Type & Money/Special Topic

Which Way to the Good Life? By Ray Linder

Beth wants mad money that she can splurge, but Gordon observes, penny

is a penny earned." Don wants to retire to a comfortable lifestyle in 20 years. but Marjorie wants comfortable living room furniture today.

When it comes to money, most people want to use it to attain the good life. However, because we are propelled to that life by different motivations, people find themselves going there in opposite directions.

Jung's initial typology was based upon two opposing directions, or atti-

Jung's Dialectical Personality Theory Continued from page 3

APT needs to work on one­sidedness. Our biggest typological weakness is the relative lack of the sens­ing preference among our members and leadership (see Tom Penderghast's ar­ticle, 'fi Case Study," in the last issue of the Bulletin, p. 4), but there are other potential problems. Our age distribu­tion, for example, is skewed towards the older end of the spectrum.

We need to have more theoretical diversity. Ironically, too much devotion to the Jungian model can make us one­sided. Too much focus on application rather than research and theory (or vice versa) can also. Too much reliance on the MBTI to the exclusion of other in­struments does not promote balance,. The defining of orthodox positions about type diminishes diversity of opin­ion and makes us a less vibrant organi­zation.

It is in the creative interplay of op­posing ideas and personalities that APT can be a dynamic organization. We don't want to be as bland or unipolar as the trait theories, do we?

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tudes, of psychic energy. Extraverted energy focuses on the outer world of objects, places, and things, and intro­verted energv focuses on the inner

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world of ideas, thoughts, and feelings. Jung found that the extraverted and

introverted attitudes combine with the four functions of sensing, intuition, thinking, and feeling to create eight ba­sic mental processes that are central to the functioning of the human mind.

With the four basic functions modi­fied by opposing preferences for extra­version and introversion, each of the eight function-attitudes represent dif­ferent patterns of psychologically satis­fying behavior, generating radically dif­ferent meaningful money management practices. The result is eight distinctively different paths to the financial good life.

Extraverted Sensing (ESTP, ESFP) Captivated and dominated by the

need to participate in the moment, money is a means to by which extra­verted sensors satisfy strong personal

Opposites SaJISOddO

desires: "I want it, so I get it, even if I can't afford it," says one. To them, plan­ning and saving are impractical. "It's our chance! \\Thy wait and miss the mo­ment?" Prior experience means little to extraverted sensors, so they have little store or brand loyalty. ''I'm here, so I may as well buy it, even if it's cheaper elsewhere. vVhy waste time?''

Introverted Sensing (1ST J, ISFJ) Handling money responsibly is criti­

cal to introverted sensors. "I pay close attention to what I'm spending;' says one, who plans and saves for most pur­chases. Uncomfortable with credit, in­troverted sensors will generally go with­out something if they can't afford it today. Past experience matters greatly

SUMMER 2000

Linder is the CEO of Good-stewardship.com and the author of three books, including \Vhat Will I Do With My Money?, published by Northfield in June 2000. (ray@goodstewardship.com)

to them, resulting in strong store and brand loyalty and specific stores for specific needs. "I hate not finding what I want, and I must know where every­thing is in the store and who the sales­people are:'

Extraverted Intuition (ENTP, ENFP) Extraverted intuitives are natural sav­

ers whose ability to enjoy the present is contingent upon being financially pre­pared for the future. Today's issues are less important than tomorrow's goals and they will sacrifice in the present to achieve their future plans. ''I'm saving for a trip to Israel next year, so other things will have to wait;' says Sonya. Extraverted intuitives dislike being re­stricted by not having enough money to respond to different options. But they can be paralyzed by too many pos­sibilities and will often resolve the in­ability to decide by buying all the choices. "I don't spend money too of­ten, but when I do, look out!"

Introverted Intuition (I NT J, INFJ) "Champagne tastes" or "the best

money that can buy" reflect the finan­cial heartbeat of introverted intuitives. Monev has meaning when it is used to enjoy ~he aesthetic side of life: elegance,

Continued on page 6

BuLLETIN OF PsYCHOLOGICAL TYPE 23:4

Type & Money/Counseling & Psychotherapy

Which Way to the Good Life? Continued from page 4

class, ambience, beauty, and taste. \t\lhen going out to dinner, "I envision the am­bience first, then make my selection of where to dine," says Fran. They are ide­alistic shoppers who seek perfection and will do without unless they find it. But they are decisive when they do, because the ideal is more important than cost. They are also insightful gift givers with an uncanny ability to disce rn what people will want or like.

Extraverted Thinking (EST J, ENT J) Whether they use envelopes, boxes,

notebooks, folders, or software, extra­verted thinkers are easily the most or­ganized in their approach to money. First, every piece of financial data must be arranged into an orderly system, storing years of records, receipts, state­ments, and cancelled checks. Then, all cash must flow through a methodical tracking system so they know where every dollar is and where it's going. One extraverted thinker describes his sys­tem as his emotional comfort zone. "\t\lhen the house is disorganized, I feel financially burdened, which makes me go back to my financial system to see if everything is okay."

Introverted Thinking (ISTP, INTP) Introverted thinkers are highly ana­

lytical comparison shoppers, accumu­lating data for mental models to estab­lish what an item is intrinsically worth. Prospective purchases are evaluated for their utility and then analyzed to de­termine the right price for that utility. "If I'm not sure what the value is, I have to investigate it further. Even if I . want it, and recognize that others may pay the market's price, I may not if I don't think the value's there." Price is not a selling feat ure to introverted thinkers, who will buy an expensive item once they understand it well enough to determine it's intrinsic value.

Extraverted Feeling (ESFJ, ENFJ) Using money to make personal con­

nections is what matters most to extra-

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verted feelers. "I use money to make people feel loved, especially people who have done nice things for me;' says Tina. "Or if someone is having a bad day, I'll buy them an encouraging card. I also feel very responsible about tak­ing care of people, especially family and

While all of the eight function-attitudes are legitimate styles of money management, the ones we prefer can send us in the opposite direction of the financial good life.

close friends, and I'll go without if it means making sure others have what they need." extraverted feelers detest categorizing people by income or fi­nancial status.

Introverted Feeling (ISFP, INFP) To introverted feelers , morals mat­

ter more than material goods, and eth­ics are more important than expendi­tures. Of all types, money matters least to them. They feel no pressure to keep up with the Joneses, which makes their li festyle highly individualistic. "I don't care if I have money, but if I do, I want to use it to do things I like or buy things I want." for the introverted feeler, money is merely an external tool that reflects their inner values, none of which have anything to do with money.

Each of the eight function-attitudes represent legitimate styles of money management but the ones we prefer can send us in opposite directions in our search for the financial good life. In­creased awareness of the psychological needs we use money to fulfill should result in more financially satisfying be­havior.

SUMMER 2000

Masquerade of the Inferior Function By Paula McDonald

It's not unusual to see clients pre­senting their inferior functions in therapy. This least preferred function, opposite the dominant preference, is naturally the most unconscious and the most likely to erupt with primitive ma­terial. As the function over which we have the least control, it is usually hid­den and shadowy, and when it emerges, it shows itself prominently as the op­posite of what we expect to see in a healthy individual.

\t\lhat might be going on when we encounter such a phenomenon? I've identified two possibilities:

One possibility is that the client is in the grip of her or his inferior func­tion. Naomi Quenk (1993) uses this language to describe an episode in which conscious control is disrupted by an eruption of the inferior function. This can be triggered by a variety of circumstances, with the result that the individual is thrown into primitive un­conscious processes.

In the Grip Any of us can find ourselves in the

grip of an inferior function eruption from time to time. Usually we work our way out of it, sometimes even ex­periencing it as a positive growth expe­rience. If one is stuck in the grip of the inferior function, however, the severity and the length of the episode might bring someone into therapy.

\t\lhen a client presents the inferior function, a second possibility is that he or she lives everyday life as if the infe­rior function were primary. It's as if the inferior masquerades as the domi­nant preference. My experience has been that when we see such a masquer­ade, usually something has happened

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