What a coincidence!

I just read a passage by Dr. John Beebe last week that I was discussing with my husband last night. The passage says, "Perhaps we all get into our introverted feeling when we are depressed."

so... I was asking my husband whether that means people who prefer introverted Feeling are naturally depressed? I have it on my list to ask Beebe about.

Let me give you some more of the material leading up to that passage. About introverted Feeling, Beebe writes...

"Introverted Feeling ... can only feel the archetypal image of a situation. It cannot see it. The hoary Indian story of the three blind men and the elephant takes on more meaning if one considers that India is a country where introverted Feeling seems to predominate in collective consciousness. Thus, all of the blind men (there are as many as six in some versions, and sometimes they come from a city in which all of the inhabitants are blind) could be said to represent the introverted feeling function, literally feeling its way slowly around the archetype, the elephant in their midst. Necessarily, a thinking definition of that experience at any movement will be partial -- 'It's a rope', 'It's a snake', 'It's a great mud wall' -- but the *process* never ceases until the elephant is felt entirely. It is important to realize that when the introverted feeling function is, for example, feeling 'bad', it is feeling the entire archetypal category of 'bad' and is not likely to quit until that archetypal badness is felt through. As Jung says,

The depth of this feeling can only be guessed -- it can never be clearly grasped. It makes people silent and difficult of access; it shrinks back like a violet from the brute nature of the object in order to fill the depths of the subject. It comes out with negative judgments or assumes an air of profound indifference as a means of defense. (Jung 1971: 387)

Perhaps we all get into our introverted feeling when we are depressed. The important thing to grasp, in understanding introverted feeling, is that archetypes can be *felt* every bit as much as they can be thought about, directly intuited, or experienced somatically. As Jung puts it,

The primordial images are, of course, just as much ideas as feelings. Fundamental ideas, ideas like God, freedom, and immortality, are just as much feelng-values as they are significant ideas. (Jung 1971: 387-388)

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I don't know if you know Beebe's work. He pioneered the 8-function model of type.... AND he describes how his model is related to Jung's "big idea" of "archetypes."

Beebe also has this fascinating hobby. He types movies.

Now, most people watch movies and try to type the characters -- "Oh, Tom Cruise played an ESTP" or "Helen Mirren played an ISTJ." That kind of thing.

What John does is to type the overall movie. The MOVIE has a type. Each of the main characters represents ONE of the cognitive processes in the movie's overall personality makeup. So, for instance, Beebe has typed the *movie* "The Wizard of Oz" has displaying the pattern of ENFJ.

My husband attended a lecture by Beebe on Saturday and he analyzed the movie "Rashomon." He was exploring the notion of trauma, and he assigned the movie a type pattern of INFP.

I can't comment on this further (since I didn't attend the lecture or listen to the audio from it yet), yet perhaps it will give you something to consider as you work through your own dance with the depression archetype.

How did this land with you?

First of all ..if youd like I can put my little finger in that hole in your heart to fill the space if it makes you feel better.....lol
Im not sure if anyone here has spoken on depression and how it affects us..I would have to look back on some of the post....
Personally I used to suffer from depression as a kid but now although It still comes and goes, I am able to handle it better and I know when its there becasue I tend to sleep more and spend plenty of time alone inside my head. Ive never been treated for anything but I read alot of self hepl book s and practice positive thinking. and affirmations (hope I spelled that right) ....the power of the mind sort of thing ...it works for me.
It would be nice to read more personal responses ...It might shed some light for me as well.
hope your feeling better and that you find the help your looking for Alan!

I wouldn't prescribe this to anyone, but when I used to feel low/depressed/blue, .... I'd celebrate it.
I'd bring out the tealights/candles, put on some sappy music ("secret garden" anyone?), and I'd let it all out.
I would feel much better the next day. Empty. Clear headed.
Ofcourse, all this "drama" was a party of one.

There was a time (teens/early twenties) when I would write it out on paper and let that be an avenue of melancholic expression.
Anyway, of late, I dont really go through these motions. Darn, I miss my pity parties!

Treatments I'd suggest :
1. Treat yourself to some good chocolate (or anything else you like). dark chocolate is a good upper.
2. buy something you've been wanting, but holding back on (a hole in your pocket, to match/patch the one in your heart)
3. Write about the hole in your heart. Make it a song, an ode, a novella.
4. curl up (literally) in a warm bed and sleep long into the morning.

I agree about the iF. I think the depression and so on is the iF eating the person for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I'd much rather go to sleep than have these demons ripping me apart. Everything is ok, yet I'm still up 'till 4 kicking my ass over... basically nothing.