Humanitarian Socionics

Functional state R - ethics of relations

Ethics of relations (R): morals, values, judgements of what’s good and bad; traditions, rituals, stereotypes; attachments, habits; respiratory system.

The intellectual and communicative aspects of R manifests themselves as veiled or hidden assessments. Reasoning in the R-state manifests as a person being afraid to admit to themselves and others that they prefer one object over another. In this state, a choice is made between two logically identical options.

There is another strategy of R-thinking – consciously choosing the opposite of what one really prefers. Thus, the R-judgments are rational, there is a reason for them, even if it is hidden, but they may seem absolutely illogical from the outside.

At the social level, a person in the R-state is able to play an informal role of a harmonizer in a team. Their actions are aimed at maintaining a warm and friendly psychological climate, smoothing out sharp corners, and reconciling people. A person performing an R-role does not act as a judge or a "resolver" of conflicting opposites, but as a conciliator. They know how to calm people down, to relieve emotional tension. Personal preferences, of course, do not disappear, instead they are carefully hidden.

Psychologically, the state of R is experienced as an inner attraction to someone or something, manifested as a deep attachment. Interestingly, this state is not emotional at all. There is no expression in it, but there is a long-term dependence of a moral and ethical nature. The R-state is a guarantee of fidelity in a relationship. It is like a compass needle, which, whenever you try to turn a frame, returns to its preferred northern direction. Our R shapes us how we perceive people, places, and time periods as our own and akin, or as alien and foreign.

Physically, the state of R is very difficult to identify, precisely because its true attitude is hidden behind indifference or behind an opposite preference. It can be detected by subtle misalignments of what is being said and minor disruptions in a normal way of communication. A voice may tremble slightly, the facial complexion may change slightly, the eyelids may momentarily flutter and quickly assume their normal blinking – all these are reliable signals of the R-state. Indirectly manifested likes and dislikes, attraction to or repulsion from a person, accompanied by a slight internal excitement, physically indicate that you are observing a state of R.