Introduction to my MBTI Compatibility Part 1

Introduction to my MBTI Compatibility Part 1
Photo by SEO Galaxy / Unsplash

Introduction
The golden pair theory has long been a popular topic of discussion in the MBTI community. I was inspired by a Reddit post about how your absolute best match (the golden pair) is having the same 2nd and 3rd letters of your own MBTI but flipped in your E/I and J/P letters. Your silver pair would be opposing letters in all but having the same S/N. Your bronze pair would have all the opposite letters as your own MBTI type. One Reddit post that inspired me discussed how people often choose silver or bronze pairings because they feel uncomfortable being vulnerable and growing with their golden pair, and thus, most settle for silver or bronze.

Where did it originate from?
The silver pair in my survey corresponds to the original “actual golden pairings.” According to this Reddit post (https://www.reddit.com/r/mbti/s/Mr4ZSC1eEv) the original golden pair theories never used cognitive functions and were solely based on letters. People drew their own conclusions that the theory relates to cognitive functions, when it does not. My version of the “supposed golden pair” was the pair that people seemed to prefer to “the silver pair” in the community, as people may prefer the same T/F types as them for better understanding. The bronze pair is considered the most compatible pairing in socionics.

Using Cognitive Functions to understand these pairings better.
The golden pair:

All pairings share inverse cognitive functions and can balance each other by sharing the same function stacks in the same order, but in reverse. An ESTP’s dominant Se, auxiliary Ti, tertiary Fe, and inferior Ni are inverse with an ISTJ’s dominant Si, auxiliary Te, tertiary Fi, and inferior Ne, which all of their functions could complement each other for better growth.
The silver pair:
These pairings share the same functions in their dominant and inferior stackings, but are switched while their auxiliary and tertiary functions are inverse. An INFP’s dominant Fi and inferior Te is switched with an ENTJ’s dominant Te and inferior Fi. Auxiliary Ne could balance out auxiliary Ni and tertiary Si could balance out tertiary Se. Theoretically, the silver pairings could help each other grow with their dominant and inferior functions being switched yet this can also cause them to have conflicts as the functions they use like second nature are each other’s weakest functions. They could connect with their auxiliary and tertiary functions being the same type (example being Ni and Ne in the auxiliary position) but also clash since Ni and Ne are considered opposites with one being an introvert function and the other being an extrovert function. Ni is also finding that one possibility while Ne is about considering all the possibilities.
The bronze pair:
These pairings share the same functions but in the reverse order. This could be one of those pairings where these two could cause each other to grow and understand each other fully since they share the same functions. This pairing is considered the most compatible in the socionics concept. This pairing could also clash considering they can be considered their “opposite MBTI types” as they don't share any of the same letters. Examples of these couples can include ENTP and ISFJ, ISTJ and ENFP, or ENTJ and ISFP.