Questim–Declatim Functions as Psychological Attitudes
Another model for deriving the full range of meanings of certain functions from a pair of short theses - this time, seemingly a successful one.
Qe = “I am talented” -> it is advantageous for this person to defend rigid individual boundaries, since uniting with those around them means uniting with less talented people who will only hold them back on the path to success; it is also advantageous for them to strengthen individual selection - when the few most talented individuals receive many times greater opportunities and resources
Di = “I come from a great lineage/nation” -> it is advantageous for this person to defend rigid collective boundaries - since association with a collective “we” that has a high reputation raises their personal self-esteem and reputation (“we are the best” -> “I am the best”); it is also advantageous for them to strengthen group selection - when groups compete as unified wholes and the victorious group, which is stronger and more talented overall, receives many times greater opportunities and resources, which are then distributed among its members
De = “I am ordinary” -> it is advantageous for this person to support the blurring of individual boundaries, since by uniting with those around them, they are highly likely to unite with more talented people who increase their chances of success; it is also advantageous for them to weaken individual selection - when everyone possesses comparable opportunities and resources regardless of their level of personal talent
Qi = “my lineage/nation is bad” -> it is advantageous for this person to support the blurring of collective boundaries and to regard themselves as a rootless cosmopolitan, simply to avoid association with their bad origins, which lowers their self-esteem and damages their reputation; it is also advantageous for them to weaken group selection - so that the victories and defeats of groups are mere formalities and have minimal influence on the fate of their members, and so that it is always possible to leave a group when it loses and thereby worsens the future of all its participants, including involuntary ones such as themselves.
Combining the theses produces the meanings of the dichotomies already known from socionics:
aristocratism = Qe+Di = “I am talented and come from a great lineage - I am a noble aristocrat; my ancestors cultivated and invested in me an advantage over others, and I will continue to protect and realize these advantages” (a conservative position that safeguards past merits -> “right-wing” ideology)
democratism = De+Qi = “I am untalented and rootless - I am a plebeian, but this is not my fault or the result of my mistakes; one does not choose one’s parents, and your advantage is likewise not the result of your personal merit, so I demand equality of opportunity” (a position that disregards past merits -> “left-wing” ideology)
Questimity = Qe+Qi = “I am talented, but of bad/low origin, and therefore many paths that are open to well-born mediocrities are closed to me. I question society: where is the justice? Do not dare judge me or make demands based on origin, but give me everything so that I can realize myself - you owe me!” (the separation of the individual from the social substrate, individualism)
Declatimity = De+Di = “I am ordinary, but I am part of a great nation, so I should not distinguish myself or demand anything; I should transmit the opinions of others - since these are most likely the opinions of more talented people - and sacrifice myself, since this sacrifice is for the benefit of more worthy fellow members of my people” (the merging of the individual into the social substrate, collectivism)
The KD functions are “developed” through:
Qe - instilling in a person the belief that they are exceptionally gifted and talented
Di - instilling in a person ideas about the greatness of their lineage and the culture of their ancestors (patriotic propaganda)
De - instilling the idea that all talents are conventional, that all people are equally talented, but that not everyone has the initial conditions required to realize their potential
Qi - instilling the belief that any collective that separates itself from the external world and appeals to cohesion is a herd characterized by negative selection, hostile to talent and appropriating the successes of talented people for itself
Thus, the worldview of the KD functions, taking Judiciousness–Decisiveness into account, appears as follows:
decisive Qe: “you are exceptionally gifted and talented, so you deserve more - wealth and power”
judicious Qe: “you are exceptionally gifted and talented, so do not expose yourself unnecessarily; preserve yourself”
decisive Di: “your nation is great, so do everything possible to make neighboring nations bow before it”
judicious Di: “your nation is great, so sacrificing yourself for the welfare of its people is sacred”
decisive De: “all talents are conventional, so do not hesitate to seek any means of realizing yourself ahead of others”
judicious De: “all talents are conventional, so do not be selective; be prepared to let anyone into your life”
decisive Qi: “a cohesive group is evil, so impose personal connections everywhere and do not sacrifice what is yours for people you do not know” (and your group will disintegrate into separate parts and become atomized)
judicious Qi: “a cohesive group is evil, so seek a global interest everywhere and selflessly share with outsiders” (and your group will dissolve into a unified humanity)
Contrary to our previous assumptions, De has almost nothing to do with cosmopolitanism. In this respect, De, as is characteristic of all dynamic functions, is indifferent, omnivorous, and readily adapts to the ideology dominant in society, which is established by one static function or another.
Cosmopolitanism, especially ideological cosmopolitanism, is instead characteristic of Qi and is its natural reaction to disgust toward the social norms of the society in which it developed. Qi is irritated by any society that establishes boundaries; however, one’s native society is always closer, and in this respect the irritation caused by it is stronger than that caused by distant and unknown foreign societies.
The connection between Questimity and the negativism factor also now becomes understandable, since both Questim tendencies - Qe and Qi alike - in their inert form provide fertile ground for dissatisfaction with life: for Qe, the main source of this dissatisfaction is its personal ambition, whereas for Qi it is the surrounding society.
An important discussion under a repost of the author’s original post in the “Talanov Questionnaires” group
V. L. Talanov (23.09.2024):
For discussion. Although this is elegant from an idealistic perspective, in my opinion it has not yet been established from a materialist standpoint, which requires grounding in evolutionary and biological causality.
Questions that naturally arise:
- Even if this is the case, how can the evolutionary mechanism through which these functions formed be traced here?
- The functions are largely formed already in early childhood. Where, then, could attitudes such as “I come from a great lineage/nation,” “I am ordinary,” and “My lineage/nation is bad” arise at such a young age?
Ivan Romanov (24.09.2024):
The Di–Qi balance is associated, as far as I understand, with high or low vasopressin levels. With high vasopressin levels, an individual becomes attached to their conspecifics from childhood and begins to identify with the pack in which they grew up. Whatever we identify with, we regard as “good.” With low vasopressin, avoidance mechanisms develop instead of psychological mechanisms of group belonging. By avoiding your conspecifics, you cease to identify with them, and they become unpleasant to you. However, you still remain within your own group, and therefore your negativity becomes directed primarily toward that group, simply because you interact with its members.
Thus, psychological attitudes are not primary but secondary. Nevertheless, they constitute the actualized form of the function, whereas the neurohormonal background merely establishes a predisposition.
The case of Qe–De is more interesting. To be honest, I do not know the neurophysiological basis here. I am not even certain about the psychological basis, because at different times narcissism - confidence in one’s exceptional self-worth - was attributed sometimes to Qe and sometimes to Qi, while according to the latest data it apparently belongs to the combination Se+Fe+anti-Di, with the other three Questim–Declatim functions being equalized.
However, Qe is associated primarily with heightened personal irritability and, more broadly, with a low irritation threshold. With a low irritation threshold, an individual perceives many things as alien and hostile and rejects them. In this way, the individual develops an image of their own “self” at an early age, which must be defended against the external world. The belief in one’s own talent may be a psychological defense mechanism that justifies, first to oneself and then to others, one’s heightened irritability and demanding standards regarding the quality of the resources one consumes.