ILE+SEI

Values of the ILE and SEI Dyad (irrationals, peripheral, ascending, democrats, compliant, carefree, process)

Jointly accepted statements:

1. I’m not very organized and can’t stand any kind of control.
2. I dislike people who have everything clear and planned out—that's alien to me.
3. My attitude toward people around me has almost always been trusting.
4. Sometimes I start something new without finishing what I started before—because the previous task has become boring.
5. I often occupy myself with some silly activity that may have no practical value but is amusing.
6. I think about the fate of the world and humanity: NO) rarely YES) often, more than others.
7. I often find it hard to stop a game I’ve started, even when more important tasks are waiting.
8. I’m often late to events or rush the whole way to arrive at the last minute.
9. I have many “childish” interests: I still enjoy reading children’s books and fairy tales when they come to hand.
10. I often feel the need to discuss my problems with friends.
11. I’m an open person with “no secrets.”
12. Sometimes I sing songs while showering.
13. I like to soak in warm water for a long time.

Jointly rejected statements:

1. A job as a commercial director would suit me more than being a freelance artist.
2. Key, very important words for me: cost-effective or not, profitable or not, feasible or not.
3. I hate weaklings.
4. I usually have a “cold” gaze.
5. Perhaps I’m sometimes tedious in my demandingness and sense of duty.
6. I am meticulous and uncompromising, an active, passionate, businesslike, and intolerant fighter for order, quality, and strict rule-following.
7. Constant seriousness is my virtue.
8. I’m secretive and rarely share my thoughts.
9. I always view time as a crucial resource and specifically rationalize and plan its use.
10. I’m always interested in money, prices of goods, and comparing salaries.
11. I’m more often dissatisfied with everything than truly satisfied with anything.
12. I know how to demand respect for myself, appear and be important, and always carry myself with the appropriate dignity.
13. I absolutely always maintain self-control in all situations.
14. I’m almost always criticized only by those who envy me.
15. I’d be ashamed if all my colleagues drove newer BMWs than I did.
16. Compared to most people, I treat both confidential information about my friends and my relationships with them very carefully.

Among the 12 socionic functions, the values of the ILE and SEI dyad show especially strong ties to an excess of Ne (ILE is the absolute leader in the socion for average strength of this function, and SEI leads among sensors) and a deficit of Te (SEI has this as a vulnerable function, and in ILE it’s often significantly weakened due to strong cheerful traits and weak ethics). 77% of ILEs and SEIs share the values of their dyad. IEE (68%) and IEI (65%) also show above-average affinity for these values. Types that reject these values most are LSI (32% agreement) and LSE (39%).

The irrational Alpha dyad has strong value similarities with the irrational Delta dyad. In both, a key element is rejection of life planning and long-term stressful work in favor of satisfying curiosity and immediate pleasures. This is not surprising - since the values of both these dyads are based on the combination of irrationality and peripherality, which are the two strongest traits (with the largest contribution to socionics type) among the seven traits that any dyadic value system decomposes into.

What’s the difference between the values of these dyads? First, although not obvious within classical models, the ILE+SEI dyad places greater emphasis on curiosity and the joy of discovery, while the IEE+SLI dyad values everyday comfort in their immediate environment. Among all dyads, Alpha irrationals, due to their combination of cheerfulness and process, are more interested in global world affairs and intellectually complex topics, and their democratic nature frees their curiosity from the constraints of group tradition.

Second, non-planning in these dyads has different roots. For the IEE+SLI dyad, it’s more typical to avoid anticipating the future and therefore not make plans. For the ILE+SEI dyad, the rejection is more about external imposed control and self-discipline, which makes it hard to stick to pre-made plans - since every new day brings new discoveries and pleasures that overshadow whatever was considered yesterday.

Thus, if Delta irrationals mentally detach from their personal future - its worries and obligations - then Alpha irrationals detach just as strongly from their personal past - its assumptions and traditions. In a way, this means that typical ILEs and SEIs live each day like it’s the first, and like children, see the world anew each day with the curiosity of a newborn. Their rejection of the role of the personal past and everything that happened in it also means they’re far more likely to share their past secrets - apparently believing that those events no longer matter and that knowing them gives no power over the current or future self.

With the orthogonal dyad ESI+LIE, as in all other cases, ILE and SEI have little mutual understanding. If the former see themselves and are seen by society as serious and stern, busy with important adult affairs, the latter are seen as children, poking their noses into everything - including topics that adults would prefer to avoid, since their silence sustains their well-being.

However, these two dyads do share a few common traits based on their shared features: democracy, process, and carefreeness. Both Alpha irrationals and Gamma rationals reject hierarchical reverence, militarism, and censorship, and particularly dislike being in rigidly stratified societies where there are always bosses and “elders” above them. The difference is that Alpha irrationals are most disturbed by the lack of freedom and transparency for exploration, while Gamma rationals are frustrated by the obstacles to personal business, independence, building their reputation, and personal capital.