The MBTI & A Course In Miracles

I type the scribe of A Course in Miracles, Helen Schucman as an INTJ. Though the Course may be inspired by the Christ Consciousness, it was filtered through the personality of the scribe and reflects clear elements of an INTJ personality. The four functions of an INTJ’s functional stack are:

·  Dominant: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

·  Auxiliary: Extroverted Thinking (Te)

·  Tertiary: Introverted Feeling (Fi)

·  Inferior: Extroverted Sensing (Se)

The dominant function of INTJs is introverted intuition (Ni). It is a form of processing that generates insight largely on a subconscious level and allows INTJs to piece together subtle observations and come to understand the elements of their world in a deeper, more nuanced way than most people. Their dominant Ni allows them to more easily see the bigger picture and develop a strong sense of their own inner wisdom. In A Course in Miracles this function corresponds well with the function of the Holy Spirit. The student is encouraged to call upon the Holy Spirit as a wise internal guide for help reinterpreting events and circumstances in order to heal painful first interpretations that are limited and therefore false. The Holy Spirit’s expanded interpretation also supplies “guidance” or a recognition of what may be more intelligent action in the same way that a well developed Ni does when leaned upon. In this way an INTJ’s dominant function and core of their personality – Ni – is utilized to heal their psyche and direct their life. Typologists would not consider an INTJ’s Ni to be infallible in the way that the Course frames the Holy Spirit, which would be the extreme of infinitely holistic perception.

The INTJ’s auxiliary function is Extroverted Thinking (Te) and shines abundantly in the Course’s extensive text body and Workbook lesson descriptions over more than 1,000 pages. It is written as if an authority figure is laying out clear facts about how things are, with virtually no catering to the reader’s potential emotional reactions to what is said. The facts are laid out solidly in a “like it or not, this is the truth” kind of way, which is just the way Te tends to function, with many people seeing INTJs as relatively blunt when expressing their views. The Course’s text presents a masterful and highly logical theory of spiritual psychology that is difficult to poke holes in. INTJs are known to make for some of the greatest theorists due to their strong Ni and Se perceptivity and their Te’s ability to translate what they perceive into clear and elaborate theories that make many concrete connections with a high degree of internal consistency.

Introverted feeling (Fi), the INTJ’s tertiary function shows up more subtly as the Course’s focus on internal alignment and inner change of attitudes toward more loving impressions of others much more than external acts of kindness and affection (Fe). Also, no logical explanation for love is given but the reality of love is made as an internally verifiable value claim in true Fi fashion.

INTJ’s inferior function, extroverted sensing (Se) corresponds to their perceptivity of the material qualities of the world and shows up in the Course’s abundant use of imagery such as “light and darkness” and “sleeping and awakening” yet takes a back seat to the INTJ’s dominant function with Ni’s powerful assertions that the world we see with the physical eyes is unreal and merely symbolic.

It seems to me like an INTJ is the best personality type for a Course like this to come through and I think Helen’s psychology in this incarnation was not incidental. This does mean that INTJ students are likely to find the Course more perfectly fitting and easier to work with than any other type, yet many other types gain plenty of benefit from the Course. It is just more likely that non-INTJs will see the Course as one tool among others or they will supplement the Course with other tools that cater to aspects of their type’s unique functional stack that the Course does not. Marianne Williamson for example, is an INFP who did a lot of work with the Course and benefitted greatly, while interpreting the Course through a more love-centered and inspirational lens in accordance with the preferences of her dominant Fi and who teaches about things like manifesting, which it could be argued the Course may view as somewhat of a distraction. INTJ students are more likely to focus on the Course as it is written and feel satisfied with it as their primary tool, sufficient unto itself for meeting their spiritual goals (think Ken Wapnick).

Types that have Ni lower in their functional stack or that rely on Ne instead of Ni may find it more difficult to interpret the guidance of the Holy Spirit in everyday living– Its help often seeming too faint a whisper. Such people may find more of their benefit in certain Workbook meditations or in the conceptual reorientation they receive from the Course. Other tools may fill in the gaps for them.