Personality types: Jung's model of typology - Inner City Books

Introduction to Jungian Typology 19The word "retarded" here simply means neglected or notwell developed. In fact only in extreme cases are the otherfunctions completely absent, and there is regularly a secondfunction (occasionally even a third) that is prominent enoughto exert a co-determining influence on consciousness.One can of course be conscious of the contents or productsassociated with each of the functions. For instance, I canknow what I'm thinking without having a primary thinkingfunction, and I can tell the difference between a table and abottle without having a superior sensation function. But wecan only speak of the "consciousness" of a function, accordingto Jung, "when its use is under the control of the will and,at the same time, its governing principle is the decisive onefor the orientation of consciousness":This absolute sovereignty always belongs, empirically, to onefunction alone, and can belong only to one function, becausethe equally independent intervention of another functionwould necessarily produce a different orientation which, partiallyat least, would contradict the first. But since it is a vitalcondition for the conscious process of adaptation always tohave clear and unambiguous aims, the presence of a secondfunction of equal power is naturally ruled out. This other function,therefore, can have only a secondary importance. . . . Itssecondary importance is due to the fact that it is not, like theprimary function . . . an absolutely reliable and decisive factor,but comes into play more as an auxiliary or complementaryfunction. 10In practice, the auxiliary function is always one whose nature,rational or irrational, is different from the primary function.For instance, feeling cannot be the secondary functionwhen thinking is dominant, and vice versa, because both arerational or judging functions:10 Ibid., par. 667.