Beebe’s Archetypes Explained

Individuals tend to use the eight functions in unique ways depending on their types. John Beebe’s eight archetypes show the emotional energy that accompanies each function position. For example, to understand the difference between the Eternal Child and the Trickster, consider these two film clips which we could say portray exaggerated versions of ENTP and INTJ. ENTPs have the relating function, extraverted feeling (Fe), in the third position which has the playful energy of the Eternal Child. This endows ENTPs with the social charm of the Pied Piper, but the Eternal Child doesn’t have much stamina so ENTPs keep their interactions short, often moving from group to group (see clip from Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl). INTJs have extraverted feeling (Fe) in the seventh position which has trickster energy. INTJs often find that using Fe straightforwardly backfires, or tricks them, so they learn to use the trickster energy constructively to build relationships with ironic or self-deprecating remarks. See Sherlock Holmes’ Best Man speech. For more examples, see Projection and Personality Development via the Eight-Function Model, 2021, Routledge.