Temperament
The four distinct small groups within a category and their psychological implications for personality typing.
Small Group Analysis
Small groups represent the intersection of four personality types that share common characteristics. Each group reveals fundamental patterns in how types process information, make decisions, and interact with the world.
Category's Small Groups
Flexible-Maneuverable
Group Properties
See the world as a multitude of separate potentials – objects and subjects that can be approached, played with (Ne), or fought with (Se), comparing their skills and strengths. The desire to try everything in this world – to look, touch, taste – leads them into the midst of chaos and confusion, as there are more opportunities to encounter something new and gain new experiences.
Questions: "What is this?", "Who is this?", directed at everything around them; "let me check" is their primary reaction.
Semantics: Surprises, Improvisations, Games, Fights, Experiments, Experiences, Intrigues, Tricks, Manipulations, Cunning.
A need for new experiences. Quick attention switching, but an inability to concentrate on one thing. Positive attitude towards risk. Seeking.
Linear-Assertive
Group Properties
See the environment as filled with streams of events directed by someone's consistent efforts. Their main reaction is the desire to change something, meet deadlines, outpace competitors, and avoid negative circumstances. Operates independently (Te), or engages others in action (Fe).
Questions: "What is happening?", "What to do next?" are the questions guiding these people through life.
Semantics: Actions, Efforts, Accelerations, Schedules, Troubles, Feats, Works, Passions, Directives, Initiatives.
Active organization, composure, and energy. Desire to stay informed. Prefers to solve problems in advance, rather than postponing them. Driving.
Balanced-Stable
Group Properties
See systems of conditions in everything. Their life goals are to integrate into the best, most correct system from their perspective or to create and maintain their own. Formal, general systems (Ti), or informal, private systems (Fi).
Questions: "Where? When? Why? How?" are the most important ones to them as their answers determine whether they have correctly oriented themselves in the world and chosen the right position.
Semantics: Conditions, Directions, Distances, Limitations, Punishments, Systems, Orders, Connections, Duties, Principles.
Resistance to monotony and routine. Ability to focus on one thing, but difficulty switching attention. Avoidance of risky situations. Loyalty in close relationships.
Receptive-Adaptive
Group Properties
Most interested in the hidden properties and inner workings of everything they encounter. They excel at understanding the slow changes in objects and systems, recognizing hidden content through subtle external cues, discerning quality, and determining what is beneficial and pleasant at the moment (Si), versus what is dangerous and deceptive (Ni).
Questions: "What is it like?", "What does it contain?"
Semantics: Expectations, Changes, Qualities, Illusions, Dreams, Remedies, Whims, Moods, Analyses, Reputations, Privileges.
Laziness, relaxation, adynamia; procrastinates with decisions, ignores problems until the last moment. Prefers to adapt rather than change the situation. Adapting to.