Jungian Typology
Context and research on the 16 personality types and their neurochemical correlates.
Origins
Carl Jung's psychological types, introduced in 1921, proposed that people differ in their preferred cognitive functions. Jung identified two main attitudes (extraversion and introversion) and four functions (thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuition).
Isabel Myers and Katharine Briggs later developed the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) based on Jung's work, adding the Judging/Perceiving dimension to create 16 distinct types.
The Four Dichotomies
Extraversion (E) vs Introversion (I)
Direction of energy — outward toward action and people, or inward toward reflection and ideas.
Sensing (S) vs Intuition (N)
Information gathering — concrete facts and details, or patterns and possibilities.
Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F)
Decision making — logical analysis and objectivity, or values and interpersonal harmony.
Judging (J) vs Perceiving (P)
Lifestyle orientation — structured and decisive, or flexible and adaptable.
Neurochemical Correlates
Research by Helen Fisher and others has explored potential neurochemical bases for personality differences. While speculative, these correlations offer an interesting biological lens:
- Dopamine — Associated with novelty-seeking, exploration, and extraversion
- Serotonin — Associated with conscientiousness, tradition, and structure
- Testosterone — Associated with analytical thinking, directness, and competitiveness
- Estrogen/Oxytocin — Associated with empathy, intuition, and social bonding
Limitations
Type-based systems have been criticized for forcing continuous traits into discrete categories. Personality research increasingly favors dimensional models (like the Big Five) that treat traits as spectrums rather than binary opposites.
The neurochemical correlations remain largely theoretical and should not be taken as established science. Human personality emerges from complex interactions between genetics, environment, and experience.