TIM

TIM (Type of Information Metabolism, Socionic type) is the basic category of Socionics (#8), a model of how a personality processes information.

Origin. Introduced by Aušra Augustinavičiūtė (1968) on the basis of Jungian cognitive functions and the theory of information metabolism by Antoni Kępiński (Polish Antoni Kępiński, "Psychopatologia nerwic", 1972).

16 TIMs and 4 Dichotomies

The 16 TIMs are formed by combining 4 dichotomies (8 × 2 = 16):

• Extraversion (E) / Introversion (I)
• Logic (L) / Ethics (E)
• Sensing (S) / Intuition (I)
• Rational (J) / Irrational (P)

Model A

8 functions in 4 blocks. Each TIM is described by Model A — a structure of 8 functions: Leading, Creative, Role, Vulnerable, Suggestive, Mobilizing, Ignoring, Demonstrative.

Difference from MBTI

Structure vs preferences. Unlike MBTI (#4), Socionics focuses not on preferences, but on the objective structure of information processing and on intertype relations — the regular connections between types.