The Inferior Function Baby

I think the MBTI analogy of the inferior function as "The Baby" is very accurate, in that sometimes the baby is the one that's "the boss". The baby cries and everyone else has to stop to tend to it. The baby is happy, everyone else is happy. The family must re-organized their entire routine/plan to accommodate baby - sometimes it's a hassle, but most of the time it's done gladly, joyfully even, with great hope, admiration, and a strong vision of potential. It has the ability to drive it's carers lovingly towards the goal of developing it's potential (or if they're unhealthy, or immature "parents" themselves, they might abuse it and long for escape). I think this is why so many INTJ are athletic, artistic, or outdoorsy (the baby Se cries... Ni and Te tend...). These are activities that require sustained Se focus and often incorporate growth goals or trajectories. I also think Se "feedbacks" to Ni, much like a baby gives biological feedback to a mother (you can't perceive patterns without also perceiving "what's really there"). Here I want to use the imagery of the breastfeeding baby - it requires the care of the mother but the interaction works both ways - in baby gives the mother's body information that it uses to adapt the milk to the baby's needs (immune function, proteins, fats, etc.). INTJs have a broad Se lens that feeds information to Ni which then creates a contextual image/understanding.

On the flip side, a search of the intj subreddit also reveals that INTJ often ask about worries related to physical ailments or anxiety - almost like parents seeking advice when things are seemingly going wrong. And many do relate to the idea of "over indulging" in sensory activities, or even strictly avoiding them - maybe analogous to either passive or authoritarian parenting in an effort to silence the little Se screams. Maybe this is why people often suggested reflecting on how you act under stress to get a better idea of what cognitive functions are at play.

When I think of other types, I notice a similar pattern. INTP "parents" constantly tending to Fe baby ("how can I silence it? How can I make it better? I want to be good at it but I'm tired...). ISFJs, desperately trying to find connections in the world - nurturing that baby Ne and desperately trying to integrate it with Si-Fe ("what can I learn from this story that could help my family? What lesson can I draw from this? This keeps me up at night..."). ENTPs honing their ability to collect evidence that supports their ideas - baby Si is important, and when it's neglected, the world judges. ISFPs putting great care and time into baby Te - creating lists, organizing their homes and spaces, researching - knowing it's necessary and helpful, but also battling the internal desire to throw it caution to the wind.

Many people's passtimes, interests, and hobbies (the things they do purely for enjoyment) often directly relate to developing the inferior function. In my mind this creates an image of two equal sized spheres connected by a things portion, pulling in opposition to create balance. The tertiary function acts like the connection in the middle, with one sphere comprised of the dom and aux function and the opposing sphere is the inferior function (which despite the name "inferior", actually exerts equal force on the personality as the dom/aux).