Empowering career search and enrichment

Written by Catherine Rains

During a time of transition or at mid-life, many people begin to explore their opposite functions. For instance, my preferences are for NF, which has been reflected in my career choices for most of my adult life, in addition to my personal interests. However, at mid-life I started to become fascinated with ST activities, the opposite of my preference for NF. For me this took the shape of a new hobby, collage, which involved assembling hundreds of magazine pieces together like a puzzle, resulting in a collage that looks like a painting. Although a creative NF activity, this art form is VERY detailed oriented and VERY ST in nature. For some people, this movement toward their opposite function could also mean that their Preference Clarity Index (PCI) could move toward the middle of the scale (their preference bar would get shorter) reflecting their new fascination with their opposite functions. However, your type does not change. Bottom line is that I’m still an NF, who is now accessing more of my opposite functions in a more conscious, deliberate way. Oftentimes if you see a client pursuing their Tertiary and Inferior (opposite functions), they will be doing it in a way that still honors their Dominant and Auxiliary functions. For me that means doing collage in an ST way, but the subject of my collages are about inspiring people to find their heart’s desire –all NF!

Next week, we’ll be talking about another favorite topic – the misunderstood world of P!