Posted by Al on November 25, 1999 at 13:07:18:
In Reply to: Maverick has started to discuss an interesting subject on the Movieboard. You will like it. He might continue here. n/t posted by Gigi on November 25, 1999 at 02:13:10:
Brief background of myself to help explain my viewpoint. I'm a Ph.D. Candidate in Educational Policy and Leadership. My area of general interest is in the development of consciousness. More specifically, I'm interested in the developing consciousness in educational leaders and students to improve their test taking ability. My studies have included areas in organizational change, personal change, human development, creativity, adult personality assessment tools (MBTI, enneagram, Human Dynamics, and various others), and psychology development.
With that said, I agree with what you have described in your assessment of the quantum universe, uncertainty principle, complexity theory, and most of your consciousness theory. Believe it or not, much of what you described in your consciousness theory can be explained in almost the same way as the enneagram process. If you had not labeled it as a ‘consciousness that emerged from chaos' I would have thought it a description of the enneagram process of development. One researcher has a work titled "The Enneagram of Consciousness and Jungian Psychology" (Walter Geldart. 1997) , that outlines how the enneagram and MBTI are very similar theories and are in fact, a much better assessment/development tool when combined.
It also seems you have an affinity to MBTI rather than the enneagram as an assessment tool. It's my belief that the enneagram more closely relates to chaos theory and consciousness development than the MBTI. Let my try to explain: Type theory, the theory behind the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) allows for 16 types. These different personalities arise as a result of four preferences in four key areas. Attitude Toward Life (Extravert/Introvert); Assimilate Information (Sensing/Intuition); How we make life choices -Judging Function (Thinking/ Feeling); and How we structure the outer world (Judging/Perceiving). Carl Jung is considered to be the father of type theory (as Gurdgieff/Ouspensky or Ichazo is considered to be the father of the enneagram to the west). The eight Jungian personalities can be thought of as a combination of two MBTI types. Which can result in only eight personalities, using all combinations of Attitudes (E/I) and the four functions (S,N,T,F) - ie. ES, IS, EN, IN, ET, IT, EF and IF.
The Enneagram's ‘infrastructure' or ‘deep structure' - is a little-talked-about ‘fourfold' model in the enneagram tradition (as opposed to the ‘triad' approach), a model which bears a remarkable resemblance to Jung's ‘four function theory'. To simplify, take Jung's four functions and ‘Ouspensky's' four functions, pool them into one group, discards duplicates, and count. The result is a NEW set of FIVE separate functions. It is suggested here that both camps (enneagram and MBTI) might benefit from a ‘five function theory'. That is, we accept Jung's original four functions (Thinking, Feeling, Intuition, and Sensing), but also incorporates a fifth function (Ouspensky's Moving Function) - which Jung calls ‘persona'.
Just to clarify, Ouspensky's system clearly recognizes ‘thinking' and ‘feeling' as a functions. In addition, Ouspensky identifies two other functions, which he calls ‘instinctive' function (translated to sensing function of MBTI) and the ‘moving' function (NEW-5th function added to MBTI) - making a total of four.
The difference between the ‘moving' and ‘instinctive' functions: Instinctive functions consists of outer movements-only simple reflexes belong to the instinctive function as well as the inner work of the organism: digestion of food, beating of the heart, breathing- and ordinary senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, the feeling of cold and warmth, things like that (a.k.a.: MBTI-Sensing Function). We do not have to learn anything that belongs to the instinctive function, we are born with the capacity to use all the instinctive functions.
Moving functions, on the other hand, all have to be learned - ie: the child learns to walk, to write, and so on. It is very similar to Jung's intuition, however, Ouspensky intends this concept to be more akin to ‘will' and ‘intentiality', although it also includes learned physical movement.
The moving function, or persona, involves embodiment and how we present ourselves on the outside (ES), the postures we maintain, the ‘front' (mask or habits) we have. This is the the flaw of Jung's (MBTI) system - its a static system and lacks and understanding of ‘movement or processes in flux. This constantly evolving movement that is demonstrated in the enneagram, and in chaos theory, both have a language developed that seeks the concept of "movement' as primary. I shall not dwell on the point that ‘movement' is a process (emmeagran and chaos theory) and not a state (MBTI), but it has been a trend in modern physics over the course of this century. Let's assume the profound sense in which the word ‘movement' is being used when we propose a "fifth' function. Can a more powerful supplement to MBTI thought be imagined?