#might make an antimatic on that one if i feel motivated enough

[theokusgallery]

The slaughter's mine, my darling, get under the knife

[kendrixtermina]

Tritype made Easy: It’s not that deep

So tritype. Somehow it’s garnered this reputation of being super complex and “extra”. 

- complete with the occasional oldschool purists chiming in & presuming various ad hominem-type things like “You just want to be more special”, “You’re just box-checking type stereotypes“ or “You’re substituting this for deeper spiritual study of your core type” 

It’s not. 

First of all - You don’t really need an ulterior motive to want to refine or specify a tool, isn’t completeness sake enough? It’s not like you either determine your tritype (a finite process) OR work on core-type related issues; 

I’d even agree that the core type strongly predominates but, like, if more info exists, why not have it (or check out if it exists, if you call that in question), besides, it enables you to identify yet more possible problems & understand ppl’s reaction patterns in a more dynamic fashion (ie, relative to different situation)- I’d agree that ppl of the same tritype can have more in common that ppl of the same core type but with wildly different fixes.

It’s actually not a complicated thing at all, there’s a very simple basic logic to it, so simple that it seems almost No-Big-Deal inevitable.

Let me elucidate:

The Reasoning Behind it

It’s as simple as this: It’s pretty uncontroversial that the types can be grouped into triads, based on various similarities - And one such grouping is based on what the predominant or most-relied upon  or most driving part of the psyche seems to be - abstract conceptual reason (5,6,7), emotions/social processing “heart” (4,2,3) and for (1,8,9)... is it instinct? Is it will? is it action? Are these separate? Informal terms include “gut/body”. Personally I would say will but either way ppl generally get on an intuitive level what is being meant.

There’s many complimentary, clear cut ways of fleshing out the distinction -

“head” center - concerned with beliefs, thoughts & fear

“heart” center - concerned with feelings, value judgements, image & shame

“gut” center - concerned with action, boundaries, impulses & anger

and within those centers, each type has a different approach or filter on perception, which then causes the further characteristics of the type. 

But, it follows, quite simply, without any need for vagueing or speculating let alone posturing, that no matter which part is ‘predominant’, we all have all of those parts, we experience & deal with all three emotions, and we all have characteristic patterns for how we handle feelings, beliefs and action. 

So we can think of the 6 possible fixes in each ‘center’ (9 if you count ‘balanced’ as an option) as possible “settings” for your attitude toward the corresponding part of the psyche or reaction pattern concerning the relevant emotion.... and suddenly we not just have an at least internally consistent theoretical underpinning for the whole system, but the implication that we might have a “setting” or “pattern” for each center or emotion - 

Which, when you step out of the theory speak & look at RL isn’t a wild claim. Different people have different ways of dealing with different emotions. We always knew this. Tritype just offers a way to somewhat classify it; it doesn’t even have to be an exhaustive one / describe “everything”, just what it does describe, ie, for example, wether a person deals with fear by “all freeuze”(5w4), “some freeze some fight” (5w6, 6w5), “some fight some flight”(6w7, 7w6) or “all flight”(7w8). Although that equivalency may not be a 100%/ obfuscate things.

But basically: These are 3 common strategies, two of them are opposite, so which one is yours? “All A”, “A but also B” “B but also A” “B but also C” “C but also B” “All C”. 

Of course just because something is a nice theory does’t mean it is the truth, just that it’s a possible one depending on how it tests against further observation, but, ppl caught Antimater, Gravitational Waves and the Higgs Boson this way, and it is worth noting that the people who came up with tritype didn’t arrive there from the theoretical side - instead they were practitioners who saw a large number of people using the “simple” 9 type system and realized that their clients exhibited fears and traits related to 3 types. beyond just “universal relatability”

- Note that this is something more natural & elegant that the basic theory created just through observing & sorting humans (who, after all, have been around for the observing since the cognitive revolution gave us sophisticated abstractions some 80000 - 70000 years ago; It would be stranger if ppl didn’t make worthwhile observations) - we start counting at ‘1′ even though 1 belongs with 8 and 9. 

In a way this is actually less arbitrary & more structured/ a better grasp on what the system actually measures (or maybe that’s too exact a word; ‘Sorts by’ or ‘approximates’ perhaps) than just “these are the types, you’re exactly one of them, because new-agey number symbolism or something.” Though you can of course still have the symbolism if you want, no one’s stopping you, nor are these mutually exclusive. You could see them as complimentary. 

This system, when properly understood & explained, might actually eliminate confusion, especially since ppl tend to mistype within their tritype - so instead of deliberating forever on “Well I have some traits of 4 but also some of 7, which one is it?”you can reach an answer like “You have traits of both”, & proceed to figuring out which one is the core type.  Same with ppl who are like “But I don’t fit every single trait of [core type]” - who might still very much be that type, & the little incongruity can now be given an explanation (secondary fix) rather than having to be discounted or being a “con” & just shaking ppl’s confidence in the system in general - for example a sp-blind 7 with a 9 fix may be less manic & more stationary, but all the more prone to the rose-tinted glasses syndrome.

- Of course, with the caveat that there parts are all interconected and that the core type tends to impose a characteristic organizing principle (ie each type has its own way of handling emotions, self-image or social interaction - but there can be seen as a consequence of the core type being the ‘final arbiter`.) Also in reality it’s probably not 100% discreet like there’s more or less pronounced wings, although the very purpose of a “automatic/reflexive fallback/survival strategy” probably ensures a certain convergence.

It’s also interesting to note the existence of coretype-specific tendencies. - for example, I’ve read that its not uncommon for core 5s in particular to have a hard time figuring out their “gut” fix. (and indeed, I spend some time deliberating on 548 vs 549 even if it’s rather... apparent in hindsight that it’s definitely not 9)

The Conclusion, boiled down

So your tritype is simply a markdown of how do you deal with these emotions/situations, which basic strategies to use, in a simple, succinct notation - nothing complicated, obscure or contrived about it. 

I’m not saying this to call people dumb or anything - it’s easy to see how one might at first glance, be daunted, confused or sceptical, seeing that there’s  27 tritypes, 6 orders, and endless wings & instinct combinations, but all that seeming complexity is grounded on very simple basic principles/ “alghoritm” 

- it all boils down to there being just 3 options for each center (or 6, or 9 if you want wings/ add ‘balanced’ but that’s just further specificity, not really more complexity) All you need to do is to pick one of only 3 options for each center/emotion. Go through each center/emotion, consider how you approach it, and tadaa! Your tritype. The tritypes’ specific traits smply follow as a consequence.

As for the order, well it’s basically a priority ranking. Observe yourself as you react to things in day-to-day life. If you’re a 153, you might, for example, act first, form thoughs & opinions following that and form an emotional judgement later, if at all. 

One way I’d describe it is that 2nd fix is a steady undercurrent, while the 3rd is more something that surfaces when triggered by a situation or emotion - eg. if gut fix is last, they’re likely not a very action-oriented person, but you may find out if something makes them angry & they react in telltale ways. 

When in doubt, just look at the core fears and notice which one gets the stronger wince out of you. 

Consequence: Typing Advice 

So, of course “How many Angels fit on the head of a pin” type arguments over the theory of what is a made-up system are fun exercises but of limited interest; What people are often looking for is  so that they may use the system as a tool (for self-awareness, understanding others, making observations etc. )

For each center, the person either embraces it (4,5,8), modulates it (2,7,1), or is indirect about it.(9,6,3)

When the person’s not very functional and/or not  particularly self aware, make that “indulges/wallows in”, “represses” and “is out of touch with”

- For example, a 4 is obviously all about feelings, a 5 is obviously all about thoughts, a 8 is obviously all about asserting themselves. At best, you get someone who takes this aspect of human existence in full,  at worst, you get a self-indulgent crybaby/smartass/tyrant, there can be a failure to rein that part in.  

There’s also a negativistic tendency to these types.

-2/7/1 meanwhile have a strong selectivity about their center - you can probably still tell that thought/feeling/action is important to driving them, but it’s important that they be only good actions/feelings/thoughts. - A 2 “caring” or “loveable” sentiments while rejecting “selfish” ones, a 7 want to think fun/happy thoughts rather than anxious ones, a 1 wants to dogood actions & is afraid of doing bad ones etc. 

These are more positivistic. (not the same as positive, though 2 and 7 could be described like that as well)

- with 9, 6 or 3, it is less obvious that they are profoundly driven by thought/feeling/boundaries. The center is very active but its activity is “sublimated”, there’s not this direct connection where they come out & say “This is what I feel/want/ conclude.” - at worst a 9 can seem doormatey, a 3 unemotional or shallow, a 6 like a spineless follower that can’t think for themselves, but you’ll clearly see that this type of energy is at work but it will burst forth in a warped manner (the 3 will react with dramatic jealousy, the 6 will hammer you with ideology, the 9 will get super stubborn about mantaining the status quo that they want, all without admitting or even realizing that it’s their feeling/opinion/ want) - 

They just go about it indirectly. Which needn’t be a bad thing, despite the above examples - Underneath, the 3 is clearly driven by fulfilling emotional needs (where else would they get all that relentless energy/motivation from? From feelings.), the 6 has a lot of at times frantic mental activity (Hence their admirable alertness & scepticism), the 9 actually expends a lot of “will” mantaining their homeostasis, even if they’re passive-agressive about it. - (What they “want” just happens to be chill, harmony & unity)

These are the best at adapting to their environment because their “indirect” means of feeling accepted/secure/in-control will be whatever the environment affords them.

In the end it’s a matter of strategy. Say, a person is snubbed by their classmates. That hurts no matter what -.  If they have a 2 fix, they might deal with it by trying to get into the classmates good graces’ by doing something to make them like them & win their approval. A 3 fixer might approach this more from a problem-solving perspective (even if they’re totally hurting!) & fix it through social maneuvering or doing something impressive that will make them popular. If they have a 4 fix instead, they will conclude that their classmates are quaint meanies anyways and that comforming to please them isn’t worth it and perhaps befriend someone from the form classdown the corridor, or write an angsty poem about it; In either case the person may master the situation and come away with a (wholly different!) important life experience. Similar examples could be concocted for the other centers. And there’s a potential for misunderstandings here  - person A with fix X may see person B with fix Y deal with their problem in a manner characteristic for fix Y, and conclude that since they’re not doing it the fix X way, they’re not dealing with the problem at alll...And of course all tritypes can fall prey to just doing a counterproductive automatic reaction rather than truly assesing & responding to the problem.

(Usually it is the Ne I apologize for but this post got very Ti (I think? Barring mistypings I may not yet be aware of), it’s been floating ‘round my head for a while. I hope the highlighting & subdividing helped ppl find the parts helpful for them.)