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An explanation on "childish" and "mature" views in the Socion
by Mihai Militaru
Discovery and knowledge are the vehicles by which children and adults perceive and judge things. Children have very little previous knowledge, their mental processes are based on discovery and experimentation to accumulate it. Adults have a large baggage of information which they use to process information and ...
make decisions.
Reinin Judicious/Decissive and Merry/Serious, which I'll discuss in this article, are basically sub-dichotomies, as in the case of Internals/External, but they have to be split considering the application of the information elements: perception or judgment. In the same way, Feeling is internal Judgment while iNtuition is internal Perception.
For the understanding of the further explanations, I assert the following:
extroverted (bodies), dynamic and external are of positive polarization;
introverted (fields), static and internal are negative.
Both dichotomies refer to the comparison between the extroversion line and externality, either both positive/negative, or of opposite polarity. These lines correspond to the start and the end of a mental activity, assumption and conclusion in Perception, purpose and result in Judgment.
We may refer to them in perception as:
"knowledge", when the conclusion matches the initial assumption;
"discovery" , when the conclusion does not match the initial assumption.
We may refer to them in judgment as:
"production", when the result matches the initial purpose;
"creation", when the result does not match the initial purpose.
They are the match between the known of the past/present (certain) and the unknown of the future (uncertain).
Although all people have these traits, we may say that children are discovering and creating, because their knowledge is low, case in which future results are undefined, as long as assertions cannot be made. On the other hand, adults cannot ignore their knowledge, therefore they are able to predict the consequences of their actions. This assertion is the base for the notion of "responsibility" in adults.
When one's initial assumption and conclusion do not match, it is said that the person is "naive", a trait specific to children. They have to experiment a situation and interact with another person to make a judgment. Judicious (Reasonable) people have this trait. They easier overlook flaws in themselves and others.
When one's initial purpose and result do not match, it is said that they are "not serious", irresponsible, improvisers. Again, this is another common view on children. Merry (Subjectivist) people have this trait. They are often involved in activities which do not require precision but creativity and experimentation is needed: arts, research, troubleshooting.
We may conclude that types in the Socionics...:
Beta quadra have mature perception and childish judgment (Decisive and Merry);
Delta quadra have childish perception and mature judgment (Judicious and Serious);
Alpha quadra have childish perception and judgment (Judicious and Merry);
Gamma quadra have mature perception and judgment (Decisive and Serious);
Therefore Alpha is the most childish-like quadra, while Gamma is the most mature-like one.
Alpha and Delta are both rather doubtful than confident, while Beta and Gamma are both rather confident than doubtful.
Alpha and Beta are both rather creative than productive, while Gamma and Delta are both rather productive than creative;
Doubt implies further experiments and discovery, confidence implies complete trust in previous knowledge.
Considering the perception is the most involved in gathering information and judgment in applying the knowledge, the conclusion that the Perceiving types are more childish than the Judging types is also valid. Using only these three dichotomies, someone would be able to find the Dual pair a subject belongs, before knowing his type of perceptive, respectively judging functions.
Your Comments: 1+
C1 I first of all would like to applaud your effort here. My initial problem with the article is that out of the options you provide, they all apply to me depending on the situation. It seems like it is additional dichotomies that are difficult to choose from, and even harder to choose from them than the fundamental Jungian four. -- Anonymous
C2 These "children" have mastered the "adult" ways. In doing so, they see the flaws and what's necessary to rise beyond them through positive insight and action. They are necessarily dissatisfied with the status quo. The "children" you describe create pure value through their competence and genuine improvement from which everyone can benefit. -- Anonymous
C3 Don't listen to the last two guys, they either typed themselves incorrectly or want to be a type they are not. You know who you are, I'll give you a hint, starts with "I" and ends in NTj. Although I myself was under the impression that Deltas were supposed to be the most "Mature" as in, Golden Age, acting like they're 50+ even when they're children. On the other hand, maturity slopes back downwards as one gets older, having less and less to lose. -- Mythikh
C4 I read somewhere that Alphas were the most childish, followed by Betas, then Gammas, then Deltas (the most mature). Was this likely an error? If not, what do you think the basis is for what I read? -- Anonymous
C5 Mythikh, I agree with you. The comparisons were made with the ages of people, not necessarily maturity. And I relate to this view, too. The fact is that older people are called childish and merry by people who take life too seriously. Old people rediscover to live the moment and investigate the environment, although they know how to do things their own way (more than anyone), their perception becomes much more relaxed - for example they are more understanding with any kind of person (including nasty teenagers), without being concerned so much with "who they are" (Se and Ni, the Decisive (Irrational) functions weaken again). It appears to me that this weakening - like you say - is caused that they are not so interested in acquiring things anymore, in identifying "the best", having less drive for such things that are related to Ni/Se. These "mature" and "childish" are subjective perceptions, and oldies are perceived by anybody I know as more silly and not worthy of being taken so seriously. The Delta quadra is perceived this way, too. Mature != old. -- Mihai
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