Information Axes

The information dichotomies in Socionics are essential for logically defining the system of information metabolism elements (IMEs). In particular, the dichotomy of Rationality / Irrationality determines whether or not the flow of information and energy can be shared or inhibited with another information element. Now, why is it the case that information and energy is shared between the Rational – Irrational pairings, but the Rational – Rational or Irrational – Irrational pairings inhibit them? The answer lies in semiotics, linguistics and information theory.

In semiotics, there is a model called the triangle of reference, which is used to relate the thought of reference with its symbol and referent. Symbols are a means of expression that can be used to represent anything except for the symbol itself, while referents are phenomenological objects represented by the symbol. This matches up with the Rational / Irrational dichotomy perfectly, where rational information is the means of linguistic representation existing independently from any reference in the physical / mental world, whereas irrational information consists of the referents which exist throughout phenomenological space-time.

Rational information can be further subdivided by the Abstract / Involved dichotomy to generate the Logical and Ethical IMEs, respectively. The Logical IMEs process epistemological content, which includes any domain of factual information about the world that can be known and reasoned about. Factual information is Abstract precisely because it is non-local. It is quantitative and can shared across localities. By contrast, the Ethical IMEs process sociological content, including any emotional information about the individual, their connections to others and society. Since emotional information is qualitative, it cannot be shared beyond the immediate, local connections between people (or put another way, emotional information can only come from within or received from another person). For this reason, it must be Involved.

Irrational information can also be subdivided by the Abstract / Involved dichotomy to generate the Intuitive and Sensory IMEs. The Sensory IMEs are Involved because they deal with any information about what is present in physical space. The Intuitive IMEs are Abstract since their focus is on information about what is not present, including both imaginative emanations and memories of events situated across time.

Now that the connection between semiotics and the Socionics IMEs has been established, I will elaborate on what I meant by information flow in the introductory paragraph. In linguistics, there is a concept called the direction of fit, a communication feedback loop between a sender and a receiver. The sender perceives the referent by the relational medium of intension. Since the referent consists of Irrational information, the intension can either only be established by sense perception (Sensory) or imagination (Intuition). Unless the sender and receiver both have direct access to the referent (wherein the need for a communication feedback loop would be rendered unnecessary), the sender must verbally relay the referent to the receiver using a form of linguistic expression, or symbol. Moreover, the symbol has to refer to something, otherwise it would be empty of semantic content. The receiver understands the symbol by the relational medium of extension. Since the symbol consists of Rational information, the extension can either only be denotative (Logic) or connotative (Ethics). The receiver decodes the symbol by interpreting its extension, thus understanding the sender’s referent. This broadly illustrates the why focusing on one information element inhibits the other three of the same rationality or irrationality. For this reason, the Rational – Rational and Irrational – Irrational pairings must exist on information axes, wherein the use of one in communication logically implies the negation of the other:

Contrary Axes

Ne vs. Ni – It is impossible to concurrently expand and limit the range of perspectives you willing to consider.

Se vs. Si – It is impossible to concurrently actively control and passively adapt to your physical space.

Fe vs. Fi – It is impossible to concurrently expand and limit communication with people.

Te vs. Ti – It is impossible to concurrently accumulate and systematize factual information.

Conflicting Axes

Ne vs. Se – It is impossible to concurrently take action and consider possibilities of what action to take (since thinking of possibilities implies inaction).

Ni vs. Si – It is impossible to be concurrently attentive to your mental space and physical space.

Fe vs. Te – It is impossible to concurrently communicate an internal state and an external state.

Fi vs. Ti – It is impossible to concurrently personalize and depersonalize something you believe in.

Complementary Axes (Quadra Values)

Although all three axes share the common characteristic of being unable to metabolize both information elements simultaneously, the third axis contains a unique difference from the other two. The difference is both information elements appear to complement each other, not conflicting in any domain (apart from concurrent access to both). In this way, you can use both forms of the Complementary Axes to define four fundamental groups of personality types that share the same valued information elements, called Quadras.