Socionics is a personality typology that describes how we process information. Perception is the input to the mind, cognition is its information processing, and action and expression are its output.

History of socionics

Socionics was initially developed in the late 70s and early 80s by the Lithuanian researcher Aušra Augustinavičiūtė (aka Aushra Augusta) with a small group of collaborators in the Soviet Union. She derived the basic structure of socionics from the typology of Carl Jung, so that socionics is a sister typology of MBTI. But Augusta made a lot of changes to the content of the theory, so that it is no longer compatible with Jung's theory or MBTI. Types from one typology will not translate to the other one directly, so it's best to consider them independent for typing purposes.

Information metabolism

In socionics there are 16 types defined using 8 basic processes called elements of information metabolism (also called IM elements or IMEs).1 Each type uses all eight of the IMEs, but with differing strengths and priorities assigned to each one.

The IM elements lie in four domains: sensing, intuition, ethics, and logic.

Sensing is about the real, concrete, and physical, whatever is immediately experienced, while intuition is about what is imagined in the mind (whatever is absent, the past and future, possibilities, and imaginary scenarios). Logic is about impersonal, objective information, propositions (facts and claims) and whether they are true or false, and ethics is about personal, subjective information, including feelings, emotions, communication, expression, tone, relationships, and personal character. So intuition is the opposite of sensing and logic is the opposite of ethics.

Sensing and intuition together are called irrational due to being directly apprehended, while ethics and logic are called rational due to being associated with language and communication.

There are two IMEs for each domain, one introverted and one extroverted:

  • Introverted sensing (Si) seeks stability, convenience, physical and psychological comfort, peace and harmony, and pleasant sensations.
  • Extroverted sensing (Se) seeks impact, power, material gain, and intense sensations.
  • Introverted intuition (Ni2) is about meaning, purpose, consequences, selection and rejection of possibilities, insight, and depth.
  • Extroverted intuition (Ne2) is about expanding potential, possibilities, options, choices, ideas, and points of view.
  • Introverted ethics (Fi2) is about character, relationships, emotional sensitivity, sympathy, sentiments of like and dislike, attraction and repulsion.
  • Extroverted ethics (Fe2) is about communication, expression, emotions, enthusiasm, passion, and presentation of messaging.
  • Introverted logic (Ti2) is about logic, consistency, order, structure, and mental organization.
  • Extroverted logic (Te2) is about usefulness, resources, pragmatism, efficiency, and effectiveness of methods and actions.

The IMEs relate to each other in certain ways. If you flip introverted to extroverted (and vice versa) then you get the contrary element. If you flip ethics to logic and sensing to intuition and vice versa you get the superego or opposite element. But if you flip both then you get a complementary or dual element.

For a detailed, practical overview of the IMEs see here. For a more conceptual view, see here.

Model A

Model A describes how each type uses each IM element. Each of the eight IM elements has a distinct position in a type's Model A, and the positions are called functions.

The leading function: this is the main goal, focus, and mental state of the type, the thing it does most and its main contribution to others and society. It is strong and valued and highly confident.

The creative function: this function is used together with the leading, but it is more subtle, and only present sometimes. The "sidekick function".

The role function: this function is opposite to the leading function. It is something that we can intellectually see value in, so we make some effort at it but it often ends up being half-hearted, and dropped when push comes to shove.

The vulnerable function: this function is highly devalued and very weak. We do not like using it ourselves nor when others use it. Can only be sustained for short periods and is generally only used when one is forced to.

The suggestive function: this is the blind spot function, something we value but have chronic difficulty providing ourselves. We get deep satisfaction from it but also are only dimly aware of the need for it. So it is often something we seek in others, but we can also feel easily overwhelmed when forced to use it ourselves or if it's in high doses. A picky function.

The mobilizing function: this function closely aligns with the leading function and is a side effect of it. It is used and focused on a lot, albeit much more clumsily than the leading. It's an aspirational area, and we tend to develop it over time. Usually *over*used and highly visible to others — can be seen as buffoonish or try-hard.

The ignoring function: this is a function that conflicts with the leading function and disturbs its natural state, so its use is resisted and it usually feels annoying or boring, we don't see the point in it. We tend to use it privately for ourselves as needed but often react badly when others use it.

The demonstrative function: this is a function that is very strong albeit not valued, and is mostly used automatically, as a default or baseline. It is mostly balanced with the creative function as a priority.

The leading, creative, suggestive, and mobilizing functions are the valued functions, which make up our main priorities in life. The other functions are the unvalued functions.

The leading, creative, ignoring, and demonstrative are the strong functions, areas we are naturally perceptive of. The rest are the weak functions.

(Note: the function names are legacy terms and do not describe them very well — the leading function "creates" more than the creative function does.)

This is the Model A for Sensory Logical Introvert (SLI). The whole model is determined by the leading and creative functions, which here are Si and Te. The type name is just the domain of the leading function (Sensory), the domain of the creative function (Logical), then Introvert or Extrovert depending on whether the leading function is introverted or extroverted. (Note that here we use L for logic and E for ethics rather than the MBTI/Jung terms Thinking and Feeling.)

Model A has certain rules:

  • Each IME must only occur once.
  • If the leading function is introverted (resp. extroverted) then so must be the mobilizing, role, and demonstrative functions — called the bold functions. The rest are extroverted (resp. introverted), and called the cautious functions.
  • If an IME is valued then its complementary element is also valued, and its contrary and superego elements are unvalued.
  • If an IME is strong then its contrary element is also strong and its complementary and superego elements are weak. So the strengths consist of one rational domain and one irrational domain (and the weaknesses the other two domains). So a type can be sensory-ethical, sensory-logical, intuitive-logical, or intuitive-ethical.

Notice that the leading and creative functions are both strong and valued, but the leading function is bold and the creative function is cautious. So once you choose the leading function, the creative function must the opposite on extro/introversion. But it can't be the contrary element because then both would be valued, and it can't be the complementary element because then both would be strong. So it must have opposite rationality as well, leaving only two options. For example leading Si implies creative Te or Fe. So we get 8 x 2 = 16 types total.

For more on Model A, see here.

Valued functions and quadras

The types are divided into four equal groups called quadras, which share all their valued functions. Adjacent quadras share only 2 out of 4 valued functions, so they form a ring.

  • Alpha (valued TiNeFeSi, unvalued FiSeTeNi): the quadra of inclusion. Alphas value free discussion and exploration of ideas, and have an open and inclusive social attitude.
  • Beta (valued TiSeFeNi, unvalued FiNeTeSi): the quadra of the message. Betas value commitment to ideals and beliefs, and having an impact on their environment.
  • Gamma (valued FiSeTeNi, unvalued TiNeFeSi): the quadra of selection and goal orientation. Gammas are hard-nosed pragmatists and skeptics, and are as equally selective about people as they are about ideas, valuing loyalty and resilience.
  • Delta (valued FiNeTeSi, unvalued TiSeFeNi): the quadra of stability. Deltas are open-ended when it comes to information, seeking to explore various perspectives and valuing pragmatic activity to improve life conditions in the here and now.

For more on quadras, see here.

Not just a typology

Socionics is more than just a personality typology. It's a metacybernetic metaphysical framework that describes not only differences between people but the overall nature of the psyche, in a way that has never been done in Western psychology before. For a deeper look, see the following articles:

  1. These are the eight "functions". ↩

  2. Here we are using the MBTI abbreviations out of convenience: T for thinking, F for feeling, and N for iNtuition. ↩