William Bergquist, Ph.D. and Suzanne Brennan Nathan, Psy.D.
In our previous essay, we offered several analogies in our description of the three basic interpersonal preferences and two Jungian attitudes regarding relationships with other people and the outside world. We also offered a color palette and some descriptive phrases (“fiery,” “dreamy,” etc.) in our attempt to portray the basic preferences and Junian attitudes in a vivid manner. In this essay, we wish to go further in offering several fantasies about preferences and attitudes, as well as moving beyond the three basic preferences to the blending of several preferences.
The Fantasy of Preferences
We believe that some wisdom is inherent in fantasies, myths, and fairy tales that are to be found in all cultures (Campbell, 1991). At the very least, these compelling narratives reiterate (and reinforce) powerful images that are prevalent in a specific culture. In recent years, many fantasies, myths, and fairy tales have been replaced by stories that are portrayed in books, film, or television. In North America, two of the most popular productions have been The Wizard of Oz (a set of books for children and then a notable movie of 1939) and the well-known science-fiction series, Star Trek, which has been watched on television and in movies. Both “myths” portray the three interpersonal preferences.
The Wizard of Oz
In this wonderful tale of a young woman, Dorothy, coming to full realization regarding the value of home and the people who populate her daily life, we encounter three characters who join Dorothy in her trip to Oz, that is to provide each of these characters with something that they deeply desire (only to discover that what they seek is already available to them). As in all tales, the characters must, at some level, all be extraverted, for the tale is based on their actions in the world. While some novels include the internal deliberations of principal characters, most tales gain popularity based on what the protagonists are doing rather than just what they are thinking. This is certainly the case with the principal actors in the Wizard of Oz. However, we think the internal life and the introversion of all the major Oz characters are also revealed, giving them more depth than is found in many popular tales.
The first of the characters that Dorothy encounters on her journey (down the Yellow Brick Road) is a Scarecrow, who is not very good at scaring anything. The Scarecrow wants a brain: “If only I could have a brain instead of just this straw.” In many ways, the Scarecrow represents the penultimate introvert: he is hanging there on a pole, mostly observing what is happening around him and finding no way in which to unhook from the pole and engage actively in his world (the corn field). If he could get unhooked and become active (extraverted), then he might do a better job of scaring off the crows. He might even find that he does have a brain. Like Scarecrow, many introverts have a poor or incomplete self-image precisely because they are getting very little feedback from their environment or interactions with other people. It is hard to find out much about oneself when hanging on a pole, other than recognizing that you are lousy at scaring anyone or anything!
