You know your cognitive functions! Congratulations.
Maybe you don’t actually know how to use the information that you have, but you have the knowledge in your self-help tool belt and you’re ready to apply it.
Now what?
It’s easy to get stuck in the discovery-phase and gloss over the application-portion, but here are three simple ways you can grow with the information you are now equipped with.
Strategy 1: Balance the relationship between your dominant and secondary functions.
Our dominant function by nature comprises roughly 80% of what we think, say, or do. It’s easy to let it steer the ship — that’s what it’s meant to do! The co-pilot function should compliment the dominant function and the two should work together in a symbiotic relationship. But, for whatever reason, that relationship might be out-of-wack.
- Do your life circumstances necessitate the use of your secondary function, causing you to neglect the proper use of your dominant function?
- On the other end of the spectrum, is your dominant function running the show so much that your secondary function rarely gets a say?
To help determine how balanced your dominant and secondary functions are, ask yourself this question: how often am I in flow? “Flow” is a mental state where time stands still. When you are in flow, you are so strongly in your element that work doesn’t feel like work, it feels like play! Some Myers-Briggs types can achieve flow easier than others (Extroverted Intuitives like ENFPs and ENTPs have a notoriously hard time achieving it), but it can be an effective indicator of how balanced your first two functions are.
Strategy 2: Spend most of your time in your preferred world.
It’s no secret that introverts prefer the world inside of themselves and extroverts prefer the world outside of themselves.
If you are an extrovert, than too much time in isolation can be a detriment to your personality-health (and vice versa).
Introverts will have a harder time than extroverts in balancing the world outside of themselves with the world inside of themselves (especially in the western world), because the average workplace and social situation rewards extroverted behavior. Too much time in the opposite world preference is not only draining, it’s counterproductive and even harmful.
In order to break free of the slump of your current circumstances, you may have to intentionally set aside time to gain energy from your preferred world. It will be a challenge at first, because you’re making the plans from a place of low-energy… but once your dip into the reserves you’ve been deprived of, it will make all the difference!
Strategy 3: Focus on the function that best matches your age bracket.
Everyone’s personality develops at a unique, individualized pace. But generally, there are patterns within personality development and they roughly go as follows:
- Dominant function – develops during childhood
- Auxiliary function – develops during adolescence
- Tertiary function – develops during mid-20’s
- Inferior function – develops during mid-life
If you’re not sure where to begin with personality development, there’s good news: you’re already developing a portion of your brain naturally! By looking at where you’re at in the sliding scale of time, you can zoom in on the function that you’re likely developing anyways. By studying the skills, strengths, and weaknesses associated with it that function, you can help fast track your growth.
These three strategies are simple, but they can make a world of difference when it comes to personality development. Are there self-development strategies you use to grow and balance your cognitive function stack? Feel free to share below!
Personality City 