Ti in the 8th (Demon/Daemon) Position

This is the hardest function for me to get my hands on and for good reason. For me Introverted Thinking (Ti) is in the 8th position or the Demon/Daemon. Basically the difference between the two is that the Demon is as it sounds – Bad and the Daemon is just the opposite – Good. This is the unconscious function that is the most hated by me and that description fits very well. I do not like to use this function and yet when I have employed it in the past it has been extremely beneficial at times. I will come back to the Demon/Daemon idea in a little bit but first I want to talk about how Ti feels to me.

Ti according to Dr Beebe is about “Defining”. If you are looking up a definition in the dictionary you are using Extraverted Thinking but if you are defining it yourself that is Introverted Thinking. Like the other introverted functions Ti is about taking the information in and reshaping it to our own satisfaction. Creating our own framework in which the facts and data fit precisely but not visibly to others. Ti “does not accept anyone else’s definition, it has to be redefined by our own self” according to Dr Beebe. Self help books like Stephen Covey’s “the 7 habits of Highly Effective People” is excellent Extraverted Thinking. However, Introverted Thinking requires a person to define success their own way. This internal framework does not look the same to any two people and yet it might accomplish the exact same thing. Also as is the case with all introverted functions Ti tends to be very personal in what it means, requiring a safe environment in which it can be shared with others.

I find myself doing a lot of thinking in the shower. It seems to be the place that with the water flowing on my back I am most able to access this function and come up with some amazingly fluent plans, ideas, concepts all of which are defined by who I am and placed precisely into my internal framework. It is here that I put together presentations in my mind that are smooth and eloquent; papers and speeches that are flowing and meaningful; and books full of deep thought. But by the time I get out and start to take this internal definition and put it on paper or in a PowerPoint or even in this Blog, it is no longer internal and my thoughts and ideas are not anywhere as detailed or eloquent or precise. The internal framework for me is so fragile it doesn’t do well coming into the light of sharing. Even this blog comes out very different than how I see it in my mind and only with great effort am I able to smooth it out to somewhat come near what I was thinking just a few minutes ago. I have always liked to write but putting on paper is way to slow for the thoughts that are trying to come out in an orderly fashion and so the order is often lost. It is here that the definition that is so plain to me seems to lose it’s meaning.

This to me is the Demon coming out and therefore I DO NOT like going to this function. I know that I think differently, I have a very strong set of values, I look to my past with fondness bringing definitions out through stories and musings, and tend to focus on how I can help others succeed with an array of possible outcomes. These other functional skills all find their way in to how I defined a problem. Beebe stated in this workshop that “pure introverted thinking is rare but is used in conjunction with something else”. It most definitely seems that way to me. Beebe also says that the demon Ti goes to the bottom of the idea. I find myself often not liking other people’s definitions of a problem and not being able to accept it. This stubbornness has at times caused me to come to a complete stop on an issue without the ability to overcome. To redefine the issue and overcome the issue that caused me to come to a stop now requires tremendous energy and effort which I am often times not willing to expend until I absolutely have to. On the positive side when I am in an environment in which my thoughts are accepted as is, I have in the past felt that the Daemon came through with a decision that is both unique to my way of thinking and quite successful.

This function in this, the bottom, position of the archetypal ladder is definitely my least liked function and yet I feel I go here to organize my thoughts in a very personal and effective way. Sharing these thoughts, definitions and the structure is the where I run in to problems.

What about you? How does this function play out for you? Do you have what appears to be the right answers but find them different than those around you? How do you think this works in a classroom? Are you in an environment that allows you to share without feeling prejudged?

Thanks for reading. By the way this single post took me about 4 hours to write after thinking about it for over a day. Then in the shower I was struck by a better way to write it and so this the final version is considerably different and I think much better than the original. That is the nature of this function to me.