World Socionics

Those into MBTI have probably heard of David Keirsey's Temperaments, the system that splits the 16 types into four families of four types. However, like many things associated with MBTI, there are numerous problems that need addressing. In this first instalment of the new The Problem With... series, we will look at Keirsey's Temperaments and see why MBTI enthusiasts really should think twice about relying on them. It's Messy Keirsey's Temperaments try to put 16 personality types into four main groupings. However, the rules governing which type goes into which group are not sufficiently explained. Keirsey entirely focuses on the basic 4 Dichotomies that we see in the MBTI, i.e. Extroverted/Introverted , iNtuitive/Sensing , Thinking/Feeling and Perceiving/Judging , ignoring completely the 8 Cognitive Functions that ordain these dichotomies. Without a clear rationale, it is simply asserted that out of the four dichotomies, the Sensing/iNtuition divide is the most i...

The 8 Information Metabolism Elements, often shortened to 'IM' Elements or even 'IMEs', are the building blocks of the Socionics theory. They represent the processes by which a person approaches one of the 8 'Aspects' of reality, presented as information from the external world, as well as our internal thoughts and feelings, before metabolising it into our cognitions and behaviours, essentially personality. In this Two-Part series, I will go over comprehensive definitions of these IM Elements, covering 1) the Aspect of information, i.e. the kind of information we interact with; 2) the process by which we metabolise this information into the output of our personality; 3) a description of how a 'Strong' , capable usage of this IM Element manifests; and 4) a description of how one would 'Value' this IM Element, appreciating its presence and use. M Elements can be most broadly split into   the more observational  Perceptions  (i.e. what X ...