1D — Experience
Positions 4 and 5. The function relies on personal experience and has the least independent range under novelty or pressure.
Model A Library
Dimensionality, Priority, Presence
How function authority, psychological importance, and visible presence are derived from simpler Model A dichotomies.
Dimensionality
How Much Authority A Function Has
Dimensionality describes the amount of informational authority available to a function. A one-dimensional function can draw mainly on direct experience; a two-dimensional function can also use norms; a three-dimensional function can adapt to the situation; and a four-dimensional function adds time, development, and long-range continuity. This is the structural basis of the strong/weak distinction: 3D and 4D functions are strong, while 1D and 2D functions are weak.
Built From Three Function Dichotomies
- 4DStrong + Constant + Obvious
- 3DStrong + Variable + Subtle
- 2DWeak + Variable + Obvious
- 1DWeak + Constant + Subtle
2D — Norms
Positions 3 and 6. The function can use learned expectations and social rules, but remains limited when conditions become complex.
3D — Situation
Positions 2 and 7. The function can adapt flexibly to context and solve problems beyond fixed norms.
4D — Time
Positions 1 and 8. The function has the widest authority, tracking development, continuity, and what remains stable across changing conditions.
Priority
How Strongly A Function Captures Attention
Priority describes how much psychological attention a function attracts inside the structure. Dimensionality asks how much authority a function has; priority asks how insistently it matters to the psyche. A function may be capable but low-priority, or weak but high-priority. This is why the Demonstrative can be strong yet backgrounded, while the Suggestive can be weak yet deeply compelling.
The four priority levels are built from three functional dichotomies: Valued/Neglected, Obvious/Subtle, and Stubborn/Flexible. Valued functions are permitted to matter; Obvious functions announce themselves more readily; Stubborn functions hold their orientation with less willingness to be redirected. Their combinations generate the four priority levels below.
Built From Three Function Dichotomies
- 4PValued + Obvious + Stubborn
- 3PValued + Subtle + Flexible
- 2PNeglected + Obvious + Flexible
- 1PNeglected + Subtle + Stubborn
Where Priority Sits In Model A
- 4PPositions 1 and 6: Leading and Mobilising
- 3PPositions 2 and 5: Creative and Suggestive
- 2PPositions 3 and 8: Role and Demonstrative
- 1PPositions 4 and 7: Vulnerable and Ignoring
1P — Neglected + Subtle + Stubborn
Positions 4 and 7. The function is low in psychological priority: it does not ask to be foregrounded, yet it can be resistant when pressed or redirected.
2P — Neglected + Obvious + Flexible
Positions 3 and 8. The function can show itself outwardly and adjust to circumstances, but its information remains secondary to the type's valued agenda.
3P — Valued + Subtle + Flexible
Positions 2 and 5. The function matters to the psyche, but it is more responsive than forceful: it adapts, receives, collaborates, and draws attention without dominating.
4P — Valued + Obvious + Stubborn
Positions 1 and 6. The function has the highest priority: it is permitted to matter, tends to announce itself, and holds its direction with unusual persistence.
Presence
How Fully A Function Appears
Presence is derived by crossing dimensionality with priority. Dimensionality asks how much range a function has; priority asks how strongly it matters. Presence asks how fully that function appears in the type's lived operation: a function becomes more present when it has both enough authority to operate and enough priority to draw attention.
Derived From D + P
- 4L4D + 4P: maximum authority and maximum priority
- 3L4D + 2P, 3D + 3P, or 2D + 4P
- 2L3D + 1P, 2D + 2P, or 1D + 3P
- 1L1D + 1P: minimum authority and minimum priority
Reading The Notation
- DDimensionality: the function's structural authority
- PPriority: the function's psychological importance
- LLevel of presence: how fully the function appears
1L — Minimal Presence
Lowest authority and lowest priority meet here. The function is least equipped, least foregrounded, and least likely to organise the type's visible activity.
2L — Partial Presence
The function is present but uneven: either capable without much priority, or wanted without much authority. It appears in narrower, more conditional ways.
3L — Strong Presence
The function has enough authority or priority to become clearly visible in the type's operation, even if one side of the equation remains incomplete.
4L — Full Presence
Maximum authority and maximum priority coincide. The function is both capable and central, appearing as a defining part of the type's way of being.
Next Step
Function Mechanics. The next page follows these layers into function approaches, pair interactions, and transitions.