Work and the Eight Function Model by Phoebe Clark

(Article in the Bulletin of Psychological Type, Vol.23, No.7: Late Autumn 2000)

The 8-Function Model, developed by Dr. John Beebe, author of Integrity in Depth and current President of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco, has been enormously helpful to me as a career counselor in understanding the more problematic work situations of my clients. Dr. Beebe expanded the original four functions described by C.G. Jung and the MBTI by adding four "Shadow" functions. Consequently, Beebe's model provides deeper insight into some of the more intractable work conflicts. These conflicts present themselves as 1) consistently unsatisfying work tasks, 2) battles with boss and co-workers, 3) feelings of frustration, and 4) inadequate skill development.

Beebe's Eight Function Model: In his work as a psychiatrist and Jungian analyst, Dr. Beebe discovered that there are more sides to the personality than the four preferred functions -- sensation, intuition, thinking and feeling -- that Jung (and more recently, the MBTI) focus on. Beebe determined that each function within a particular personality has an "acceptable" and an "unacceptable" (shadow) side. By acceptable, he means capable of being understood by and integrated into the workings of a person's ego. Beebe theorized that a personality has four acceptable, more or less conscious, functions ¡V two extraverted (E) and two introverted (I). He concluded that the 1st and 3rd functions (MBTI's Dominant and Tertiary) are of one attitude (either E or I), while the 2nd and 4th (MBTI's Auxiliary and Inferior) are of the other attitude.

Beebe identifies each of the shadow functions by reversing the attitude (introversion or extraversion) of each of the first four, more conscious, functions. Thus, a Dominant (i.e. 1st) function of introverted thinking has a 5th shadow function of extraverted thinking. An Inferior (i.e. 4th) function of introverted feeling has a shadow 8th function of extraverted feeling. These shadow functions (5 -- 8) descend from a somewhat conscious level (5th) to a deeply unconscious level (8th). Beebe argues that the shadow functions are powerful, problematic, and somewhat disowned aspects of the personality to which he has given names ranging from "opposing personality" to the "demonic." (See Chart)

8-Function Model and Work: In my practice, I have found that good career development mirrors good MBTI type development. In other words, if you choose work that is congruent with your Dominant and Auxiliary functions in your 20s, integrate your Tertiary function in your 30s, and embrace your Inferior Function in mid-life, you will have had a satisfying career.

Of course the type development described above is idealistic and rarely seen. What I see more often are people who are bored and unchallenged because they are working exclusively out of their Dominant or Auxiliary and who need some expansion of activities into their Tertiary. Others are frustrated because they are working out of their Auxiliary and Tertiary, and are neglecting their more satisfying Dominant. Then there are those who are being challenged by their bosses to use functions that are underdeveloped. The most serious conflicts arise when either the job or boss requires accommodations to one of the functions on the shadow side. The power of Beebe¡¦s model to highlight these issues is illustrated in the following case.

Case Study: In an assessment exercise* using Beebe's model, Bob, a 50-year-old, clearly defined INTP, showed a fairly strong preference for using his Dominant introverted thinking (Ti) and his Auxiliary extraverted intuition (Ne) functions at work. He actively used his Inferior extraverted feeling (Fe) skills but had little interest in using his Tertiary introverted sensing (Si). (See INTP on Chart).

Bob had recently taken a job as an Executive Director of a struggling, non-profit organization. His preferred Ti (1st) and Ne (2nd) skills were fully engaged in the systems analysis needed for the redesign of the organization. He also enjoyed using his newly developed, extraverted feeling skills (4th) in building community, training, and talking about organizational values. Bob¡¦s problems on the job revolved around his 3rd, 5th, and 8th functions. Bob failed to use his introverted sensing function (3rd) which led to conflict with the Board of Directors who were mostly introverted sensing types (ISTJ & ESTJ). The Board pressed for, and Bob resisted giving them, tangible goals and deadlines. Active use of his Si function was definitely needed in order to do this job well. Because this is a relatively conscious (3rd) function for Bob, he recognized that the requests from the Board were reasonable and doable. With a little extra effort, he was able to comply.

Bob's shadow functions (5th ¡V 8th) presented more difficult challenges. This job required him to use his 5th function, extraverted thinking skills such as decisive leadership and contingency planning. But he consistently chose to use the leadership skills of his 4th extraverted feeling function in an effort to build consensus and to rally people to the cause. What was needed was to decisively tell people what to do, a Te role which Bob found awkward, frustrating, and exhausting.

Even more problematic was his conflict with a prominent Board member who "drove him crazy" with her covert behavior. He never knew what to expect from her. She was an INFP, an introverted feeling dominant type (Fi), which is Bob¡¦s 8th (demonic) and most unconscious function. Even though INFPs & INTPs appear to be similar types since they share 3 preferences, Beebe's model shows these types to be as diametrically opposed as is possible. Although no amount of type development would resolve this conflict, the awareness gained from Beebe's system helped Bob to achieve the understanding he needed to ease the tensions between them.

As this case study illustrates, it is possible to work reasonably well out of the first four conscious functions (1st -- 4th) using type development to gain skills in your Tertiary and Inferior functions. However, many work conflicts involve battles with the largely unconscious shadow functions outlined in Beebe's 8-Function Model. One can be in conflict with oneself (e.g. torn between using a preferred or a shadow function), or in conflict with someone else whose preferred function is one of your own shadow functions. In either case, the understanding that Beebe's model provides is important for clarifying and resolving these conflicts at work.

References:
Berens, Linda V. (1999). Dynamics of Personality Type. Huntington Beach, CA: Telos Publications.
Haas, Leona; McAlpine, Robert; and Hartzler, Margaret. (2001). Journey of Understanding. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Harris, Anne Singer. (1996). Living with Paradox. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing.
Hopcke, Robert. (1999). A Guided Tour of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung. Boston, MA: Shambhala Publications, Inc. Myers, Katharine D & Kirby, Linda K. (1994). Introduction to Type Dynamics and Development. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Sharp, Daryl. (1987). Personality Types: Jung's Model of Typology. Toronto, Canada: Inner City Books.