John Beebe - The Eight-function Model

The Eight-function Model

Beebe is particularly interested in the way an understanding of typology can foster the development of the capacity to take responsibility for our impact on others. Following up on Jung's theory of psychological types, where the contrasting attitudes of extraversion and introversion swayed the judging (rational) functions of thinking and feeling, and the perceiving (irrational) functions of intuition and sensing, he developed an archetypal model of a dialogical self wherein conscious functions contend with functions in the shadow. A person's dominant (most preferred) function is the “hero” (or heroine), which is most closely allied with a semi-conscious function called the “anima” (or animus). The hero is also challenged by an “opposing personality.” The next most preferred, or auxiliary, function is the good parent, which may be counteracted by a shadowy witch/senex function; similarly the tertiary function (“child”) may be undermined by a more juvenile “trickster.” Finally, the anima may find itself forced to compete with a demonic personality function which threatens to destroy it.