About My Socionic Type Descriptions

I have long been preoccupied with finding and formulating core type characteristics that would be true for all representatives of a given type regardless of individual differences. I have always been frustrated when people disagree with type descriptions despite clearly belonging to a certain type. In many cases I find type descriptions inadequate. The problem is, when type descriptions are vivid and lifelike, they necessarily focus on colorful details that are characteristic of some of the more extreme and recognizable representatives of the type. If, on the other hand, descriptions are very abstract and formulaic, people have difficulty understanding what they are trying to get at and seeing themselves in any of the descriptions.

Type messages

The solution I have arrived at is to describe the core 'message' of each type. This idea came just recently (I wrote about it on 4/13 in my blog and talked about the similar issue of relating needs to functions on 4/10), and I soon realized that I had hit the nail on the head.

I began doing this for different people I knew and soon realized that different people of the same type had very closely related "messages," regardless of what lifestyles they led and what their professions were. For example, all the ethical intuitive introverts ('humanists') I know are concerned with being exemplary and showing others an example — regardless of whether they are students or engineers, military workers or psychologists, happy in life or depressed. Even if they don't think consciously that they are being an example to others, this comes across between the lines in everything they do and say.

Type messages do not impose any limitations on what kinds of things different types can be good at. Types simply apply their type message to whatever fields of activity they engage in. An SLE will display 'readiness to fight' both as a boxer and as a university professor. Intellectual confrontation or organizational confrontation can engage an SLE just as much as physical confrontation. Likewise, an EII can be a photo model as well as a school teacher; in each role he or she will try to be an example to others above all else.

This is a more accurate view of the socionic types than the typical "SLE's are good at..." stereotypes. Socionic type is not to be found in what a person does, but in how one does it — or, to be meticulously precise, the value and emphasis one attaches to different aspects of things and activities. If you step back and look at the person as a whole, you can see that they always tend to emphasize the importance of a certain aspect of things above all others. This is their type message, and it is a direct reflection of their Ego block functions...

Type messages and relationships

Next, I recognized that a person's "message" was precisely what most defined his relationships with other people — not specific actions or habits or skills or any other things that some socionic type descriptions focus on. Some people love and appreciate your message in day-to-day life. Others prefer to observe you from afar because they don't need your message, but they sometimes find you interesting to watch or useful to keep in contact with. Yet others feel self-conscious and defensive around you because they suspect you are going to criticize them. They tend to interpret your message as criticism of their weaknesses or errors (often imaginary errors!).

For example, an SLE feels uncomfortable around EII's because being an example to others is literally the last thing in the world this type would like to be concerned about. LSE's, on the other hand, find this message inspiring and complementary to their own mission of "worthwhile activity." Both LSE are EII are concerned about building a perfect society — through a combination of useful, rational activity and service (the LSE's message) and exemplary behavior and showing others how to reach ideals (the EII's message). A similar complementary relationship exists between the type messages of other dual pairs and, in a wider sense, within the quadras.

How type messages are conveyed

1. In priorities
Our type-related values and priorities come through in our day-to-day choices. An EII whose type message is to be an example to others systematically sacrifices personal interests and comfort (health) to do what he perceives to be his duty. For some reason this is easier for him than pursuing his personal interests first, perhaps because he actually perceives his duties and serving his ideals as his personal interests! An SLI whose type message is to lead the right lifestyle systematically neglects meeting others' expectations in order to follow his vision of a healthy lifestyle (of which intellectual pursuits can be an integral part, as well as physical). And so on.

2. In conversation
People prick their ears, pay attention, and get involved when people around them start talking about things related to their type message. An SEI always has an opinion about things related to one's enjoyment of various activities. An IEE always is interested in ways that people have broadened their horizons or changed their perspective on things. An SLE is never indifferent to stories about encountering challenges and confrontational situations and putting up a fight. In addition, people tend to talk about things related to the type message of the person they are with. In other words, being around an SEI makes you want to talk about enjoyment, and being around an LSE makes you want to talk about how to do various things. Studying how people react to a certain person can help us figure out his "message," and hence his type.

3. In stories about one's life
In talking about their lives, the lessons they have learned, and the things they are proud of, people tell much about their own value system and type message. Does a person enjoy telling stories about confrontational situations? experiences that changed his outlook or views? experiences that taught him what kind of person he should be? People attach greater significance to things related to their type message.

List of type messages

I am currently working with the list below and plan to build my type descriptions around elaborating these type messages. Note that subtle difference between extraverts' and introverts' type messages. Extraverts have an expansionary (energy spending) message, while introverts have a "filtering" (energy saving) message, i.e. a message about how to choose from among what options there are and filter out the rest.

For another try at type messages, read this list by forum user "Transigent," 4/18/2006.

07/31/2006 Expat
I think these type messages are overall good. I'm not sure about ESI being "meeting society's expectations", it depends on what it meant with "society". As it is, it implies a concern with what people in general think that it's not characteristic of ESIs. I'd suggest "meeting the expectations of those I care about". Even better would be "maintaining my relationships with individuals at optimal level".

"Worthwhile activity" could apply to LIEs as well - or perhaps "achievement of beneficial efficiency" or something like it.

LII - understanding the world

ESE - helping others enjoy life

07/31/2006 Author
Thanks for the help. I have made some changes to the chart. All of these need to be developed further and compared and contrasted, which I intend to do gradually. For example, LIE and LSE both emphasize worthwhileness and rationality in what they say and do. However, LSEs emphasize that activities need to be worthwhile and rational in light of today's goals and tasks and worthwhile (useful) in and of themselves, while LIEs emphasize the prospects that rational activity should or might lead to, creating a sort of speculatory spirit. Likewise, there is a key difference between the "message" of EII and ESI, also along the lines of sensing-intuition. EIIs emphasize the importance of ideals in what they do and say and have a great need to meet their own inner ideal regardless of the external necessity of such an ideal. This ideal comes from an internal image of an exemplary doctor, teacher, parent, worker, etc., not from the actual expectations of actual people and circumstances. This is very attractive to LSEs. In contrast, ESIs have a more concrete understanding of what is expected of them and of others they care about, and they work with these concrete expectations rather than striving to meet idealized expectations that have dubious practical value. You could say that EIIs strive to become symbols of dedication and "ideal attitudes," while ESIs are a reflection of reality, real expectations and needs, and "practical attitudes."

10/17/2006 Fortunato
Without getting into too much detail, I think you are on the right track.

Many of the personality descriptions focus on external behavior (for obvious reasons -- it's the most easily seen aspect of a person), which is correlated to some degree with internal motivations.

But it's still just correlation, and can't be mistaken for part of the personality type itself. That's why certain types will gravitate towards certain professions, but why the particular profession is not necessarily an indication of type.

A psychologist I know mentioned how people in counseling usually offer a "pull" of sorts. In other words, they present themselves in a way that would get the counselor (hopefully) to respond in the way they unconsciously desire. Everyone has a pull, even if they're not aware of it; and the counselor has to recognize it for what it is, so as to give a person what they NEED, not merely what they WANT from him.

I think this notion of underlying desire and drive applies to personality as well.

I think each type "wants something" (i.e., the drive and motivation of the person -- what do they VALUE most, overall, and what things do they NOTICE instinctively?), and these values/motivations play out in any setting, no matter what it might be.

So I think that your aim of determining the "message" the type is trying to communicate to others is a good way to categorize and define core personality. It's harder to get one's hands on, but it's definitely the right idea.

10/17/2006 Author
Thanks for the good comments, especially about the "pull" psychologists notice in their clients. This "pull" is an implicit request (and sometimes an explicit demand) for Super-Id related complementary behavior and views of things. Interesting that you say people in counselling usually offer a pull. Actually, I believe they invariably do, but that not all pulls are distinguishable to the observer. Some people's "pulls" simply will not make sense; you can't even tell what it is the person wants, and so you hand them off to another counsellor (ideally) who might understand them better. This is also type-related.

03/18/2007 Stormy
Interesting, although I do think there's some redundancy:

EII, being exemplary (ideal)
SLI, correct living and temperance
LSI, doing things the correct way

These seem very similar - being exemplary has an emphasis on communicating to others, I suppose, but then your premise is that all type messages are a form of communicating.

Also, you mention that the messages of Dual Types complement each other - this doesn't seem to be the case, for example:

SLI, correct living and temperance
IEE, expanding ones horizons

The former implies that one is interested in finding a single, ideal way of doing things, wheres the latter is preoccupied with exploring many ideals.

03/18/2007 Author
I have clarified these messages quite a bit in this post at my blog.