Mental functions actively perceive the information that enters our psyche – we are constantly in interaction with it through them. On the other hand, Vital functions perceive information in a passive mode, so they need an external stimulus for us to pay attention to it. Figuratively speaking, mental functions are our “consciousness”, the figure that is in front of us, while vital functions are our “subconsciousness”, what remains in the background and what we usually do not notice.
It is important to understand that mental/vital is a deep, primary property of thinking, so their manifestations are extremely difficult to trace in oneself, let alone to determine with the help of leading questions. Thus, in determining type, it is necessary to look not at the properties individually, but at the signs formed by them.
The mental functions include Leading (1), Creative (2), Role (3) and Vulnerable (4) functions. The vital functions include Suggestive (5), Mobilizing (6), Ignoring (7) and Demonstrative (8) functions. These function properties are the basis for dividing types into the pair of traits Static/Dynamic.
Statics are types with mental static and vital dynamic aspects, while Dynamics are types with mental dynamic and vital static aspects.