Translator’s Note: These are machine translations and completely unrevised.
| Socionics | Carl Jung | Antoni Kępiński | Andrey Lichko | Karl Leonhard |
  | Introverted Feeling Type | — | Astheno-Neurotic | Anxious-Hypochondriac |
Carl Jung
The Introverted Feeling Type
It is principally among women that I have found the priority of introverted feeling. The proverb ‘Still waters run deep’ is very true of such women. They are mostly silent, inaccessible, and hard to understand; often they hide behind a childish or banal mask, and not infrequently their temperament is melancholic. They neither shine nor reveal themselves. Since they submit the control of their lives to their subjectively orientated feeling, their true motives generally remain concealed. Their outward demeanour is harmonious and inconspicuous; they reveal a delightful repose, a sympathetic parallelism, which has no desire to affect others, either to impress, influence, or change them in any way. Should this outer side be somewhat emphasized, a suspicion of neglectfulness and coldness may easily obtrude itself, which not seldom increases to a real indifference for the comfort and well-being of others. One distinctly feels the movement of feeling away from the object. With the normal type, however, such an event only occurs when the object has in some way too strong an effect. The harmonious feeling atmosphere rules only so long as the object moves upon its own way with a moderate feeling intensity, and makes no attempt to cross the other’s path. There is little effort to accompany the real emotions of the object, which tend to be damped and rebuffed, or to put it more aptly, are ‘cooled off’ by a negative feeling-judgment. Although one may find a constant readiness for a peaceful and harmonious companionship, the unfamiliar object is shown no touch of amiability, no gleam of responding warmth, but is met by a manner of apparent indifference or repelling coldness. [p. 493]
One may even be made to feel the superfluousness of one’s own existence. In the presence of something that might carry one away or arouse enthusiasm, this type observes a benevolent neutrality, tempered with an occasional trace of superiority and criticism that soon takes the wind out of the sails of a sensitive object. But a stormy emotion will be brusquely rejected with murderous coldness, unless it happens to catch the subject from the side of the unconscious, i.e. unless, through the animation of some primordial image, feeling is, as it were, taken captive. In which event such a woman simply feels a momentary laming, invariably producing, in due course, a still more violent resistance, which reaches the object in his most vulnerable spot. The relation to the object is, as far as possible, kept in a secure and tranquil middle state of feeling, where passion and its intemperateness are resolutely proscribed. Expression of feeling, therefore, remains niggardly and, when once aware of it at all, the object has a permanent sense of his undervaluation. Such, however, is not always the case, since very often the deficit remains unconscious; whereupon the unconscious feeling-claims gradually produce symptoms which compel a more serious attention.
A superficial judgment might well be betrayed, by a rather cold and reserved demeanour, into denying all feeling to this type. Such a view, however, would be quite false; the truth is, her feelings are intensive rather than extensive. They develop into the depth. Whereas, for instance, an extensive feeling of sympathy can express itself in both word and deed at the right place, thus quickly ridding itself of its impression, an intensive sympathy, because shut off from every means of expression, gains a passionate depth that embraces the misery of a world and is simply benumbed. It may possibly make an extravagant irruption, leading to some staggering act of an almost heroic character, to which, however, neither the object nor [p. 494] the subject can find a right relation. To the outer world, or to the blind eyes of the extravert, this sympathy looks like coldness, for it does nothing visibly, and an extraverted consciousness is unable to believe in invisible forces.
Such misunderstanding is a characteristic occurrence in the life of this type, and is commonly registered as a most weighty argument against any deeper feeling relation with the object. But the underlying, real object of this feeling is only dimly divined by the normal type. It may possibly express its aim and content in a concealed religiosity anxiously shielded, from profane eyes, or in intimate poetic forms equally safeguarded from surprise; not without a secret ambition to bring about some superiority over the object by such means. Women often express much of it in their children, letting their passionateness flow secretly into them.
Although in the normal type, the tendency, above alluded to, to overpower or coerce the object once openly and visibly with the thing secretly felt, rarely plays a disturbing role, and never leads to a serious attempt in this direction, some trace of it, none the less, leaks through into the personal effect upon the object, in the form of a domineering influence often difficult to define. It is sensed as a sort of stifling or oppressive feeling which holds the immediate circle under a spell. It gives a woman of this type a certain mysterious power that may prove terribly fascinating to the extraverted man, for it touches his unconscious. This power is derived from the deeply felt, unconscious images; consciousness, however, readily refers it to the ego, whereupon the influence becomes debased into personal tyranny. But, wherever the unconscious subject is identified with the ego, the mysterious power of the intensive feeling is also transformed into banal and arrogant ambition, vanity, and [p. 495] petty tyranny. This produces a type of woman most regrettably distinguished by her unscrupulous ambition and mischievous cruelty. But this change in the picture leads also to neurosis.
So long as the ego feels itself housed, as it were, beneath the heights of the unconscious subject, and feeling reveals something higher and mightier than the ego, the type is normal. The unconscious thinking is certainly archaic, yet its reductions may prove extremely helpful in compensating the occasional inclinations to exalt the ego into the subject. But, whenever this does take place by dint of complete suppression of the unconscious reductive thinking-products, the unconscious thinking goes over into opposition and becomes projected into objects. Whereupon the now egocentric subject comes to feel the power and importance of the depreciated object. Consciousness begins to feel ‘what others think’. Naturally, others are thinking, all sorts of baseness, scheming evil, and contriving all sorts of plots, secret intrigues, etc. To prevent this, the subject must also begin to carry out preventive intrigues, to suspect and sound others, to make subtle combinations. Assailed by rumours, he must make convulsive efforts to convert, if possible, a threatened inferiority into a superiority. Innumerable secret rivalries develop, and in these embittered struggles not only will no base or evil means be disdained, but even virtues will be misused and tampered with in order to play the trump card. Such a development must lead to exhaustion. The form of neurosis is neurasthenic rather than hysterical; in the case of women we often find severe collateral physical states, as for instance anæmia and its sequelæ.
Source: “Introverted Sensation Type”. Jung, Carl. “Chapter X. General Description of the Types“. Psychological Types. Translated by H.G Baynes.
Karl Leonhard
Anxious (Fearful) Personality
In childhood, the feeling of fear often reaches an extreme degree. Children of this type, who have an anxious and timid temperament, are afraid, for example, to fall asleep in the dark or when there is no one in the room, to enter unlit rooms and corridors. They are afraid of dogs. Tremble before the storm. Finally, they are afraid of other children, so they are often harassed and teased. They do not dare to defend themselves from attacks, which, as it were, provokes other, stronger and more courageous children, to mock their fearful comrade, to hit him. They are “scapegoats” as they are usually called, or “targets” as I would suggest calling them, for they are constantly “calling fire upon themselves.” It is curious that peers immediately recognize their weak point. If, for example, a “target” child enters a children’s psychiatric department, then here, as soon as the teacher turns away, they immediately begin to “pursue” him. Such children experience a strong fear of teachers, who, unfortunately, often do not notice this, exacerbating the child’s fear with their severity. Sometimes children at the next prank shift the blame on a fearful child, who really becomes a “scapegoat”.
In adults, the picture is somewhat different; fear does not completely absorb an adult as a child. The people around them do not seem threatening to them, as in childhood, and therefore their anxiety is not so conspicuous. However, the inability to defend one’s position in the dispute remains. It is enough for the enemy to act more energetically, as people with an anxious and timid temperament fade into the background. Therefore, such people are distinguished by timidity, in which an element of humility and humiliation is felt. Along with this, anankastic timidity is also distinguished, the specificity of which is internal self-doubt. In the first case, a person is constantly on guard against external stimuli, in the second, the source of timidity is the person’s own behavior, it is this that is always in the center of his attention. These two types of shyness can be differentiated by simple observation. In both cases, overcompensation in the form of self-confident or even impudent behavior is possible, but its unnaturalness is immediately evident. Fearful shyness can sometimes turn into gullibility, in which the request comes through: “Be friendly with me.”
At times, fearfulness joins timidity, which may be purely reflex in nature, but may also be a manifestation of sudden fear. The more pronounced the shyness,
the more likely is the increased excitability of the autonomic nervous system that accompanies it, which intensifies the somatic reaction of fear, which, through the system of innervation of the heart, can make the fear even more intense.
Here is a description of the child mentioned earlier by Zeller.
Ekkehard R., born in 1951, entered our children’s department in 1960. Both mother and father have the third marriage from which Ekkehard was born, so the boy has 7 half-brothers and sisters. His sister is 4 years old. In addition, two half-children live with them. The father is often in a bad mood. Parents constantly scold children, often beat them. Especially hit Ekkehard for bad grades at school. He was also beaten by his stepbrothers and sisters, and very severely. Ekkehard was afraid of everyone, he recalls with horror the corporal punishment that his mother subjected him to. He always yielded to one of his half-brothers, since he was the only companion of his childhood games. Children from all over the neighborhood pursued Ekkehard, shouting after him: “Broken!” He avoided peers, played more with his dog. Ekkehard was distinguished by timidity even at preschool age, fell asleep only in the light, was very afraid of thunderstorms, and often urinated in bed at night.
At school, the boy immediately became a “scapegoat”. He didn’t have any classmates, and during breaks he tried to get away from the children. Almost every day, the children mocked him, beat him, and he did not even defend himself. He was called “blot-crybaby”. Ekkehard’s worn clothes also drew ridicule. Sometimes he complained about the boys to the teacher, but only in private. Gradually, Ekkehard began to make faces and grimace in the classroom, apparently in order to attract attention to himself.
In our children’s department, fear accompanied him constantly, he was afraid of both examinations and a syringe. However, during conversations he was quick-witted, quick-witted beyond his years. At the slightest provocation, he sobbed, fell into despair, and immediately hid in some corner. Even in his dreams, he saw how he was teased and beaten. In the children’s team, Ekkehard did not show adaptive ability, sometimes threw out clown tricks, seemed not quite normal. The children did not want to “accept” him. In the study of intelligence, Ekkehard, despite normal mental abilities, showed exceptional disbelief in his own strength. When solving problems, he tried very hard, but everything fell out of his hands. As soon as a trifling difficulty was encountered, he, weeping, refused to continue his efforts.
Undoubtedly, the abuse of both adults and children frightened this child. But things would not have come to such a serious state if the boy had at least a minimal ability to fight and resist. In cases like the one described, the helplessness that is a direct consequence of fear provokes children to aggressive antics, which give rise to even greater intimidation of the fearful child. Unfortunately, adults too often tend to be especially harsh with children who are incapable of protest. In the case of Ekkehard, the parents, in the heat of their disputes, often attacked their son, who was completely resigned.
It should be noted that the anxiety that accompanies the accentuation of the pedantic type in adults becomes even more distinct, while true anxiety decreases as the person grows older. Anxious individuals need psychotherapy, which should not be forgotten.
The following is a description of a woman who became a hypochondriac on the basis of timidity, anxiety.
Inga E., born in 1932, works in a trading company. Extremely fearful since childhood. Afraid of the dark, at dusk prefers to stay at home. When E. returned home one evening, she had an obsessive thought that some kind of passenger car was slowly following her. She imagined how a man would jump out of the car and attack her, so she did not enter the entrance, but remained on the street (“closer to pedestrians”). She called her husband, who came down to the lobby and brought her home. E. is terribly afraid of thunderstorms. “Everything in me shrinks,” she says. Avoids dogs. When E. heard that there were snakes in the nearby forest, she stopped going there. If she did have to go there, then she stopped constantly, convulsively moving her legs and looking ahead of her to find out if there were any vipers nearby. Sometimes E. wakes up at night, drenched in a cold sweat from fear, wakes her husband, waiting for soothing words. She experiences great shyness with strangers and tries to make fewer acquaintances. She sees her protector in her husband.
In 1953, in the house in which E. lived, due to the negligence of one of the neighbors, mass poisoning of the tenants with gas occurred. Since then, her anxiety has increased. In 1961, one day, on the way home, she felt unwell, she was covered with perspiration, and her heart began to beat violently. Just during this period, at E.’s work, two employees died of myocardial infarction. After that, the patient developed hypochondriacal neurosis. E. was afraid of becoming seriously ill and dying. She was always afraid of death, now this fear has reached the point that she was generally afraid to go out into the street: “A heart attack may begin, I will fall and won’t get up.” In the clinic, E. was afraid of all medical measures, trembled, for example, when they took blood from her for research, however, having got used to it, she found good adaptability. We managed to rid her of the phobic manifestations of fear, but E.’s anxiety remained.
The described examined since childhood suffers from the phenomena of severe fear. Even the slightest perceived danger shocked her. On the basis of anxiety developed hypochondriacal neurosis. The reasons for its appearance are the death from myocardial infarction of two employees of E. and an attack of a strong heartbeat, accompanied by perspiration. With the help of psychotherapy, we managed to influence the pathological development, the phobias stopped, but the anxiety remained.
Source: “Anxious Personality“. Leonhard, Karl. “Section I. Personality Typology.” Accentuated Personalities. (in Russian)
Anxious Personality (in Fiction)
Among the individuals characterized by anxiety, I have described M. Paran from Maupassant’s short story. When we meet a largely constant anxiety that cannot be fully explained by contributing circumstances, then it can be considered as an accentuation of the personality. This quality often prevents a person from finding his place in life.
Such is Master Pike from Goebbel’s short story of the same name. Despite his athletic build, he is not only afraid of his domineering wife, but also of the many people that life brings him into contact with. He allows himself to be mocked by persons who are much weaker physically than himself, and if he cannot escape from them by flight, then he also suffers torture. From an impudent apprentice, he seeks protection … from his wife. When the community instructs him to criticize the unsuccessful sermon of the clergyman, he trembles all over and cannot utter a word, as a result, everyone considers him to be drunk. He is terribly afraid to look at the feeding of wild animals in the circus. When his brother forcibly pushes him into the narrow passage between the cages, he does not know what to do: whether to close his eyes so as not to see the terrible faces, or carefully watch the cages and stay away from the animals. In general, his brother constantly laughs at him, and once Pike, being drunk, slaps him in the face. Frightened by his courage, he runs away from his brother, a physically weak person, gets into the wrong door, he is knocked down:
“The landlord and tenant Nirnheitl wanted to lift me up, but I resisted like a madman, and not out of stubbornness, but only because Finkel (brother) thought I was dead, so that if I got up, he might completely lose his temper.
Pike’s anxiety certainly leaves an imprint on his whole life, as a result there is an accentuation of the personality.
As we have already seen (from the descriptions given in Part I), “target” people are often naturally anxious, fearful, which is aggravated by the persecution of others. There are many “targets” described in fiction, but usually writers do not say anything about how such constant, painful fearfulness developed.
Gottfried Keller describes IB as the “Green Heinrich” of a teacher who was tortured to such an extent by his students that he had to leave the school in order not to die completely. His behavior with students is described – extremely pedagogically inept, but details about the personality of this teacher are not given to the reader.
Thomas Mann also describes a typical “target” in the person of Tobias Mindernickel (from the novel of the same name). The reader gets the impression that it is fearfulness that does not allow this character to defend himself from children who, hooting, run after him down the street. Since Tobias is very compassionate, one could also assume that he has an emotive personality. However, the picture in this short story is generally unclear: for example, Tobias himself injures his dog in order to be able to take care of it. In this we are confronted with a new psychological trait that has nothing to do with either timidity or emotiveness.
Dostoevsky’s “The Idiot” also displays a similar “target”. Prince Myshkin tells of a consumptive girl who was seduced by a French sales clerk and soon abandoned. After that, everyone around her began to mock her – not only adults, but also children who pursued her, shouting malicious mocking words. Only after Myshkin managed to gain confidence in the children, and prove to them how disgusting such behavior, did the girl’s torment end. But nothing is said here about the history of the formation of this personality.
Source: “Anxious Personality“. Leonhard, Karl. “Section II. Personality in Fiction.” Accentuated Personalities. (in Russian)
Andrey Lichko
This type is the point at which the areas of psychopathy and neurosis touch especially closely. There is no need to prove that persons prone to neurasthenic reactions have a special temperament. Therefore, it is legitimate to consider the asthenoneurotic type as one of the varieties of accentuations that favors neurotic reactions, especially those of the neurasthenic circle. On the basis of this accentuation, “developmental neurosis” can begin [Myasishchev V. N., 1960] or, more precisely, neurotic development [Kerbikov O. V., 1961; Ushakov G.K., 1978; Kovalev V.V., 1979; Karvasarsky B. D., 1980]. According to O. V. Kerbikov (1961), the criteria for distinguishing neurotic development from psychopathy are the attitude of the individual to his experiences, disorders, etc. as painful, alien, from which they are eager to get rid of, as well as the tendency of neurotic disorders to a certain “locality ”, systemic, partial – changes do not cover the personality as a whole. Unfortunately, with the help of these criteria it is not easy to draw a clear line between neurotic developments and psychopathy.
In advanced cases of neurotic developments (asthenic, hypochondriacal), the partiality of disturbances may be lost, and even a critical attitude towards them.
Adolescents of the asthenoneurotic type only occasionally come under the supervision of a psychiatrist, and not at all because this type is extremely rare at this age.
In a healthy population, this type is set at 2% (see Table 3). Its detection is facilitated by the disease of chronic somatic diseases – among adolescents with active pulmonary tuberculosis, asthenoneurotic accentuation is detected in 11-13%, chronic nonspecific pneumonia – up to 25% [Ivanov N. Ya., Shestakova G. Yu., Yanina S. K. , 1980]. However, the resulting disorders usually do not require the intervention of a psychiatrist, and such adolescents remain under the supervision of a therapist or neurologist.
With asthenoneurotic accentuation, signs of neuropathy are sometimes found from childhood – restless sleep, poor appetite, capriciousness, fearfulness, tearfulness, night terrors, nocturnal enuresis, stuttering, etc.
With the onset of puberty, physical maturity, neuropathic features can be smoothed out. But in some cases, childhood neuropathy can transform into asthenoneurotic accentuation and serve as a ground for neurotic reactions and neurotic development in adolescents. Finally, sometimes this type of accentuation may first unfold during adolescence.
The main features of asthenoneurotic accentuation are increased fatigue, irritability and a tendency to hypochondria. Fatigue is especially evident during mental activities. Moderate physical activity is better tolerated, but physical stress, such as the environment of sports competitions, is unbearable. Irritability is most similar to affective outbursts with labile accentuation. Irritation on an insignificant occasion easily pours out on others, sometimes accidentally falling under a hot hand, and is just as easily replaced by repentance and even tears. Unlike epileptoid accentuation, neither gradual boiling, nor strength, nor duration are inherent in affect. In contrast to irascibility with hyperthymic accentuation, the reason for outbreaks is not necessarily the opposition encountered, and the affect never reaches violent fury. Unlike labile accentuation, affective outbursts are not associated with mood swings, but an increase in irritability in the process of fatigue is clearly visible.
The tendency to hypochondriasis is a particularly typical feature. Such adolescents carefully listen to their bodily sensations, are extremely susceptible to iatrogenic, willingly treated, put to bed, undergo examinations and examinations. The most common source of hypochondriacal experiences, especially in boys, is the heart.
With this type of accentuation, neither delinquency, nor running away from home, nor alcoholism occur. But this does not mean that adolescent-specific behavioral responses are absent. The desire for emancipation from elders or the craving for grouping with peers, not receiving direct expression due to asthenia, fatigue, can gradually warm up unmotivated outbursts of irritation against parents, educators, induce them to accuse relatives of not paying due attention to their health, or even generate a dull dislike for peers in whom teenage behavioral reactions are expressed directly and openly.
They are drawn to comrades, miss their company, but quickly get tired of them and look for rest, loneliness or communication with a close friend. Sexual activity is usually limited to short and rapidly exhausting bursts.
Self-esteem in asthenoneurotic accentuation usually reflects hypochondriacal attitudes. Such adolescents notice the dependence of a bad mood on feeling unwell, poor sleep at night and drowsiness during the day, weakness in the morning. In thinking about the future, the central place is occupied by concerns about one’s own health. However, not all features of the relationship are noted well enough.
Sergey S., 15 years old. From childhood he was sociable, but distinguished by impressionability and suspiciousness. Until the 7th grade, he studied well, excelled in athletics, ran well for short distances. At the age of 12, his grandmother died suddenly from a heart attack in front of his eyes. Shortly thereafter, while running at a sports competition, he felt that his heart ached. I quit playing sports – the pain went away. A year later, a company of asocial classmates began to terrorize him – with beatings and threats, they forced him to beg chewing gum from foreigners, trade it and give them the proceeds. The pain in my heart resumed, I began to be afraid to go to school, then even go out into the street. When the leader of this company was sent to the colony, the persecution ceased, but now he began to be afraid to leave the house because of pain in his heart. He was sent to a sanatorium – he felt good there, the pains disappeared, he graduated from the 8th grade at the sanatorium school. At the age of 14 – rapid puberty, in one year he turned from a boy into an adult man. In the summer I went to the village with my parents – there, after swimming in a cold river on a hot day, an attack of pain in my heart resumed. When he returned to school and at the sight of his former persecutors, he again felt pain in his heart. They were joined by interruptions, palpitations, sensations, as if something “hit in the head”, “breath choked”. A thorough examination in the cardiological dispensary did not reveal any abnormalities in the heart. Sydnam sat at home, refused to go to school, and pestered his relatives with talk about his illness. He ate and slept well, never had any seizures at night. He was sent for examination to a teenage psychiatric clinic.
Hospitalization was extremely dissatisfied. He believed that he should be immediately transferred to a cardiological clinic, that here, in the event of a dangerous attack, they would not be able to provide the necessary assistance. He tried not to leave the bed, was afraid to get up, ate lying down, constantly counted his pulse, and then called the doctor for help. He was capricious, irritable. On dates, he pestered his relatives with complaints, assured that he was seriously ill
In the clinic, the patient was diagnosed with attacks of diencephalic dystonia: he suddenly turned red, then turned pale, covered with cold sweat, the pulse quickened to 120 per 1 min, blood pressure increased to 150/100 mm Hg. At the same time, he complained of severe weakness, a feeling of a “hit in the head.” In a few minutes, everything passed.
He willingly made contact and talked about himself. He treated his father with hostility – “it’s disgusting to see when he drinks”, he is offended by him because he does not consider him sick. The mother is warm. He brightened up at the mention of his uncle, who, apparently, spoils him: with the help of him, he collected a unique collection of fifty foreign fountain pens. He agreed that his heart was probably healthy and asked him to treat everything “from nerves”.
Physical development with pronounced acceleration corresponds to the age of 18-19 years. Puberty completed.
After treatment with diencephalic mixtures and psychotherapy, the attacks stopped, the pain in the heart subsided. Was discharged with a recommendation to transfer to another school.
Survey using PDO. The epileptoid type was diagnosed according to the objective assessment scale. The erroneous definition, apparently, is associated with the discovered tendency to dissimulation and a negative attitude towards the psychological examination, which was carried out in the first days of admission to the clinic, when contact with the patient had not yet been established. Conformity and reaction of emancipation are moderately expressed. There is a negative attitude towards alcoholism. According to the scale of subjective assessment, self-esteem is unsatisfactory: neither traits of any type, nor reliably rejected traits have been identified, which may also be associated with dissimulation.
Diagnosis. Protracted neurosis (neurasthenia) with a picture of hypochondriacal syndrome against the background of accentuation of the asthenoneurotic type and pubertal diencephalic crises.
Catamnesis. After being discharged, he resumed his studies at another school. There remains a tendency to hypochondria. Avoids playing sports. With this type of accentuation, sensitivity to intense mental stress and to events that provoke hypochondria (disease of loved ones) is increased.
Source: “Asthetoneurotic Type“. Lichko, Andrey. “General Information & Diagnostic Criteria”. Psychopathy and Character Accentuations in Adolescents. (in Russian)
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