8 Jungian Psychological Functions and How to Read Reversed Cards: Comparison & Contemplation

Historical arc

Tarot's story runs from 15th-century Italian card games through 18th-century esoteric revival, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909), and today's mix of psychology and self-reflection. In practice, begin with the position's job, then let the card image sharpen the answer.

What are Jung's Eight Psychological Functions?

According to Carl Gustav Jung's theory, human psychology is divided into four main functions, each function can operate in two different processing dimensions:

• Thinking (T): Logic, analysis, objective judgment
• Emotion (Feeling, F): Values, emotional nuances, subjective judgments
• Sensing (Sensing, S): Present, specific, factual information
• Intuition (N): Patterns, hidden meanings, future possibilities

Each function is also divided into: - Inner (I): Inward processing, subjective experience - External (E): Apply outward, objective expression

Result: 8 psychometric functions — Ti, Te, Fi, Fe, Si, Se, Ni, Ne A useful check is to name the visible action on the card before choosing advice.

Eight Functional Positions & Maturity

Psychologist John Beebe developed the shadow model, in which each function occupies a "slot" from 1 to 8, reflecting levels of maturity and control:

**Positions 1–4: Autologous Functions** (Integrated & Evolved)

| Location | Name | Features | Similar to Tarot | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Leading Function | Strongest, most natural, mature when promoted well. Core decisions. | Upright Cards: Psychological health | | 2 | Support Function | Balancing the driving function. Helps socialization and cognitive integration. | Upright Card: Smooth cooperation | | 3 | Third Function | Develops from youth, unstable, easily blinded. | Slightly Reversed Card: Blind spot appears | | 4 | The Weakest Function (Life) | Weakest, easily loses control under pressure. Usually the statue is projected outside. | Medium Reversed Card: Psychological pressure, imbalance |

**Locations 5–8: Jaws of Darkness** (Defensive, Easy to Lose Control)

| Location | Name | Features | Similar to Tarot | |---|---|---|---| | 5 | Shadow of the Leading Jaw | Defensive, easily adversarial, stubborn but has potential. | Reverse Card: Abuse, defensive attitude | | 6 | Silhouette of the Supporting Jaw | Defensive, projective, sentimental, strongly critical. | Reverse Card: Fastidious, extreme criticism | | 7 | Shadow of the Third Jaw | Unstable, easily projected onto others or the outside world. | Strong Reversed Card: Wrong judgment, impulsiveness | | 8 | Shadow of the Weakest Jaw (Devil) | Primitive, unintegrated, completely out of control under pressure. The deepest darkness. | Extreme Reversed Card: Extreme behavior, delusion |

Example: Nun (Inner Intuition)

| Location | Ni Express | Similar Tarot | |---|---|---| | 1 | Insight, pattern recognition, accurate future prediction | Up: Shine | | 2 | Supporting policy decisions and integrating actions | Up: Comprehensive guidance | | 3 | Shooting a sudden premonition beam, not stable enough | Slight Reversal: Blindness appears | | 4 | Under pressure: overuse of intuition, anxiety, over-analysis | Medium Reversed: Anxiety, distortion of reality | | 5 | Prejudice, certainty, doubt leading function | Reverse: Overuse of defense | | 6 | Excessive interpretation of other people's actions, projection | Reverse: Sentimental, stubborn | | 7 | Psychological hallucinations, misjudging other people's intentions | Strong Opposite: Impulsive, blind | | 8 | Complete loss of control, trapped in fantasy, extreme pressure | Extreme Reverse: Darkness Explodes |

Comparison Table: All 8 Jaws in 8 Positions

Reversed Card — Not "Bad Luck", But Darkness

From Jung's perspective, the reversed card is not a symbol of absolute bad luck. Instead, it is:

• Position 1–2 Reverse: Your main function is suppressed or used incorrectly (slightly out of standard)
• Positions 3–4 Reversed: Blind spot or psychological pressure is affecting (medium level)
• Positions 5–8 Reversed: Shadows are highly active — your unintegrated parts are taking control of the situation (strong level)

Conclusion: The reversed card is an invitation to awareness, not a fatalistic warning.

Practical Implications

When you draw the reversed card:

1. Ask yourself: What aspect of my psychology is being oppressed or misused? 2. Find balance: Is my primary function working too hard or too little? 3. Discovering the Darkness: What am I projecting outside because I don't want to look inside? 4. Integration: How can I acknowledge and make peace with this part of myself?

Tarot does not say "you might have bad luck". It says "this is what's going on in your psychology", and you can choose how to respond.

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Reference source: zhihu.com — Jung's 8 Psychological Functions and How to Read Reversed Cards