The Model A
(informational exchange model)
© Prepared by Dmitri Lytov and Marianna Lytova based on the following source:
Victor Gulenko, Vladimir Tyshchenko. Jung at School. 1997 (in Russian).
What is Model A?
The Model A reflects balance of all the 8 informational exchange functions in psyche of a person belonging to a certain type.
The functions coexist with each other in different ways: some of them as if fight for common resources, and strengthening of one of them means weakening of the other; some of them are "indifferent" to each other; some "energize" each other.
The names of the blocks of the Model A are borrowed from S.Freud's psychoanalysis, but are slightly different by their contents.
The EGO Block (1 + 2):
These two functions represent a short formula of the type. They are the strongest functions of the type Their activity is always inconclusive, open to more changes: «I know myself what I need better than others, and if I need improvements – I will make them myself, without anybody else's help».
1. The Program Function: active observation, "lifestyle".
2. The Creative Function: it requires efforts, for some time "sits in an ambush" and manifests in many small activities.
The SUPER-EGO Block (3 + 4) :
These features are "sacrificed" for the sake of the first two functions: a person can well realize these functions, but they do not become achievable due to such realization. Most often functions of this block remember various social restrictions (because a person tends to explain his/her incapability of achieving good results by influence of society, education, "circumstances" etc.).
3. The Role Function: often a person tries to look this way (in order to not reveal his/her weak traits before the others), but is not that kind; in an emergency situation this function tends to excesses.
4. The Vulnerable Function: it accumulates information, but a person is always not sure in its quality; people usually follow these principles rather in words than really, because decisive actions of the 2nd function "suppress" the shy voice of the 4th function.
The SUPER-ID Block (5 + 6):
A person wants to get support for these functions, and often "does not have enough time" to care for such p[roblems, to solve them himself/herself. Moreover, he/she often does not clearly realize what he/she really needs, and thus tends to give his/her partner freedom of actions in such matters.
5. The Suggestive Function: "I do not notice until it pains", but as soon as troubles appear, the individual becomes very dependent from this function, gladly follows other people's advices and hopes for their help.
6. The Activation Function: a person's activity on this function depends on the surrounding; when this function is "energized" by others – his/her activity may even sometimes exceed activity of other people, and when it is not – the activity disappears without leaving a trace.
The ID Block (7 + 8):
It represents passive capabilities: an individual CAN but does not always realize that he/she really CAN. The individual begins to act when he/she receives a definite request for concrete result. An individual cannot load these functions permanently – such "loads" require to restrict the activity of the Ego block, or, in other words, to permanently consider oneself critically.
7. The Control Function: it is easier for an individual to criticize others for mistakes relevant to this function, to control other people's activities, than to demonstrate his/her own initiative. Information relevant to this function is perceived as redundant, "maybe important but not now".
8. The Standard Function: a person acts on this function actively, but "automatically", chaotically, "as usual"; one needs to see a positive example which would drive his/her efforts into the necessary direction.
Contents of the Functions
What do these signs mean—
, 
, etc.? Why cannot socionists use symbols Ne, Ni etc. as in MBTI? Just because they have somewhat different meaning. Socionics and MBTI, each in its own way, have slightly modified the original Jung's description of his 8 psychological types. For this reason, (Ne) is not exactly the same as Ne in MBTI.
Just one example: in MBTI, Se (extraverted sensing) is associated with life pleasures, excitement etc. By contrast, the socionic function 
(extraverted sensing) is first and foremost associated with control and expansion of personal space (which sometimes can manifest in excessive aagression, but often also manifests in a capability of managing lots of people and things).
For this reason, we consider comparison between MBTI types and socionic types by functions to be rather useless than useful.
Learn more about the contents of the socionic functions...
Principles of building
Example of the Model A
(for the type Bonvivant, ethical-sensory extravert)
1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
8 |
1. The first two functions are derivable from the very name of the type. For example, the ethical-sensory extravert will have ethic as his 1st, sensation as his 2nd function. The first function will be extraverted, the second introverted (and vice versa for introverts). These two functions represent a short formula of the type.
This is the EGO block. The relationships with the types whose strong functions coincide with one or two functions of this block of your Model A are characterized as Understanding (see the article Functional Analysis of the Intertype Relationships ).
2. Bias to these two functions will be two other functions, 3rd and 4th, of the same colors but of opposite meaning. This means, bias to sensation will be intuition (of the same color), and bias to ethic will be logic of the same color.
This is the SUPER-EGO block. The relationships with the types whose strong functions coincide with one or two functions of this block of your Model A are characterized as Inhibition.
3. The next two functions, 5th and 6th, repeat the 3rd and 4th, but are of opposite colors.
This is the SUPER-ID block. The relationships with the types whose strong functions coincide with one or two functions of this block of your Model A are characterized as Support.
4. And finally, the last two functions, 7th and 8th, correspond to the 1st and 2nd, but are of opposite colors.
This is the ID block. The relationships with the types whose strong functions coincide with one or two functions of this block of your Model A are characterized as Correction.
5. If you succeeded to build the Model A correctly, it will look the following way:
- functions of white and black color will be positioned symmetrically to each other, in a form of zig-zag;
- the bottom half of the Model will be a negative mirror reflection of the top half;
- each two neighboring functions (except the combinations 3-5 and 4-6) will represent a formula of one of the 16 types. This means that the relationship between this type and the type to which these two functions correspond will be derivable from the meaning of these two functions. Look for more details in the section about Intertype Relationships .
Functional Analysis of the 16 Types
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More about the Model A
- A.Boukalov. Basic categories of Socionics
- R. McNew. An explanation of Model-A
- R. McNew. An explanation of the Socionic Model of the Psyche
- R. McNew. The Hidden Agenda's Secret!
- R. McNew. Model-A Intertype Relationships chart
- R. McNew. Model-X with weak functions chart #1
- R. McNew. Model-X with weak functions chart #2