Understanding Your Results
A profile of your cognitive dynamics is presented below, based on how you have described yourself. A four-letter personality type code and cognitive style are also presented for your convenience if you are familiar with those frameworks. Most people find their results match their 4-letter personality type code and cognitive style. That is, we tend to develop what we prefer and vice versa.
The Eight Processes
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung identified four mental functions — today known as cognitive processes. We focus our attention and gather information using Sensing (S) and iNtuiting (N), and we organize our experiences and make decisions using Thinking (T) and Feeling (F). Jung described how each of these four processes plays out in a person's "internal world" (I) of thoughts, feelings, memories and imagination; and in the "external world" (E) of actions, people, tools and organizations. Thus, 8 cognitive processes (Se, Si, Ne, Ni, Te, Ti, Fe, Fi).
Tandem Dynamics
We can develop and use processes that are “opposite” to our preferences to produce powerful results for ourselves and our organizations. Which processes go together this way?
- Extraverted Sensing and introverted Intuiting
- Introverted Sensing and extraverted Intuiting
- Extraverted Thinking and introverted Feeling
- Introverted Thinking and extraverted Feeling
Developing "opposite" processes is not fully under our conscious control, but exploring them is often very rewarding. They can play challenging or aspirational roles, and using them can bring stress relief and creative results. In particular, a powerful relationship called “tandem use” exists between a cognitive process and its opposite. What is tandem use? Imagine a tandem bicycle with two riders. The front rider pedals and steers. The back rider just pedals. Without the front rider, we can’t control where we are going. Without the back rider, pedaling is harder work. We could simply ride a one-person bicycle by ourselves, but then we miss out on doing something greater than ourselves.
For example, when we use introverted Thinking, we look inwardto a logical framework and we observe only; we eschew opinions andothers’ subjective values. In apparent opposition to that, when we useextraverted Feeling, we reach outward to connect with people; weexchange values and take on other people’s needs as our own. Yet withmaturity we can use these two processes in tandem. We might draw ona theory of effective teamwork to make adjustments for the welfare ofothers or the good of the group. Applying universal principles of humanand group behavior and intervening at key leverage points can help usmanage people’s divergent values, feelings, and opinions in a way thatextraverted Feeling by itself might not. The U.S. Constitution exemplifieswhat happens when people draw upon principles like “a balance ofpowers” as part of creating a social contract by which everyone can getalong together.
Your Cognitive Dynamics Profile
The forty-eight questions you rated earlier tap into eight cognitive dynamics. The profile below is based on your responses. The number of squares indicate strength of response. The equivalent numeric is shown in parentheses along with likely level of development.
Cognitive DynamicLevel of Development (Preference, Skill and Frequency of Use)Se with Ni ********************** (22)
poor useSi with Ne ******************************** (32)
good useNe with Si ******************************** (32)
good useNi with Se ********************** (22)
poor useTe with Fi ******************************** (32)
good useTi with Fe ********************************** (34)
good useFe with Ti ********************************** (34)
good useFi with Te ******************************** (32)
good use
Summary Analysis of Profile
By focusing on the strongest configuration of cognitive dynamics, your pattern of responses most closely matches individuals of this type:
ESFJ
The corresponding best-fit cognitive pattern: If these results don't fit well then consider these types:
ISFJ, or
ENTP
If these results are different from what you know of yourself, you might consider why your developmental pattern does not align with your expectation. You might also consider exploring this result as a possible better fit.
Lol.