Tatyana Prokofieva
Marina Kuzmina

Whether the events in our life are good or bad greatly depends on the way we perceive them.

M. Montaigne

Every socionic function different manifestations in a person’s information system depend on his type of information metabolism. From socionics point of view these peculiarities of functions work differ in two main tendencies.

• The strength of the function.
• The consciousness of the function.

Knowing the IM type to which the person belongs we can say which of his functions are strong and which are weak, which are better understood and which are less understood.

The strength of a function

So, what are strong and weak functions, what are the differences between them? C.G. Jung wrote the following things about that: “As experience shows, it is next to impossible – as a result of unfavourable conditions – that somebody could develop all his functions at the same time. Social demand bring to more differentiation (developing) by a person that of his functions where he is more talented by nature or which gives him the most evident real means to achieve social success. A person very often, almost regularly, wholly identifies himself with the function placed in the most favourable conditions and due to that the most developed one. This way psychological types are constructed ”» [1 ].

Simply speaking, strong functions determine the psychological type. To some extent they show who we are in this world: what we bring to the world, which of our features we can use more that other, what we know better, where the spheres of our talents could be found. There is an old socionic test: remember, please, what you can do for a very, very long time without being tired. This will be the sphere of your strongest function. Even if by this “do” one means doing nothing, dreaming for example. This is not bad and says only about the strong function of intuition.

· People often turn to me with questions on their career opportunities. I start asking them about their preferences and after the atmosphere of trust has been created I hear: “Well, it is really silly, but I would like ...” Do you think any rare professions are named? The very usual ones. But why is it “silly”? “I do not know, unusual and I have no education in this sphere.” People just feel shy being themselves, confiding even to themselves that is why it is often difficult to identify the person’s strong functions.

So, what is the why to understand what are strong functions and how they could be told from weak ones? The definition given by Jung is a bit vague, it is difficult to interpret it without mistakes. It is connected with the fact that Jung has just groped for new terms, made classification of the things which had never been described earlier. And this work was done in the end of the XIX – early XXth centuries. It was difficult to explain it all then. Proceeding with the work started by Jung and having come to the terms introduced by him from the information metabolism theory point of view, A. Augusinavichuite made the following conclusion.

The function’s strength is determined by the volume of information which it can process.

Socionic research shows that the greatest volume of information is taken in those functions where we have the bigger carrying capacity of information channels by nature. Exactly in the spheres where we have the bigger volume of information we are strong, we can evaluate situations, consider more facts make more correct conclusions. It is more difficult to confuse us here. Our range of interests is wider here and we take information on our strong functions without any fear, with pleasure easily. After some time we become experts in these spheres and even can criticize others.

And what about weak functions? Jung wrote: “… one or several functions inevitably fall behind in their growth. That is why they can be well characterized as “inferior”, in psychological, not psychopathological meaning for these inferior functions are not at all morbid but only fallen behind if compared to the function in favourable conditions” [ 1].

In socionic language it will look the following way: for weak functions we have channels of lesser capacity that is why our weak functions process less information that the strong ones. How is their weakness manifested? Information which is not full is not usually true enough. Making decisions connected with the spheres of processing by weak functions we more often make mistakes and have to turn to people for help and advice. There is nothing bad or humiliating in that for us, we, in our turn, can give advice from our strong functions.

The volume of information processed by strong functions is enough for a person’s own needs and also for transferring it to other people and society. While weak functions process relatively small volume of information. The quality of the final product of weak functions is lower. Such product can rarely interest the people around for there are always people in society with the same functions in strong positions.

Let’s see how the function’s strength manifests itself on the logics of relationships example. If it is a strong function of a person, he easily understands different rules, laws, he easily studies mathematics and languages, works with documents and editing. And a person, whose logics of relationships is a weak function, should not choose the above mentioned activities as a profession. In such case the person’s strong function is ethics and his talents should be developed in the sphere of ethics.

Does a person need weak functions? Yes. He can use them for his own needs. Information of weak functions is enough for everyday life. There is no sense in laying the work on them on other people on the whole feeling dependent and defective. Such understanding of weak functions is often met among people who are not well acquainted with socionics but it is not true. We should not go to extremes. Every person can get the necessary skills of self-service on his weak functions too, it is real to learn in the volume required by usual everyday matters.

A. Augustinavichuite writes about that: “Those aspects which an individual uses are reflected in a comparatively generalized way and are memorized as images, experience, skills. This aspects, on which information is transferred to the society, is perceived in a differential way, with more exactness which allows deep understanding of the information and transferring it verbally” [i 2 ].

Strong functions should be used not only for the person himself but to transfer information to other people in professional and other common activities, to share experience, to support close people. Our strong functions production is needed by the society and we have the right to count on reimbursement from it.

Weak functions are better to use f o r o n e s el f without imposing help to other people from these functions: there is a great risk of a mistake here, and as a result a chance to let people down. But everyone can get the necessary minimum of knowledge, skills.

It is good to remember that a function’s strength or “carrying capacity of the information channel” should be measured only in comparison with the person’s other functions. In socionics functions are compared by pairs (by dichotomies): what is stronger at this person:

• logics or ethics;
• intuition or sensorics.

We can only talk about a relative advantage inside the person’s psyche. We do not compare him to other people here .

Sometimes a function seems to be strong with a person because he is better than other people in this information. But we do not really know whether he has studied for a long time and developed this function or it is his strong function by nature. And till we understand the whole situation, we will not be able to identify his type correctly. It often happens that beginners in socionics make such a mistake.

· Here is an example. At the training on diagnostics of the first year group students of our School identify TIM of a MIPhI graduate, who now works as a programmer. His speech abounds in data bases, programming languages… Being taken with such flow of white logics the whole group returns their verdict: logics is the strong function. Certainly, in this case the information channel of white logics is filled well, much better than with people who do not have such profound education. But it is time to say here: “Stop, guys, and what about ethics here?” We recall all the line of the interview and it turns out that for all this time we did not only hear but saw how easily our client builds relationships with people, he enjoys finding approach to any person and in every small pause, when the group thought over the next question, he started making the acquaintance of one of our pretty girls. If any of you, dear readers, have ever a chance to sit on a “hot chair” in front of a group of 15 people who ask you the most unexpected questions about your life, then you, certainly, remember this state. Most of the people here are far from flirting with girls, one needs very strong ethics for that. Strong functions usually manifest themselves in a very easy and natural way, it just happens, that’s all. They are not for “showing off”, their owner is just confident in them. And on a weak function, even well worked at, we can see certain tension, certain stiffness, we can often come across excuses here. By the way, our client having flaunted with his “MiPhIcal” education immediately found the excuse: “the family tradition, all men in our family are MIPhI graduates, I could not violate the rule”. Oh, these our traditions making all the men without exception be logics!

A function’s strength can be identified only in comparison with other functions of the same person.

Weak functions are weak because they will fall behind our strong functions. However sad it could seem but that is the only condition of harmony. Those and other functions can be developed by intensifying the whole information exchange volume. And then by the absolute size, our weak functions can easily surpass somebody’s strong functions. But our strong functions at that will be even stronger.

Those, who have superficial knowledge of socionics, very often have vague understanding of the fact that there is normally little difference between strong and weak functions. Speaking about strong and weak functions socionics does not state that there are very few weak functions or that they are much weaker than strong ones. With a harmoniously developed person the balance of strong and weak functions remains approximately at the level of 60:40 which reminds of the proportion of golden section (about 62:38) and can correspond to it.

· If a person’s weak functions are so weak that it cab be easily noticed, we can talk about problems of the personal growth, perhaps about character accentuations and in the case of gross violations – about pathology. We know from psychology that accentuations can be noticed, they remind of some kind of “ledge” in a person’s character and this “ledge” often “catches on” people, situations and circumstances. This strongly interferes with a person’s life and his communication with the people around.

But we should not mix it up with strong and weak functions of a harmoniously developed person: the 60:40 proportion is only one and a half times difference. It is seen first of all by the person himself and possibly by his close people. It is clearly seen in stress situations and in everyday life can rarely be noticed by non-experts.

People often ask whether socionics limits a person’s capabilities, “prohibiting” their activities on their weak functions. No, and again, no. With, or without socionics knowledge, every person can choose activities according to his preferences. The matter is a bit different. Socionics only help us to answer the following questions. What is easier for us to rely on? What provides us with more reliable information? What is the way to make one’s life easier and more successful? Is that possible?

Psychologists state that in different situations a person can rely on one of the two life strategies:

• strive for success;
• strive for avoiding failures.

Which is better to choose?

· It so happened that our people more often aim at avoiding failures. It is not common to aim at success, “it is a bit awkward”, “to be on the safe side”. Thus , nothing happens .

It often happens that the things we think about come true. We think about success – and we succeed. We think about failures (even about avoiding them) – and fail. That is why psychologists believe motivation for success is more advantageous. If we tune in success and move to it every day, remember about it, gather by small parts its components, pave our way to it, work hard – then our success in inevitable. We can often see that in the biographies of people who managed to do something worthwhile in their lives. Thinking about success we draw it near. This way a person feels self-actualized. Otherwise, aiming at nothing, or striving for being the same as “everyone else”, we become like others, that is nothing special, or even just a nobody.

Does it mean that avoiding failures is an absolutely useless strategy? Certainly, not. We need it too. That is not the issue of becoming “a person in a shell” who avoids everything extraordinary, but there is reason to forget about caution. Otherwise, the life can turn into recklessness and then there is a good chance to lose all one’s achievements without getting any result. The necessary caution is needed, and it should not be disregarded without any consequences.

That means that both these strategies are necessary for every person, otherwise there would be no success in life but only failures. How can the best strategy be chosen? Psychologists advise to combine both these strategies with an accent on aiming at success. We can specify: from harmonization of one’s life point of view it is better when their combination is that of the golden section.

Why do I write about it in a book on socionics? Because socionics can make these recommendations more exact. Watching the work of strong and weak functions we can notice that it is much better to aim at success on our strong functions, for it is easier and more effective. Here there is a good chance to surpass other people showing all one’s talents. Here we are enduring, can work for a long time without getting tired which is very important for success. Here our goals are more exact and the means to reach them are more appropriate. We are not afraid of criticism here and in case of our mistakes, our confidence is not reduced, we just start looking for other approaches to the solution of our tasks, correct our mistakes and find creative means making our result more effective.

And our weak functions show us the area of our possible mistakes. Farsight is not hinder in any situation, that’s why it is better to think in advance where we can fail. It will be the most probable sphere of our weak functions. It is here that we should secure ourselves. Fears, doubts, feeling of guilt and inferiority complex, superfluous trust to other people’s opinion or, vice versa, stand-off to information most often concentrate in our weak functions.

There is a saying: “If I knew the place where I could fall down, I would have spread straw there”. We can know in advance: the greatest chance to “fall down” is at our weak functions. That means, we should “spread straw” there. Actually, every kind of our activities inevitably involves all the functions but to different extent. Being carried away with our work we can miss our mistake on our weak function. But “the chain is no stronger than its weakest”, that’s why it is better to take care of avoiding failures in advance, not ignoring doubts coming from our weak functions. While our strong functions are self-confident, the weak ones are careful. They provide some kind of insurance for us.

What is the best way to secure oneself on the weak functions? A reliable partner can be invited who has these functions as strong ones. Another way is not to expand the sphere of weak functions too much. If it is necessary to work for some time in the sphere of weak functions, it is good to study the subject and train the necessary skills acquiring in that the necessary experience. But one should not forget about their weakness, that is, about securing oneself against failure. It will reduce one’s pleasure from the work but it is possible. Finally, there is an opportunity to take part in specific psychological trainings to prevent their traumatizing one’s psyche with blows on one’s pride inevitable in the work with weak functions.

Using the competent approach it is possible to bonify one’s weak functions. How can one do it?

• First, not to forget that this weakness exists only in comparison to our strong functions, it does not make us be weaker than other people are.
• To understand what actually is weak, which information is more difficult for us. It should be taken into consideration in our life not to get into trouble because of rashness.
• To listen to suggestions of these functions. Maybe our usual fears manifest themselves. Then they should be worked over and the problems should be solved. And maybe just the other way round, we dashingly push ourselves. Then another strategy should be implemented: it is time to look around and to estimate our resources. Otherwise, we will lack energy for really important achievements.
• And, finally, not the least. Due to our weak functions we can understand other people, feel their susceptibilities, for they are also afraid of something from time to time, and in some situations they lack energy for something too. Such approach takes us to better mutual understanding and removes a number of problems.

The competent approach to one’s weak functions means that there is no need to be afraid and to have complexes or to “hide the head in the sand”, covering oneself from problems and accepting one’s weaknesses. All of us are just living people and the best way is to know ourselves well, take ourselves as we are than create legends about ourselves in our imagination, trying to make ourselves and the people around believe these legends.

· Failing to accept ourselves we will not be able to take other people as they are and thus we will be forever doomed to moralizing, controlling, criticizing and other troubles in relations. Do we really need that ?

If a person chooses his job on his weak functions, certainly, no one can forbid that. It is good to wonder here what his expectations from such job are. Mostly the matter in such cases in not one’s personal growth but about reluctance to make decisions by oneself: such person just likes “to work like everybody else, because it is the rule”. He does not expect good salary and/or public recognition. Here social stereotypes come into action: “where the measure of the work done is fatigue”. But such person will hardly be interested in socionics. We do not write for him. There are other people in the world who have their own creativity but they feel shy of bringing it to life via their profession: “to get money for such pleasure?” – And why not?

Сформулируем выводы из сказанного . Let's draw conclusions from the above mentioned.

• It is better to build the main life strategies basing on one’s strong functions, choosing according to them goals and means. It concerns both, professional activities and partnership where we like to be estimated by our true worth.
• Farsight should be manifested first of all in the sphere of our weak functions, having thought beforehand of our weak points, competently building a strategy to defend them.
• The proportion of success and avoiding failures is better to be chosen at the level of golden section: approximately 60% should be given to success and about 40% to avoiding failure.

A matter of functions development often arises. We will talk about that in the next book but as this questions is very important we will say a few words about it here. Certainly, every person decides for himself which functions he needs to develop, strong or weak ones. We think it appropriate to give a piece of advice here.

First, we would like to warn you against going to extremes: there is no reason to focus all attention on developing strong functions only, but there is also no need to wrestle with oneself trying to develop mostly weak ones. All the functions should be developed and with that it is good to remember about the balance of golden section: 60% percent of attention should be paid to the strong functions development and 40% - to development of the weak ones. This way we reach harmony in the personal growth.

Why not vice versa? Sometimes people try to drag their weak functions to the level of their weak ones. Or even they want to make them stronger than the strong ones trying to change their type. Such work demands great effort, the person overcomes fears and difficulties, quarrelling with himself while doing so. And all this to become “half this and half that”, “50 x 50”, “neither fish nor flesh”. Is it worth it ?

Striving for developing functions in 50:50 proportion is often caused by the fear of being weaker than others in something, making one’s problems noticeable for the people around. Of course, fears and weaknesses should be overcome. But when we try to work on them, force the situation, our success certainly is the matter of time. It is necessary to make a certain “factor of safety” which will support us on our way to success. We are used to take some food for a trip. The same is here .

It is important to remember and know good things about us – that means, our strong features. If our strong features are well-developed, we can turn our attention to them in case of misfortune not to feel absolutely unlucky. And our self-esteem will not be hard hit by that.

And one more thing is very important: a brute-force approach is not always the best one. Sometimes it is much more effective to solve the matter indirectly concentrating on the strong function instead of the weak one. There are exact methods to do that. We will talk about that while analyzing functions of the A model.

And if the balance of strong and weak functions is upset to this or that side, what happens then? Then those functions which upset the balance at the moment should be developed: If the strong functions are falling behind almost reaching the level of the weak ones – then these strong functions should be developed; if the weak functions are so weak that it catches the eye, then we work with the weak ones. But we try to keep the golden section in doing that for harmonious people’s life is much easier. And it is easier to deal with them .

· And despite everything mentioned earlier, there are still people who say that there are methods developing weak functions to the level of strong ones, and socionics prohibits it. Yes, it is true. There are such methods. And socionics can not prohibit them. But why have all these people not developed their left hand to the level of the right one? Here we can recall an anecdote about a person who liked to cut a green hedge with manicure scissors. He was a member of a society of searching maximal difficulties in life and like to do a great number of such things. Who can forbid it ?

We are often asked about a chance to change one’s psychological type for the purpose of replacing one’s weak functions for strong ones. Somebody said that he had hold such experiments. I will explain the gist of it: if there were a chance to change the type, it would not mean that all the person’s functions would be strong but to change certain weak functions for the other weak ones. That is, to make one’s strong functions weak (well, and one’s weak functions – strong, if it works). I do not see the sense in such experiments: there is a great risk of going mad, and the result will be dubious. To my mind, such risk is unjustified and it could hardly be associated with the personal growth.

Everything discussed earlier proves once again that people should appreciate help, psychological supplement and not blame each other for drawbacks, for all good features can not live in one person. Maybe this makes a human being a collective creature.

A function consciousness

According to its place in the model of IM type a functions can manifest itself like conscious or subconscious. C.G. Jung was the first to speak about that. He called the most conscious function of a type a differentiated one and stated that it can realize its sphere just as it is without the help of other functions. As undifferentiated functions need such help, understand their material with the touch of other functions, not in a pure form.

Jung wrote: “The more precious function is always a conscious personality manifestation, its intention, its will, its achievement, while less differentiated functions belong to the number of events happening to us. These occasions are not often manifested in a form of a language slip or other blunders; they can be half or three fourths deliberate for less differentiated functions have, though less, but consciousness”. [ 1].

A person more often thinks about his conscious functions, speaks about them, can suggest something of his own, comprehend others’ suggestions or criticize false opinions. Subconscious functions work as if on their own, “without reporting”, without much thinking but giving the final result as actions, wishes, moods.

Jung specified: “You should not imagine on the whole that subconscious is buried far under a great number of layers and can be disclosed only with the help of laborious drilling. Just on the opposite, the subconscious constantly flow into psychological events and in such a degree that an observer feels it difficult to decide which features of the character should be referred to the conscious personality and which to the unconscious one”. [ 1 ].

Jung connected subconscious functions with instincts. It is not often spoken about but it seems that that is really so. A person if often called “a political animal”, that is he has both social and biological parts. Social, turned to people, to society, to public relations is naturally connected with conscious. Here the speech, thinking, realizing one’s actions is needed. Biological is functioning on the level of organism, instincts, and it is more correctly connected with subconscious, for instinctive actions do not presume thinking and reasoning.

A. Augustinavichuite in her work “Socion” wrote about that in terms of the first and the second signaling systems [i 3 ]. It is known from biology that both animals and human beings have the first signaling system which is connected with instincts and A. Augustinavichuite connected it with subconscious (or, or terms of socionics, vital, indispensable to life). Only a human being has the second signaling system, it is connected with speech. A. Augustinavichuite connected it with conscious (in socionics it is called mental).

Sometimes in their everyday life people consider subconscious to be weak. Even Jung himself did not mark strong subconscious functions. However, socionic research showed that not all subconscious functions are weak. There are strong conscious functions and strong subconscious functions and also weak conscious and weak subconscious functions. We will show the manifestations of consciousness and subconsciousness of functions by the example of logics of relationships.

Some IM types have logics of relationships in the area of conscious strong functions. In this case working on it brings pleasure and can be connected with creativity: a person likes and has a capacity to invent a new classification, to sort everything out, to explain complicated phenomena, to find new ways of explaining if the old ones are not good enough.

Other types have logics of relationships in the area of strong subconscious functions. The work on it with such person seems to go by itself without making extra trouble or bringing great joy. He easily understands laws and rules but he will not probably feel like explaining: “what needs to be explained here? Everything is absolutely clear”. Such person will keep to laws, feel their spirit but he would not invent new ones. He will easily and well learn a foreign language but would not go into the details of grammar – it is not interesting for him.

These are the cases where difficulties with TIM diagnostics can arise: “Why is he logic, if he is not interested in mathematics and does not like explaining?” Let’s not mix up things. Subconscious functions are not interesting but they act very quickly and reliably. Such types have strong logics of actions in the conscious sphere, a person shows interest in it, will enjoy inventing here and telling what is to be done and how it should be done, will invent a new technology or a way to invest his money profitably to make it work. And that is logics.

Weak functions also act differently according to the degree of consciousness. We realize our weakness on weak conscious functions and we do not like it. WE try either to develop these functions or to hide this weakness or, the best, if no one could touch upon these topics making less trouble. Weak conscious logics of relationships hates vague explanations, abundance of obscure instructions, blaming for mess or misunderstanding. Demands of explaining one’s actions logically bring its owners to confusion or indignation.

People treat their weakness much easier on their weak subconscious functions. They like to get help and support here, take objective criticism easily and are glad to praise, are ready to learn using these functions better but such learned actions will be uncreative, imitative, or will be used with the support of the according strong functions (for example, understanding rules and laws through people’s feelings whom these laws concern). People who have logics of relationships as a weak subconscious function are ready to gladly keep to the rules, like when somebody explains or tells them something from the point of scientific rules. Even if they use the knowledge of mathematics, programming, science of law in their work, they do not connect their creativity with that.