It’s funny—I really wasn’t expecting the DEVO show to be one of those amazing, life-changing events, but it really was. It was better than Porcupine Tree, better than Toto, better than The Police and even better than Roger Waters. It was just the perfect combination of high-energy theatrics, goofy fun, absurdist humour and still-relevant social commentary that elevated it beyond anything else I’d experienced.

Anyway, I’d characterise the band and its members as being mainly INTP. Off the top of my head, I can’t give any clear argument for this observation, except to note the trademark NTP irreverence. Contrast this with any INTJ’s humour, which seems darker somehow (e.g. David Lynch or Roger Waters). INTPs just don’t seem to take themselves as seriously (though perhaps that’s not the reality).

It’s been expressed to me that INTJs and INTPs are almost indistinguishable. Not so! These two types often come to blows over dominant Ni and Ti butting heads. Ti is exacting in a very rational manner, demanding that nothing be left to chance; Ni, on the other hand, is a vision of piercing clarity that eschews explanation and actively fights against such rationality—this is maddening to INTPs.

Cue Brian Eno’s collaboration with DEVO on their first album. Eno, along with David Byrne, Robert Fripp, David Bowie and Steven Wilson all strike me as INTJs who work well together, but what happens when an Ni/Te producer works with a Ti/Ne band?

According to Wikipedia:

Eno is on record as describing one of Devo’s New York shows in 1979 as “the most exciting live performance I have ever seen”. However, the studio sessions did not proceed on such a positive note, with the band seemingly intent on replicating specific effects and arrangements from their demo recordings stretching back to 1974. Eno found this an obstacle to his famously intuitive and spontaneous way of working in the studio, and described the band as “anal”.

This, to me, perfectly captures the INTP/INTJ split. Indeed, INTPs are infamous for their pedantic nature, insisting on precision in communication—it drives everyone else crazy. On the other hand, the Ni methods employed by Eno (c.f. Bowie’s cut-up random lyric generation) strikes Ti as reckless and haphazard.

So there you go: INTJs and INTPs are like the matter and anti-matter of the art world.

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 The Phantom Menace portrayed the tension between Introverted and Extraverted Thinking (i.e. Ti and Te), then Attack of the Clones explores Extraverted versus Introverted Feeling (i.e. Fe vs. Fi).

Fe emphasises our duties and obligations within our respective social roles. As a Jedi, Obi-Wan has a duty that goes beyond his own personal feelings—he is a Jedi first and an individual second. On the other hand, Fi transcends these roles, freeing us from the context of whatever role we’re playing at the time: the guiding principle instead is what we personally feel is right—this is embodied by Anakin’s choices in the film.

These are the functions of Fe and Fi as acted-out within the psyche of an INTP, however. Fe is the Anima/Animus, being positive and idealised, whereas Fi is the Demonic Personality, being steeped in the darkest of connotations. It’s personal bonds that keep leading Anakin down the path of the Dark Side because he’s ignoring his larger duties and obligations.

One scene in particular makes this dichotomy quite plain: Anakin, Obi-Wan and Padme are chasing Count Dooku on Geonosis when Padme falls out of their ship. Anakin demands that they fly back to get her, but Obi-Wan bites back: “Don’t let your personal feelings get in the way!” He then asks “What do you think Padme would do, were she in your position?” to which Anakin must admit, “She would do her duty.” Padme, of course, is Fe as the Anima. (See my earlier post on The Phantom Menace.)

Beyond all this, Te (as the Opposing Personality) gets another beating, this time as a political philosophy: when Anakin advocates what is essentially a benevolent dictatorship, his reasoning is simply, “If it works…” Meanwhile, Dex’s commentary on the difference between knowledge and wisdom can easily be interpreted as Te vs. Ti.

There’s more, but I need to ponder it further…

I just finished watching The Phantom Menace for the first time in years, and something leapt out at me this time around:

The major theme here is Ti versus Te.

Te is symbolised by the planet of Coruscant, and in particular by the Senate and the Jedi Council. These arms of the Republic have become unthinking and institutional, following their rules and procedures to the letter rather than the spirit of their laws. This is, essentially, a cautionary tale of Te run amok and is a great example of the Te Opposing Personality in INTPs.

Ti, on the other hand, has its mouthpiece in Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson). This Jedi Knight will “do what [he] must” despite what “the system” says. He’s a loose cannon as far as the Jedi Council are concerned because he won’t go along with consensus judgements (Te). It’s here that we see a clear example of the Ti Hero, where independent, intellectual judgement (free from “the party line”) is where the primary source of identity lies. (It seems pretty clear, too, that Jinn is essentially George Lucas’ surrogate.)

Perhaps most notably, however, the idyllic Naboo represents Fe. Why? It’s the primary depiction of the idea of symbiosis (i.e. mutual cooperation). Interestingly, it also stands-in for the feminine principle — the Anima — as embodied by Padme. Again and again, the Anima/Animus function seems to be offered as the ideal state to strive towards. Fascinating!

Finally, Se — trade, greed and conspicuous consumption — is played by both the Trade Federation and Watto, the junk dealer. These are Tricksters: dubious figures who aren’t outright villains.

I’m sure there’s more here as well, but that’s all I’ve got for the time being. But despite what anyone may think of the film’s merits, it’s yet another window into the INTP psyche and is valuable on that basis alone.

In conclusion:

• Hero/Heroine: Qui-Gon Jinn (Ti)
• Anima/Animus: Naboo (Fe)
• Opposing Personality: Coruscant (Te)
• Trickster: Trade Federation, Watto (Se)

Extraverted Sensation (Se) is the function orienting us towards that which is visceral and immediate. As a Hero or Heroine (in ESTPs and ESFPs), it drives us to seek-out action, adventure and excitement in the physical world — anything that stimulates the senses is given the highest value.

As a Trickster (in INTPs and INFPs), however, Se becomes suspicious and untrustworthy, though often alluring nonetheless. It instead strikes us as hedonistic and frivolous, being “fun” but not nearly enough to build a life on.

The prototypical Se Trickster is Bender in the very INTP-ish animated comedy science fiction series Futurama. Bender is a funny, loveable and attractive character, but also utterly amoral, often betraying his closest friends for personal gain. Nonetheless, you can’t help but suspect that all those maths geeks writing for the show secretly wish they could be Bender in real life, if only they could get away with it.

This seems to be the Trickster in a nutshell: despite perceiving this figure as generally opposed to our own self-image, we still harbour a desire to take a holiday from our ego every so often and embrace this archetype.

Take Han Solo in the original Star Wars: Luke (named after George Lucas) may be the Hero, but Han is the guy Lucas wishes he were. Still, Han is portrayed as selfish and without a moral centre — it’s only in the final reel that the character is redeemed by choosing loyalty to his friends over pure self-interest (a very Fe message). Han is, of course, another Se Trickster from the mind of an INTP, clearly depicting both the best and worst of the function.

And then there’s Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, whose Cloud City is beautiful and alluring (Se) but ultimately a place of danger and deception. Again, Lando is redeemed by employing Fe.

If that weren’t enough, in Return of the Jedi we have Jabba the Hutt, a caricature of Se at its most extreme. Note that Jabba’s palace features trap-doors — another alignment of Se with deception.

Indeed, Obi-Wan counsels Luke that “Your eyes can deceive you”, and Luke ultimately learns to not rely on direct, immediate sensory data when attempting to destroy the first Death Star.

In the Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (with story and lyrics by INFP Peter Gabriel), the hero, Rael, is only able to escape the Chamber of 32 Doors by being lead out by the blind character, Lilywhite Lilith — his eyes were deceiving him rather than aiding him, in other words. Furthermore, his later erotic, sensual encounter with the Lamia results in gross deformities, and the only solution is castration. The world of direct sensory experience is yet again depicted as being alluring and attractive but also dangerous and deceptive.

Need I mention Zaphod Beeblebrox from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as one more example of the Se Trickster, this time from INTP Douglas Adams?

So what this all comes down to is that INTPs and INFPs are both drawn to and wary of the world of Se. It all just seems a little bit too fickle and superficial, as if you’re having too much fun and you’ll come to regret it later. If life were consequence-free, however, they’d jump at the chance to go wild, and given the right set of circumstances and frame of mind, these types only need a nudge to embrace their inner Bender. (Believe me, I know…)