Developments in Type Theory: Analytic vs Holistic Brain Wiring

I easily get overwhelmed when presented with too much detail. Give me the overview or bottom line any time. Unless, as it turns out, if those details help me better understand people and relationships! So, maybe you can imagine my excitement at the new developments in psychological Type theory, some of which I'd like to share with you now (sprinkling some practical insights about your relationships, of course).

Then...

If you're new to Type, allow me to provide a little context. The theory of psychological Types is based on Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung’s work, and his book “Psychologische Typen” that was first published in 1921. He stipulates that people come into the world with a predisposition to use our brains in specific ways, and over time, we develop one or two functions that become our type of consciousness, and help define our sense of self.

He started out by noticing that people’s mental energy, or libido as he called it, was either drawn to the outer or inner world, which he called extraversion and introversion. (These technically aren’t a function, they are described as an attitude.)

Many people are already served with just this one point of insight - where they get mental energy from, and where they like to spend it. Just this one difference already explains so much when it comes to relationships, e.g. who wants to have a big wedding or who wants to have a small gathering at the county courthouse.

For your relationship:

Extraversion and Introversion (E&I) differences often show up in how we want to be social or not, our hobbies, and given the societal preconception and romantic notion that your partner is supposed to be “the one” you do everything with, this can trip some people up. You don’t have to do everything together! But E&I is also about communication, so
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​two extraverts together:
- Both are active, tend to share thoughts and feelings out loud, talk easily, get energy from one another, and enjoy the company of others.
- Both are busy and may a) not have a lot of time together, and b) not enough quality alone-time; may compete for attention and not listen closely to the other.

Two introverts together:

- Both appreciate the need for private time and space and can be "alone together.”

- Both may hold back on verbalizing issues or assumptions until there is an 'emotional charge,' which may make the partner feel cornered or misunderstood.

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An extravert with an introvert:

- Energies are balanced; one encourages lively interaction (E) while the other encourages calm reflection (I).

- Different interpretations of 'quality time,' 'privacy,' 'patience,' how much talking is 'enough talking.'

But it’s literally just the tip of the iceberg.

Jung then noticed that at any given time, our brain seems to be doing one of two things - it’s either processing information aka perceiving, or making decisions aka judging.

Perceiving can happen in two ways, based on the Sensation (S), so a more physical approach, or based on Intuition (N), which is a more mental approach.

Deciding can also happen in two ways, based on objective logic Thinking (T) or based on subjective values and Feeling (F). Both of these are rational functions as objective and subjective decisions are made in the mind.

These four functions can show up in both attitudes, so the 8 Jungian functions are

• extraverted Sensation (Se)

• introverted Sensation (Si)

• extraverted iNtuition (Ne)

• introverted iNtuition (Ni)

• extraverted Thinking (Te)

• introverted Thinking (Ti)

• extraverted Feeling (Fe)

• introverted Feeling (Fi)

Unless you were around in the 1920s in Switzerland, you probably never would have heard about this theory. Luckily, in the 1940s, an American mother-daughter duo put together a questionnaire to help people like you and me figure out which functions we prefer and in which order. That became the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(r). The MBTI(r) result is a four-letter type code that is shorthand for the underlying eight jungian functions, which can show up in 16 Types.

...and now

Many psychologists and typology experts have taken Jung's theory and expanded on it. David Keirsey came up with a Temperament theory, finding similarities between SJ, SP, NT, and NF Types. Dr. Linda Berens found another pattern in how the 16 Types express energetically, which she called Interaction Styles. John Beebe connected the 8 functions to archetypal energy depending on their position in the function order, as hypothesized by the Type code.

And Dr. Dario Nardi started putting EEG caps on his students at UCLA and started measuring neuronal activity in the neocortex. Now, I don't know about you, but I'm a brain nerd and I love this stuff!

I was certified in Dario's Neuroscience of Type approach in 2012, which was already exciting, but he's kept going and now, after analyzing EEG brain imaging for 100s of participants, he found new brain wiring patterns that allowed him to differentiate the eight Jungian functions into two distinct flavors. He calls them yin or holistic, and yang or analytic.

In his books The Magic Diamond and Decoding your Personality, he clarified that this kind of brain wiring is somewhat malleable or plastic, and that it might change over time depending on your age, sex, profession, and hobbies.

Before I share what the characteristics of analytic and holistic are: quick caveat, the challenge with all descriptions is that we like to generalize into stereotypes, so I want to point out that these are abstractions, so you will not resonate with 100% of the description 100% of the time. But if you have been wondering why your four-letter Type result maybe doesn’t really gel with how you see yourself, maybe this differentiation can help!

Analytic / Yang

• The analytic style, or flavor, or energy, if you will, is focused on a goal, it filters out distractions, and it looks like clarity and confidence, kinda like a spot-light.

• That’s not to say it’s simplistic, it considers the complexities of a situation and includes relevant variables.

• Its approach is top-down, a priori, so it’s driving the situation with a point in mind.

• It likes to solve problems quickly using familiar tools, and can be unaware of their own biases.

• It’s often more visual.

• It pays attention to what is being said, facts, figures, rules, methods, and labels.

• Thinking is often literal to the specific context, and they often describe using analogies.

• In business, it’s more comfortable with hierarchy, defined roles and leadership.

• Likely careers for those with an analytical style include business, engineering, finance, law, the military, hard sciences and tech.

Holistic / Yin

• The holistic style, or flavor, or energy, is focused on getting input and going with the flow. It’s more open ended, and looks like patience and relaxation, kinda like a lantern.

• That’s not to say it’s flaky, it considers all aspects at once, which allows it to connect ideas in fresh and new ways.

• Its approach is bottom-up, open to discovery and synergy, wherever the data might lead.

• It likes to find new tools and solutions, and is so aware of their biases it might lack the confidence to make a change.

• It’s often more auditory.

• It pays attention to how things are said, but also ethics, intentions, and emotions.

• Thinking is often figurative and might focus on identity and values, and they often describe using metaphors.

• In business, it’s more comfortable with an egalitarian and collaborative approach.

• Likely careers for those with a holistic style include creative arts, social services, humanistic pursuits, soft sciences, and multiculturalism.

In other words, even though the Thinking function is in itself about objective logic, it can have a holistic flavor and hold many models lightly. This wiring may be due to socialization, so you might resonate with it, e.g., if you grew up as a woman in a society where Feeling behaviors were rewarded. So when you take a questionnaire like the MBTI(r), you might resonate more with the Feeling descriptions, although your brain actually prefers holistic Thinking.

Likewise, even though your Intuiting function is in itself more focused on imagery, symbolism, and patterns in the information you perceive, with an analytic flavor it will happily focus on one central object or figure. So your questionnaire results might give you an S for Sensing, even though your brain might prefer analytic Intuition.

The last time I asked him, Dario hasn't yet made a questionnaire available that would help you sort between the flavors. But if you'd like to learn more, please find his books linked above, AND I actually made videos about all 16 flavors. You can view them here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-akUgWHUNk8gUwUZCaRDvoE8Q5bJvaci