Update 1.24 — Realism instead of Irrationalism.

In this update, I decided to consider the concept of “irrationalism”. I took the term “irrationalism” from C. G. Jung’s book “Psychological Types”. He used “irrationalism” as a counterweight to “rationalism”.

Rationalism contains two basic psychological functions:

• Thinking, and
• Feeling.

In turn, Irrationalism contains the other two basic functions, namely:

• Intuition, and
• Sensation (or Sensing).

Rationalism is a quite well-known concept, and we can explain it to ourselves in some way. For example, we can associate Rationalism with the word ration or right. It is actually great simplification and generalization if we think about it from a philosophical point of view. However, the word ration in some way can guide us to the Rationalism.

In turn, when we think about Irrationalism, there is no such simple association. Admittedly, Irrationalism, we can associate with Rationalism, but this association is actually not intuitive. We cannot easily figure out what it is about? We need to do here extra research to know what Irrationalism really means?

Of course, we can simply think that Irrationalism is the counterweight to Rationalism. This conclusion is logical and rational. However, in principle, we have only one concept here, namely, Rationalism. Whereas about the second concept, that is, about Irrationalism, we know mainly this, that it is not Rationalism.

So, what we can do with it?

As I mentioned above, Jung connected Irrationalism with two basic functions. That is, with Intuition and Sensation. And, it came to me the idea that it would be better if the concept representing Intuition and Sensation will be more connected with these two basic functions.

Why do I think so?

For example, if we simply associate Rationalism with the word—ration, then we can argue that it is the ration that results from:
— Thinking (e.g., logic, deductions, deliberations, considerations, etc.), and
— Feeling (e.g., morality, ethics, valuing, comparisons, estimations, arguments, predictions, etc.).

And now, if we came back to the concept—Irrationalism, we can think, what we can associate with it?

From what I wrote above, for now, we know this, that Irrationalism is the counterweight, inverse, opposition … to Rationalism.

— Oh, but what does it actually mean? What can this be associated with? What can it suggest?

These are simple or even childish questions, but I think it is worth asking them.

So, if we ask what Irrationalism actually means, it is hard quickly to come across something concrete.

We know already that we can associate Rationalism with the rations resulting from logic, thinking, reasoning, feeling, ethics, morality, etc. In this case, we could logically say that Irrationalism is associated with “ir-ration”, “ir-logic”, “ir-thinking”, and so on. Such words are obviously not used. Anyway, the word—Irrationalism is used seldom. It means Irrationalism is much less used than Rationalism.

And here I think that instead of the word—Irrationalism, we could use another word. The word that gives us direct and straightforward associations. As it is in the case of Rationalism.

I think a good candidate for this word seems to be—realism.

Realism, simply put, it is something real, actual, genuine, concrete, etc.

Realism, apart from being real, has the advantage that it has many meanings. Realism is a term used in philosophy, literature, and other areas. We have many types of realism in both philosophy and art. In philosophy, for example, we have these kinds of realism: scientific, metaphysical, ontological, critical, direct, etc. In literature and art, the kinds of realism are such as in the following quote:

Besides, we still have, for example, abstract realism, which is the concept related to photography. We also have legal realism, which is divided into psychological and sociological realism. There is also realism regarding international relations.

Therefore, the word realism is widely used. This fact can be very useful in the Mandala of Characters. It is because I adopted the principle that in the Mandala, I look for terms that are as broad as possible. Broad terms help to associate various thoughts and concepts with each other. And it can help to analyze individual types of characters.

According to this principle, in the Mandala, I also placed symbolic concepts. The symbols have the advantage that on the one hand, they are broad in meaning, and on the other hand, they can be very specific.

Returning to realism, I think I can agree with this that it can be a proper substitute to replace Irrationalism.

Realism also sounds better than Irrationalism. Besides, Irrationalism can be viewed negatively. Well, maybe saying that Irrationalism is perceived negatively is going too far. Anyway, Irrationalism can be seen as something less serious, important, significant … than Rationalism.

I think now it is worth asking the question, why in the Mandala of Characters realism will work better than Irrationalism?

It will be easier to answer this question if I remind diagrams in which we can see the area of Irrationalism on the Mandala. (This diagram was presented in updates 1.22 and 1.23).

In the diagram above, we can see that the area of IRRATIONALISM stretches between INTUITION and SENSATION.

In the next diagram, I replace Irrationalism with the concept of Realism.

Now we can see that instead of Irrationalism, REALISM stretches between INTUITION and SENSATION.

Let us return to the question, why is Realism the concept that will work better than Irrationalism?

Now, in the diagram above, Realism combines a pair of basic functions. That is Intuition and Sensation. So, Realism is similar to Rationalism because it combines Thinking and Feeling. Then, we can say that:

• Rationalism concerns both Thinking and Feeling. For example:
  — Thanks to Thinking, we can have some “rations”. It means we can be rational, we can be right, we can have a point, reason, etc.
  — And under the influence of Feeling, we can also be rational, we can do something right, we can have a reason, etc.
• Realism, in turn, concerns both Intuition and Sensation. For example:
  — Sensation tries to discover and follow what is real,
  — And Intuition tries to discover and direct to this what is real.

So, Realism can be (like Irrationalism) the counterweight to Rationalism.

In that case, if we think that Realism is appropriate, then we can further ask, why is it appropriate? It means why Realism will match both Intuition and Sensation?

Let us think about Sensation first.

Below is a set of words that accompany the function—SENSATION. We can find this set of words at the bottom of the Mandala of Characters.

EARTH
position, SENSATION, benefit  
sorrow
(autumn—existence and sense)

Let us see why we can associate Realism with the words above:

• EARTH—because it is real, concrete, practical, clearly-defined, established, stated, etc.
• SENSATION—because what is “earthy”, we can easily see, touch, keep, measure, estimate, etc.
• position—because on the earth, we can have certain, stable, concrete, specific, grounded … position.
• benefit—because what is “earthy”, useful, handy, helpful … is beneficial.
• autumn—because it brings mature, ready and specific fruits.
• existence and sense—because “existence and sense” are real, genuine, meaningful, substantial, etc. “Existence and sense” can be specifically defined.

Therefore, Realism, we can associate with the Sensation function, and with the whole above set of words. So, we can say that Realism fits the Sensation. In that case, let us think about whether Realism matches Intuition.

Likewise, as above in the case of Sensation, now, I remind the set of words accompanying the INTUITION function.

AIR
compromise, INTUITION, balance   
anger
(spring—source and purpose)

At first glance, Realism fits more to the Sensation, Earth, and the whole set of words accompanying them. It is a fact. However, Intuition and the concepts that are accompanying it are also real.

So, in the set of words accompanying Intuition, Realism we can associate with:

• AIR—admittedly, we cannot see Air, and usually, we not notice its existence. However, the fact that the Air still surrounds us is something "really real". Air also gives us many specific sensations. Like, for example, the fact that we inhale and exhale Air all the time. We feel atmospheric moisture. We feel whether it is cold or hot? We also feel the Air movement, that is, wind. So, despite the fact that Air seems less real than Earth, Air is all the time reality that continuously surrounds us.
• INTUITION—often works in such a way that it brings to our mind some images or ideas. They are either specific images, or some associations, or catching some connections, relations, similarities, analogies, etc. It is tricky to define what actually is Intuition and how the intuitive perception works? All in all, there are often images and ideas. And here comes to my mind association that I really like. This is the association of Intuition with Realism in art, namely, in literature and painting. Especially Realism in painting is, so to speak, very illustrative. I also like the fact that Intuition, if we imagine it as Realism in painting and literature, is actually a counterweight to Rationalism. Because the Rationalism is reasoning or the feeling of something right or rational. In turn, Realism is an intuitive perception of realistic images, or it is the Sensation of a real, specific reality.
• compromise—often, to achieve it, we have to have great Realism.
• balance—maintaining balance requires a realistic assessment of reality and our abilities and skills. Striving for balance requires constant observation of reality and prediction, what can happen? Therefore, it requires using the experience that we got in the past, and realistic prediction of the future to avoid losing balance. All in all, we need here a very realistic assessment of reality.
• spring—if we imagine flower buds or flowers on a tree, then in a sense, we can say that they are real ovules or seeds of the future fruits. So, spring symbolically is something that has some hidden (or undeveloped) real potential.
• source and purpose—if we refer the source and purpose to the previous concept—spring, then the knowledge and experience from the past are useful. It is because, thanks to this, we already know what the buds or flowers will turn into? And further, in the future, we will know how to take the best care for trees, on which there are buds and flowers. As a result, we can expect that they will turn into large and tasty fruits. Therefore, to determine the source and purpose, among other things, we need to answer a very realistic question—where does something come from, and where is it going?

From the above considerations, we can see that Realism at first glance, we can quite easily associate with Sensation and the set of words that accompanying it. When it comes to the association of Realism with Intuition, at first glance, it is not so obvious. Realism is not associated with Intuition directly, but indirectly. Indirectly through images, associations, similarities, metaphors, comparisons, etc. Besides, Intuition has a broader horizon. It means, this horizon stretches from the past to the future. The Sensation, in turn, focuses much more on the real present. And if the Sensation focuses on the past and the future, it does so to a lesser extent than Intuition. Sensation in the past and in the future is more interested in some real tangible, concrete things and hard facts, which can be used now or shortly. Intuition is more interested in discovering hidden possibilities or potential that can bear some specific fruits in the near or distant future.

Here, we could make such a point that Intuition focuses more on some ideas, in which some potential is hidden. So, is Intuition characterized by idealism? And now, we enter the area of philosophy. Although the concepts of idealism and Realism have many variations in philosophy, can we draw some essence out of it?

In that case, let us ask the question—what is the relation between Realism and idealism?

To answer this question, I will use the following quote:

In the above quote, I noticed the following fragment:

Realism assumes the objective existence of a reality that is independent of the mind getting to know it. So if idealism assumes the objective existence of ideas, then there is no contradiction between the concepts of realism and idealism.

I think that this fragment answers the above question—how does Realism relate to idealism?

Besides, to our considerations about the connection between Realism and Intuition, we can use this, that idea is realistic. I think that if the idea is realistic, then we can also consider that Intuition can also be realistic. Because Intuition often has a great impact on the creation of various ideas.

In conclusion, I think that Realism is the proper candidate to replace Irrationalism. It also seems to me that Realism, in its meaning, is more intuitive and speaks better to our imagination than Irrationalism. The concept of Realism does not quite match the concept of Irrationalism. Realism, however, is much broader in meanings. And, in a sense, Realism also includes Irrationalism.

In that case, I decided that I can put Realism to the Mandala of Characters.

So, after taking into account Realism, how now will look like the diagrams of:

• Adaptive-defensive mechanism (or general attitudes, or modes of psychic reactions), which include: Extraversion, Introversion, Perceiving and Judging.
• And basic psychological functions (or function-types), which include: Thinking, Feeling, Intuition, and Sensation.

Some of these diagrams do not change, but as a reminder, I think, it is worth to present them all.

First, I remind diagrams of basic psychological functions (or function-types). These diagrams have not changed.

INTUITION and SENSATION

THINKING and FEELING

Below I put the diagrams of Rationalism and Realism.

RATIONALISM

REALISM

In the next diagram, I replaced IRRATIONALISM with REALISM.

Next, I present adaptive-defensive mechanisms (or general attitudes, or modes of psychic reactions), which include: Extraversion, Introversion, Perceiving, and Judging. In this diagram, I also show where are located Rationalism and Realism.

EXTRAVERSION and INTROVERSION

In the diagram below, we can see how are located areas of:

• Rationalism and Realism, and
• Extraversion and Introversion.

PERCEIVING and JUDGING

In the diagram below, we can see how are located areas of:

• Rationalism and Realism, and
• Perceiving and Judging.

Next, I will remind the diagrams for each type of character, which I made in update 1.23. There I was thinking about movement between Strong and Soft Self-Esteem States (or Power and Vulnerable States). I also made diagrams where I showed where there are Strong and Soft Self-Esteem States for each type of character.

Since I changed Irrationalism into Realism in this update, I will include this change in the diagrams below.

First square

The first square includes types:

• Moist Air,
• Dry Earth,
• Cool Water, and
• Hot Fire.

The type of character — Moist Air

The type of character — Dry Earth

The type of character — Cool Water

The type of Character — Hot Fire

Second square

The second square includes types:

• Wet Water,
• Dry Fire,
• Hot Air, and
• Cool Earth.

The type of character — Wet Water

The type of character — Dry Fire

The type of character — Cool Earth

The type of character — Hot Air

Third square

The third square includes types:

• Water,
• Fire,
• Air, and
• Earth.

The type of character — Water

Type of character — Fire

The type of character — Air

The type of character — Earth

Annex to update 1.22 — regarding adaptive-defensive mechanisms.

In update 1.22, I wrote about adaptive-defensive mechanisms (or general attitudes, or modes of psychic reaction). In the Mandala of Characters they include:

• Extraversion and Introversion, and
• Perceiving and Judging.

In update 1.22, I also presented the diagrams in which I show more precisely the areas where are the adaptive-defensive mechanisms. By saying more precisely, I mean, I also wanted to show:

1. How Extraversion and Introversion are located in the central areas where is so-called ambiversion. It means the area where the level of Extraversion and Introversion is equal or close to each other.
2. And how Perceiving and Judging are located in the central areas. It means, in areas where the level of Perceiving and Judging is equal or close to each other.
   (I have not yet found a term that would apply to an equal or similar level of Perceiving and Judging. Perhaps nobody has created such a term yet. It means I did not found a term analogous to ambiversion, which in the first point above is referred to an equal or similar level of Extraversion and Introversion).

To present the areas from the above two points, I used the Myers-Briggs typology. I put individual Myers-Briggs types around the Mandala of Characters. Thanks to the letter marking used in this typology, we can see more precisely where are the areas of:

• Extraversion—E,
• Introversion—I,
• Perceiving—P, and
• Judging—J.

On the Mandala of Characters, I also show the strength of the above adaptive-defensive mechanisms. I presented it graphically using shading, that is, gradients. This strength depends on the distance from the poles of individual mechanisms. (So, the further away from the pole of the given mechanism, the smaller is the influence of the given mechanism).

The poles of the individual mechanisms are arranged as follows:

• Extraversion pole—top left corner.
• Introversion pole—bottom right corner,
• Perceiving pole—bottom left corner, and
• Judging pole—top right corner.

In the diagrams below, which more precisely show the areas where there are adaptive-defensive mechanisms, I also put the change that I made in this update. That is the exchange of Irrationalism for Realism.

Extraverted and Introverted RATIONALISM.

Extraverted and Introverted REALISM.

Perceiving and Judging RATIONALISM.

Perceiving and Judging REALISM.

Dear reader, probably the above last four diagrams can be interesting for you if you know the Myers-Briggs typology. Maybe for you, it will be an interesting view or use of the Myers-Briggs. If you do not know this typology, maybe knowing where the given types of Myers-Briggs are located will be an introduction to becoming familiar with this typology.

The Myers-Briggs typology was helpful for me in determining how exactly are located areas where are adaptive-defensive mechanisms. I wrote about it in the update 1.22. That is, it was mainly about the central areas of the Mandala of Characters. It these areas, the level of particular mechanisms is equal or close to each other.

However, in the Mandala of Characters, I will not often use the distinction between adaptive-defensive mechanisms that occurs in central areas of Mandala. This is directed by the fact that:

• It may unnecessarily make more difficult the understanding of the consideration that I will present for individual types of characters.
• In areas where the level of adaptive-defensive mechanisms is equal or close to each other, more important are the basic functions (that is, Thinking, Feeling, Intuition, and Sensation). I think, in these areas, it is worth paying attention more to basic functions. Adaptive-defensive mechanisms play secondary roles there.

And here, I will end this update 1.24 regarding the concept of Realism, that I used to replace Irrationalism.

References: