5 Challenges When Typing Children

Can you type children? Maybe. Probably. Most likely you can get close. Like all things, there is a catch and things you have to look out for, seeing these tiny humans are still in the beginning stages of cognitive development so their functions may not manifest in quite the same ways as the information online would describe. Basic principles remain the same, but let’s jump into some of the differences and things to look out for.

1. Age may dictate how pronounced a certain function will look.

It is pretty common for children to have an outgoing phase, but to then, as they grow older, become far more reserved. We are going to specifically focus on the introverted child who all of a sudden finds themselves in an outgoing phase. Say, for instance, the child is an INFJ around the age of 5 or 6 who suddenly becomes a social butterfly. The child is now willing talk to anyone, has a generally warm and inviting presence, and flits about speaking their mind to anyone who is willing to listen. This may lead you to think, well they must be an Fe dominant Look at all of the extraverted feeling they are displaying! While this is true, it could be simply that they are in the auxiliary phase of development.

You may have read around the internet that there is a general theory that we develop down our stack as we get older. We (at Practical Typing) also believe this to be true. During these phases of development, you will see a much greater amount of use from that function.

The same can be said for the reverse. You could have a child who is an ESTJ who initially comes out very bold wanting to control everything around them and then later slips into a much more passive observant phase.

With all that being said, you have to take into account that further development is going to happen so your current observations of your child should not be static and set in stone. There may be phases where your child’s dominant and auxiliary function are almost equal in use, and you may have to hold off typing them until they are a bit older in order to get an accurate read.

2. Behavior is still being learned and defined.

This is important to note because it is going to skew how some of the behavioral based evidence people use to type others is going to manifest. A young Fi dominant for instance may not place nearly as much importance on their sense of self or even think of it at all as there are much more pressing things for them to figure out in this stage of their life. Fe nurturing behavior will have far fewer opportunities to manifest since the child is being taken care of as opposed to taking care of others. Young Te dominants shouldn’t be in a place of authority or control so they may seem more supportive and less take charge.

That being said, you should still see the thought processes that naturally lead to those types of behaviors later in life. Fi users may have a tendency to view things as special and unique, and focus on that line of reasoning. Fe users may show an exaggerated level of concern with whether others are receiving enough love and care. Te users may naturally think about and share their opinions on how things should happen or should be. It is along those prioritized lines of reasoning that their future actions will eventually be based. However, behaviors that are not typical or automatic for their preferred thought process can and should be instilled in them through good parenting, but those lines of reasoning will still persist if they truly have that function.

3. Emotions and control are still in their infancy.

An overwhelming majority of children are emotional and will initially struggle with how to handle and process those emotions. For this reason, it may be hard to make an accurate observation based purely off their emotions to gauge whether the child falls on the thinking or feeling side of the spectrum. I am sure that there may be some edge cases that are more blatantly obvious. As a general rule, especially during times like puberty, children will seem to be much more emotion focused then they may ultimately end up being when fully developed.

Again, it may help to look for the reasoning behind said emotions rather than just their existence to see the cognition at the root of the behavior. If the child is irrationally angry about things being overwhelmingly chaotic, that tells you something about their cognitive process. The fact that they are emotional doesn’t necessarily.

4. External circumstances could impact whether your child looks like a judger or perceiver.

This can happen due to structure and future planning being the responsibility of the parents. The typically more rigid and concerned high Si or Ni user may appear more laid back and perceiver like as a result. This may not always happen, but if the child fully trusts that you have everything under control, it’s entirety possible for them to take on a much more carefree attitude that they will later lose once entering adulthood and having to account for everything themselves.

In contrast to this, a high Ne or Se user could be left looking like a judger if they are lacking a stable environment at home. Children regardless of type optimally need a safe, stable, and structured home life in order to have the best opportunity to develop in a healthy way. If that is lacking, it could easily leave a perceiver child anxious, worried, and concerned about stability like a judger child would be. The typical adventurous and carefree attitude could be suppressed due to worry and anxiety. There should still be an underlying preference, but you may have to look harder to find it, and a surface level observation without the proper context could be misleading.

5. All children tend to be curious

Just because your child wants to ask you a million and one questions or has a desire to get into everything doesn’t necessarily make them a high perceiver. Due to the fact that everything is new to a young child, they will be naturally curious and inquisitive. In short, most children at a certain age may look like a Ne or Se dom due to their desire to figure the world out. If they are in this phase you will probably have to wait until they are a bit older to make any determinations and see if that curiosity persists at the same intensity and volume.

Conclusion: Should you be typing your child?

This point is a little complicated for us. Whether we are for or against doing it is a matter of how you plan on going about it and what your intent is. While there are certainly advantages to being able to recognize a line of cognitive reasoning in your child and using it to better understand and guide them, there are also some inherent risks in trying to put your still developing child into a preconceived box and assuming they will be a certain way based off of that.

Your child is a unique individual that you are playing a direct role in shaping and influencing. That’s something no one should take lightly, and you certainly shouldn’t be placing limitations on your child based off of a type that they may or may not be. So can it be helpful for understanding certain lines of reasoning within them? Yes. Should it be used as a template for what they are capable of? No. In short, if you are going to put your child in a box avoid typing them at all.

So, can you type your child? Ultimately, it depends. I think you can for the most part peg down their four function stack, but its going to be much more tricky to nail down the exact order those functions are in while they are still rapidly developing. In the end, getting a general idea and watching them develop and grow is enough.