Js, Ps and the Conscious

Those familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality system will be aware of the designations Judger and Perceiver- the way it is usually explained, Judgers like to keep plans laid in an external format, keeping lists and timetables and such to keep track of what is expected of them. Perceivers, on the other hand, keep their plans in an internal format, remembering more or less what they need to be doing, not relying on outer aids for the most part.

What if there is more of a distinction between these designations than immediately seems to be there? What if it has something to say about the way we rely on our conscious, or subconscious?

As an INFP, I lead with Introverted Feeling. This has a lot to do with held values and decision-making. However, and this is a purely experiential point, when I make decisions in the way I feel most comfortable, I do not do so consciously. Often consciously I will attempt to make a decision, but the rest of my mind simply won’t fork up the energy to make said decision. What decisions I do make are often on autopilot, and generally in line with the values I have built over time.

On the other hand, my perception feels very conscious. The part of me that synthesizes and examines external patterns, Extraverted Intuition, is always in view by the me that is the most aware of what it is doing. When I perceive: ‘Oh, this is what is going on, I see’, that is what I am consciously aware I am doing.

This particular arrangement is contrary to the standard idea that our conscious mind is the part that makes decisions, and the subconscious mind perceives our reality. This is, though, likely the case for Judgers, whose decision-making process is Extraverted, and it therefore occupies the most external area of their psyche, the conscious mind. This means their Introverted Perceptual function is subconscious.

The way this looks is often that Judgers experience information from their subconscious mind, giving them pointers on what they want or should do. Their conscious mind then goes about their approach.