Consider: the original Star Wars trilogy is about integrating the three so-called “ego-syntonic” functions of the psyche…

Star Wars (a.k.a. Episode IV: A New Hope) details the integration of the auxiliary function, symbolised by Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ne).

The Empire Strikes Back gives us the positive depiction of the tertiary function and its role as a source of healing and retreat. Hoth, the Bacta tank, Dagobah and Yoda (Si) all symbolise this function’s role. Note that in Star Wars, this function is treated more negatively–it is only by integrating the auxiliary first that you can maturely handle the powers of the tertiary.

Return of the Jedi turns to the inferior function, represented by Leia and Endor (Fe). By learning of the true nature of his relationship to Leia, Luke is able to integrate his inferior function into consciousness.

26 years after first watching Star Wars (and 21 years after seeing the whole trilogy), these films still bowl me over with their insights.

If you want a clear example of an ENFJ in action, Oprah Winfrey is it.

Firstly, the Feeling smacks you right in the face: she’s a dominant Feeling type, and her Feeling is Extraverted to boot. She’s got “community” and “cooperative spirit” (hallmarks of Fe) written all over her. But this is all beside the point.

Instead, what I want to note is the Introverted iNtuition (Ni)-as-Mother archetype that she seems to embody in many ways.

The Mother or Father archetype seems to be our Big Lesson in life — it’s what we use to mentor and support others. Ni, meanwhile, is all about making a mental shift and recontextualising. Put it all together and you end up with Oprah evangelising something like The Secret (i.e. the idea that the nature of thought determines the nature of reality).

Of course, The Secret appeals to many people and many types, but it’s particularly the sort of notion that would strike an ENFJ as something that needs to be preached far and wide, given that it taps right into their Father/Mother Ni. For an INTP like myself, on the other hand, it seems glib at best and dangerous at worst… but that’s just me.

In the last post we looked at Sam Lowry as the embodiment of Heroic Extraverted iNtuition; in this post, we’ll move onto the Good Parent as Introverted Thinking (Ti).

The Good Parent is a supportive, mentoring role, usually sharing the same sex as the Hero/Heroine. Here we’re looking for the “Obi-Wan” of Brazil. To use Joseph Campbell’s parlance, the Good Parent is the “Supernatural Aid” who gives the Hero the guidance he needs to succeed in his quest.

In this case, the Good Parent is clearly Harry Tuttle (Robert De Niro).

Tuttle is a renegade, subverting the system by playing by his own rules. He acts based on his own guiding principles quite apart from any officially-sanctioned rules or laws, in other words. As an INTP friend put it recently, there’s no point in following the rules “if the rules are stupid”.

More directly, as a rogue “heating engineer”, Tuttle is an improviser — he understands heating systems inside and out and can easily create solutions based on his knowledge of the underlying organising principles.

In short, Tuttle certainly encapsulates the flavour of Ti. Once again, Beebe’s theory seems to hold.

Next time: The Eternal Child (Fe)…