How Intuitives Rebel Against Their Primal Selves
ErikThor- Published: 07-15-2016 Edited: 07-15-2016
- Image credits to Moin Uddin.
Much of our brain was developed at a very early age. During our first years, much of our personality has yet to become known, even to us. But what happens to us while we are carried by our mothers and nurtured by our parents, becomes a part of our prenatal footprint. Our early experiences impact our brain and primarily it impacts our archaic selves. This is what I mean when I talk about how the four types driving the existence of the cognitive functions. Our cognitive functions are not actually cognitive functions, but emotional instincts and tendencies that we relate to.
Introverted Intuition and Extroverted Sensing both share a high prenatal dopamine, but with one problem: Intuition as a top-down process often causes us to disregard our instincts and our impulses and to instead make a cognitive, wise decision. This however comes at the expense that INJs and ENJs will sometimes struggle with low dopamine - frustration, displeasure. They are sometimes in an antagonistic relationship with their primal, archaic selves, and they often make decisions at the expense of their biological drive. This has one major benefit however: cognitive flexibility, and the ability to unlearn negative emotional patterns, even those established early in the childhood. But the key here is always to find healthy ways of getting your neurochemical fix. Lower amounts of the neurotransmitters could have negative impacts on your health.
Extroverted Intuitives and Introverted Sensors both share a high prenatal serotonin: but extroverted intuitives, rebellious as they are, ignore the feeling of calm that the chemical drives them towards. Instead, they fill their lives with excitement and joy and constantly try hard to break out of their routines. They act more excited, more happy, more joyful than they are, and they spread it around. They try make their life more exciting - running from the norms, the traditions, the security and safety offered by their homes. They rebel from structure and order. For them it's about finding new, creative cultural expressions, and to break away from the old. It's all very similar to enneagram seven.
This rebellion should generally calm down at age 30 or so, as we begin to become more integrated with our sensing functions.
Looking at this map, all intuitive types should be wary of this pattern: NFJs should be wary of their dopamine and oxytocin levels and find healthy, positive ways to "get their fix.". NTJs should be wary of their dopamine, testosterone and endorphine levels. NTPs should be wary of their oxytocin/oestrogen and serotonin levels. Their levels can be lowered because they question social norms and social order - NTPs are ready to make the room uncomfortable if it is necessary. Lastly NFPs should be wary of their serotonin and testosterone/endorphine levels. This is often caused by their subtle or loud rebellions against their surrounding culture or the systems and the natural order around them.
Intuitives are in the process of rebelling against their primal selves: they are in the process of questioning and thinking about their needs and their emotional impulses and the best way to proceed despite of them. While a prenatal testosterone and endorphine levels can cause the NTJs to be sensitive to the chain of command and to hierarchies - to be responsive to command and authority - NTJs frequently question and doubt authority and rebel against this impulse. They can however suffer ramifications from this: they can still realize they are low in the chain of command, and they can feel threatened by others, or they can struggle with feeling weak or powerless, unless they find a positive way to respond to it.
Are you an intuitive? Have you ever successfully rebelled against your primal instincts? Have you broken out of any old patterns? Did you manage to find healthy, positive replacements for your old struggles? -
