Beebe's Model of Persona - Ego - Self
Beebe’s descriptors for each of the functions (below) show the progression of development from the Persona to the Ego to the Self. The Self is the highest stage, but each stage is indispensable for development, and psychological type can help us explore each stage.
The Persona is a critical aspect of personality, needed to interact with the world.
Jung (1953) defined the Persona as follows: “The persona is … a kind of Mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and, on the other, to conceal the true nature of the individual.”
Another way to say that is that the persona seeks to conceal the complexity of the individual, the fact that there are aspects of the personality that are not well-integrated. Psychological type is a powerful tool for understanding and building a persona, as well as for escaping from its confines.
The Persona
in Depth Psychology
THE 8 PERSONA FUNCTION-GERUNDS
Se
ENGAGING
Te
REGULATING
Si
IMPLEMENTING
Ti
NAMING
Ne
ENTERTAINING
Fe
VALIDATING
Ni
IMAGINING
Fi
JUDGING
EGO
Se
Experiencing
Te
Planning
Si
Verifying
Ti
Defining
Ne
Envisioning
Fe
Affirming
Ni
Knowing
Fi
Appraising
SELF
Se
Enjoying
Te
Enforcing
Si
Accounting
Ti
Understanding
Ne
Enabling
Fe
Relating
Ni
Divining
Fi
Establishing
the value
Source: Reprinted from John Beebe’s handout titled “The Eight-Function-Attitudes Unpacked” distributed at his lecture, “Psychological types: then and now,” Jungian Psychoanalytic Association Conference, April 11, 2015, New York, NY.
Contact
Like what you see? Get in touch to learn more.
