Bridging psychological type and depth psychology
Often extraverted sensing leaders are considered more authentic than other types. Trump’s supporters viewed him as trustworthy (“honest,” “outside of the political corruption,” and “not a liar”) while they viewed Clinton as untrustworthy (“belongs behind bars,” “cannot be trusted,” and “nothing but lies”). Even Clinton’s own supporters expressed concern about her trustworthiness.
Like the water that surrounds their country, the Greeks are very fluid and go with the flow. They are passionate and capable. However, their heroic use of extraverted sensing has contributed to the current economic crisis. The Greek hero must ease his extraverted sensing grip and use puer extraverted thinking energy to build analytical and efficient systems.
22 / Culture and Cultural Typology / Professional Development for Type-Practitioners
January 7, 2015 13
The typical debate—‘Profiling is bad!’ vs. ‘We’re not profiling!’—has not been particularly productive. Racial and ethnic stereotyping continues despite decades of public condemnation. It seems to me that the questions we really need to be considering are more along the lines of: ‘What is profiling?’ ‘How and when does it lead to bad outcomes?’
The ego asks why anyone in his or her right mind should actually allow the troublesome aspects of his or her personality to be expressed. Jung’s answer is “for the development of character.” . . . For Jung, the inferior function is thus not just a trouble-maker extraordinaire, it is a moral exigency as well.
Some people can be over-identified with the persona and experience inauthenticity. This identification with the persona can be due to habituation, social pressures, influences from childhood, defensiveness or anything that has given the individual a message indicating that the character of the persona is a preferable way to be.
