How should I understand socionics types and IEs? Are the information elements like islands, as in areas of information existing independently? Or are they more like trees, with the IEs stemming from necessary components and dichotomies that define them?
If they are islands, then it doesn't matter how one processes information, but is more about what type of information one pays attention to, and how one relates to that type of information in terms of valuing or not and being strong or weak. Someone could be an Ne type if they are focused on expansion of possibilities and ideas regardless of whether they are actually Intuitive or utilizing Intuition to do so.
If they are trees, it's about the roots, not the surface. One's focus would have to be placed in its full context and compared to all components of an IE, not merely the typical end result of the IE. Labels of the IEs such as 'work', 'possibilities', 'comfort', and 'relationships' by themselves would be meaningless, and only an indication of an IE if placed in the context of its parts (Logic, Intuition, Internal/External, Subjects/Fields, etc.). Thus a focus on the area of an IE might come from something else entirely.
If they are islands, then it doesn't matter how one processes information, but is more about what type of information one pays attention to, and how one relates to that type of information in terms of valuing or not and being strong or weak. Someone could be an Ne type if they are focused on expansion of possibilities and ideas regardless of whether they are actually Intuitive or utilizing Intuition to do so.
If they are trees, it's about the roots, not the surface. One's focus would have to be placed in its full context and compared to all components of an IE, not merely the typical end result of the IE. Labels of the IEs such as 'work', 'possibilities', 'comfort', and 'relationships' by themselves would be meaningless, and only an indication of an IE if placed in the context of its parts (Logic, Intuition, Internal/External, Subjects/Fields, etc.). Thus a focus on the area of an IE might come from something else entirely.