. intuition. He doesn’t mention the thinking function.)

I like that he says an online assessment isn’t adequate for discovering your type. He says it takes 100’s of questions and talking with a typologist to discover your type.

The interviewer says he sees himself using all the functions, so Bustamante said: “Personality doesn’t tell you what you are limited to. It tells you what default to.” Well said.

Emma Peel from the 1960’s show The Avengers show is my favorite spy. So now I’m wondering what type she is. Hmmmm.

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Mercury in Gemini in the Personality

Mercury in Gemini in the Personality

Mercury goes into nooks and crannies no other planet does and Mercury in Gemini exemplifies this more than any other sign.

Mercury is associated with the marketplace, business, communication, technology, analyzing details. Mercury was the only god who could go back and forth between this world and the underworld.

Gemini is a mutable, masculine, air sign ruled by Mercury, so Mercury is the home sign for Mercury (as is Virgo). It’s a very adaptable sign and Mercury in Gemini is quick to see both sides of an issue, is very curious, thinks and learns fast, is witty, and good at being diplomatic. Communication, either in writing or speaking, tends to come easy. Gemini is the sign of the twins and people with this placement often have side hustles. Negative stereotypes of Mercury in Gemini include a focus on the superficial, being too chatty or glib, and a tendency to interrupt.

A favorite Mercury in Gemini example of mine is former tennis player Steffi Graf who dominated women’s tennis in the 1980’s and 1990’s. She is a triple Gemini (Sun, Moon, and Rising are all in Gemini) and she also has Mercury in Gemini. Mercury is the planetary ruler of tennis and other back-and-forth games. You have to be able to think quickly on your feet when playing tennis.

When Graf ended her career during her Saturn return she was able to move quickly on and settled down with Andre Agassi. She now has two children and involves herself in philanthropy. In a recent interview with Graf and Agassi, the interviewer said said it was like she suddenly disappeared from the tennis scene when she retired. That kind of quick moving on and adaptability is classic Gemini. Graf frequently says she focuses on the now, not on the past.

I especially like how the stereotypes of Mercury in Gemini don’t apply to her. She is very reserved and says her favorite response in interviews is “next question please.” She isn’t chatty so it’s hard to find good quotes from her.

If you have Mercury in Gemini, think about which of the archetypes of the personality it correlates to: Hero, Parent, Child, or Anima/Animus. Steffi Graf is considered by many to have ISTP tendencies. It wouldn’t be hard to see Mercury as her Hero function. If you have Mercury in Gemini I’d love to hear what it’s like for you.

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Mercury in Taurus in the Personality

Mercury in Taurus in the Personality

A natal chart in astrology is about far more than one’s personality type, but looking at it can help give us insight about our type and show us more specifically how we are one-sided.

The location of Mercury in the chart is an important placement when considering personality. Mercury is the fastest planet in the solar system and goes into nooks and crannies that the other planets aren’t able to. The Mercury archetype is a messenger and correlates to that which helps us connect the dots and gives us those aha moments.

According to Jungian analyst and astrologer Liz Greene in Relating, Mercury “is a symbol of the way in which we not only perceive, but order our perceptions so that they can be comprehended and communicated.” He is primarily the symbol of the urge to understand, to integrate unconscious motive with conscious recognition.”

Greene also writes: “Mercury’s sign position at birth suggests the way in which the individual learns, how he perceives and categorises or digests what he learns…”

Currently Mercury is in Taurus, so my friend Joni McMillan and I made a video on our Typestrology channel about Mercury in Taurus in the personality. We use Bono, the singer in the band U2, as a celebrity example. Joni has Mercury in Taurus and talks about her personal experience with this placement. (We are newbies at making videos and have been shy about publicizing them, so bear with us as we continue to get better at this. Writing has always been my thing but I figure it’s time to try and get a feel for making videos. Feel free to subscribe to the channel if you’d like).

Taurus is a feminine, fixed, earth sign ruled by Venus. Mercury here is smooth, sturdy, productive, earthy, sensual, practical, and reliable. Because Taurus is a fixed sign, Mercury here tends to speak more slowly and deliberately. Taurus is methodical and measured and also stubborn, yet loyal and reliable. he Taurus symbol is the bull. The bull is slow to get started but once it does, it has great endurance. Taurus, because of its ruler Venus, has a focus on the arts, nature, the environment, food, tactile things, gardening, and/or singing. Mercurial activities are done in this context when someone has Mercury in Taurus in their chart.

For someone with Mercury in Taurus, I think it would be interesting to explore which of the four Beebe personality archetypes it matches up to: Hero, Parent, Child, and Anima/Animus. In Bono’s case, he is widely considered to have ENFJ tendencies. This makes introverted intuition (Ni) his parent function. It’s quite possible to see how Mercury in Taurus for him is used to “parent” others through his singing and philanthropic business activities (Mercury also represents business activities).

Do you have Mercury in Taurus? If so I’d love to hear what it has been like for you.

Sources:

Relating: An Astrological Guide to Living with Others on a Small Planet by Liz Greene

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Astrology and Personality Types

Astrology and Personality Types

As of this writing there are 56 posts on this blog focused on Jungian personality typology, with a heavy emphasis on John Beebe’s archetypal model. This is a topic I will continue to blog about.

Beginning next week I will start adding posts about astrology and personality types into the mix. This recent Instagram post of mine gives you an idea of what some of those posts will be like (please feel free to follow me on Instagram).

Part of what I want to explore is to see how the planet archetypes in one’s birth chart might match up with the archetypes in Beebe’s personality type model.

I recently completed the year two certification course in Advanced Hellenistic Astrology at Nightlight Astrology, so I feel inclined now to start writing a bit about astrology. In addition to giving readings for people, I want to use my astrological knowledge to enhance my Jungian studies. Insights from astrology can help us more specifically address and become more conscious of the one-sidedness that our personality types make us aware of. Jung used astrology with his clients, as Liz Greene writes about in Jung’s Studies on Astrology.

Speaking of Liz Greene I will draw heavily upon her writings in the astrology and personality posts. She is a Jungian analyst, astrologer, and an academic with a PhD. In time you will probably see her work referenced here as often as I have cited John Beebe’s.

As is always this case with my blog posts here, it is not about me having answers, but exploring and combining the ideas from Jung, Beebe, Greene, and others. I think we need their insights more than ever these days. Thanks for reading!

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The #1 Thing Sensation Types and Intuitive Types Have in Common

The #1 Thing Sensation Types and Intuitive Types Have in Common

We suffer more in imagination than we do in reality, the Stoic philosopher Seneca said.

For all the talk out there about how sensation types and intuitive types differ, I think they both struggle equally with suffering in imagination.

By sensation types I am speaking broadly of the four types that have dominant sensation: ISFJ, ISTJ, ESTP, and ESFP. Intuition is their inferior (weakest) function, especially when the person is younger or overwhelmed by life circumstances at a given time.

People who have a tendency towards having a sensation type (most of us are not a pure type) can have difficulty seeing into the future and predicting the outcome of an action. They struggle to see beyond what is in front of them. Therefore their vision of what the outcome of a decision or situation might be can be inaccurate and trigger unnecessary anxiety.

The four dominant intuitive types are: INFJ, INTJ, ENTP and ENFP. Intuition is their dominant (strongest) function. More often than not, people who have a tendency towards having an intuitive type are correct in connecting the dots and gauging the outcome of a decision or situation. This can cause anxiety as well.

Both sensation and intuitive types need to develop practices to help them face situations with equanimity. Above all, sensation and intuitive types should rely on each other’s strengths in order to better face reality and minimize suffering in imagination.

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