Reinin dichotomies

Determines where a person's attention is directed and where they draw their energy.

Defines the basic orientation of the psyche in its dealings with reality. Extraverted types are oriented chiefly towards external objects, their properties and activity, seeking to widen their sphere of influence and gather information from the surrounding world. Introverted types focus on inner connections, subjective relationships and their own states, giving priority to preserving and deepening existing contacts.

Determines which kind of information a person absorbs more easily and trusts more.

Reflects the way incoming information is perceived and assimilated. Sensing types rely on direct physical sensations, the concrete facts of the present moment, form, space and the material properties of things. Intuitive types tend to catch hidden tendencies, latent possibilities, temporal connections and abstract images, often detaching themselves from tangible reality.

Determines what guides a person's decisions — objective laws or subjective relationships.

Sets the criteria by which decisions are made and phenomena judged. Logical types are guided by objective expediency, regulations, cause-and-effect and structural correctness. Ethical types rely on a system of values, the emotional climate, people's motives and inner moral reference points.

Determines a person's attitude to planning, deadlines and the structure of life.

Characterises the operating mode of the psyche and the way it adapts to change. Rationals tend to act methodically, relying on prior decisions, judgements and proven algorithms. Irrational types adjust more easily to the current situation, perceive reality directly and act on impulse, following the dynamics of the moment.

Determines whether a person first notices form and structure or processes and change.

Describes the perception of the flow of time and the fixing of events. Statics see the world as a sequence of discrete, frozen frames or states, clearly distinguishing the permanent properties of objects. Dynamics perceive reality as a continuous, indivisible process in which everything is constantly moving, changing and transforming.

Determines what a person values more — the activity itself or its finished outcome.

Describes the way a person immerses themselves in what they are doing. Process people identify deeply with the current activity, striving to carry it out sequentially, without leaving its context, which can make it hard for them to judge the outcome from outside. Result people are oriented towards the finish, tend to run several things in parallel and switch easily, treating the process itself merely as an unavoidable means to the goal.

Determines a person's emotional set — a tendency to notice the good or to see the flaws.

Defines the initial focus of attention when analysing any situation. Positivists notice first of all what is present: similarities, strengths and available opportunities. The negativist's eye automatically picks out missing details, differences, potential risks and weak points in need of correction.

Determines what a person prefers: solving tactical tasks here and now or building a long-term strategy.

Sets the priorities in dividing resources between current steps and the overall goal. Tacticians move confidently in the space of immediate actions and flexibly select methods for the task at hand, but may lose the general direction. Strategists keep the final reference point firmly in mind, while finding it hard to adapt concrete steps at the intermediate stages.

Determines the order of reaction to information: substance first or the emotional tone first.

Shows the sequence of reactions to emotional and semantic stimuli. Constructivists respond first to the substantive, businesslike side of information, experiencing the emotional background later — but retaining it for a long time. Emotivists instantly catch the general mood and atmosphere and switch easily between emotional states, while postponing deep processing of the substance.

Determines how a person reacts to pressure and circumstance: flexibly adapting or standing firm.

Defines behaviour when interests clash or resources are scarce. Yielding types compromise easily in the material or spatial sphere while defending the inviolability of their inner intellectual and emotional resources. Obstinate types, by contrast, hold external positions and boundaries firmly, but show flexibility in the exchange of ideas and opinions.

Determines the attitude to the future: living for today or constantly calculating risks ahead.

Characterises the reliance on past experience when preparing for new tasks. Carefree types treat each situation as unique, solving problems as they actually arise and reluctantly stockpiling algorithms for the future. Farsighted types try to calculate possible scenarios in advance, drawing on the full body of accumulated knowledge and building a surplus base to minimise risk.

Determines how a person relates to social hierarchy and differences between people.

Describes the perception of a person through the prism of their social or group belonging. Aristocrats automatically categorise people by their membership of particular communities, clusters or professional strata, judging the individual through the properties of their group. Democrats perceive each person in isolation, relying on personal qualities and attaching no decisive weight to formal status or origin.

Determines the communication style: stating one's position or inviting the interlocutor's response.

Reflects the preferred form of communicative exchange. Questioners tend to build dialogue through questions and answers; their speech naturally presupposes a reaction and often sounds like an invitation to discussion. Declarers prefer to speak in weighty monologue blocks, framing thoughts as finished statements that require no immediate confirmation.

Determines how a person weighs information: through personal experience and inner feeling or through external criteria and facts.

Sets the context for understanding rules, norms and interpersonal agreements. Subjectivists are guided by emotional accord and subjective understanding, readily creating local rules within their circle. Objectivists rely on objective facts, generally accepted concepts and logical laws that exist independently of the participants' personal sympathies.

Determines how a person divides their energy between weighing options and moving to action.

Reflects the distribution of mobilisation and relaxation in the decision cycle. Judicious types feel at home in the phase of discussion and choosing between options, while the moment of moving to action demands an effort of will. Decisive types experience the choosing stage as discomfort, hurrying to reach the moment of execution and concentrating their forces directly on taking the step.