Thought processes and associativity

Joseph Bailey41 will probably have more intel on that triple result mystery 😁. Honestly, I’m pretty curious about those three... I can't just walk away from an NF combo that easily. As for the whole E-I or perceiving vs. judging thing, I feel like if I actually worked on those functions, my quality of life might actually improve. Most of my issues seem to stem from being too much of a "P" type anyway. Plus, I've always felt like those three types are way more grounded than my own (INFP)... maybe one day I'll try to come down from these dizzying heights without losing the core of who I am.

Roger Kern16 said:I'm just not cut out to be an INTJ. 😳

Btw, what are the odds that some of these functions actually shift down the line... like, swapping an I for an E, or a P for a J? Whether it’s just aging or actual intentional work. I have to admit, I'm kind of curious what it's like to actually be an ENTP, an INFJ, or an ENFJ.

Since this is a Jungian system, the goal isn't really to change who you are, but rather to become more aware of how you function. You should stay as consistent as a classic rock legend, but once those neglected functions start waking up, adjusting your behavior becomes much easier when life calls for it. Becoming extroverted isn't actually that hard; you just learn by imitating others and refine it with practice. People who only know me on a surface level think I'm an E because they have no idea that after playing the role of the charming socialite, I need to retreat to my room and hide under a blanket for a few hours just to recover. Basically, I'm socially exhausted even when I haven't had a drink. 😁

The whole thing with the J preference started making sense to me after I played around with my Fi function and realized I actually have that little internal voice telling me when something just doesn't feel right. Honestly, I'm as thrilled about this discovery as a toddler finding out they're a big kid. Up until now, it was always, "I can't make a decision because I don't have enough data," but now, I don't give a damn—I just look at whether I like something or not and go with that. Fi is great; you just have to trust it. (In your case, a similar thing might happen once you start trusting your own private thoughts more and ditch the feeling that everyone else knows something you don't. They don't—they're just acting like they do.)

As for triple results, that shouldn't happen within this framework. If it does, you probably need to look for a different system entirely. The Enneagram is also pretty interesting; it recognizes tritypes and offers more concrete directions for personal growth.

Roger Kern16 said:Does anyone else feel like their brain just operates on a completely different frequency than the rest of the population? It’s not like my thought process is a straight line... it’s more like a massive web of associations. I’m constantly spotting patterns and making connections that seem totally nonsensical to everyone else, using this alternative logic that only makes sense in my own head. Plus, I'm a super visual thinker—just constant imagery flashing around in my mind—though I guess maybe that isn't that weird.
And yeah, I often find myself hyper-analyzing the deep, complex layers of a situation while somehow completely missing the obvious, glaringly simple point right in front of me. 😬 My thoughts are incredibly fragmented and abstract... they’re hard to pin down, let alone control.

Does it make sense to link all this to something like bipolar disorder or ADHD, or is it something else entirely?

You basically just described people who aren't interested in anything except having their own biases validated.
They're just incredibly lazy when it comes to using Google...

Jacob Cooper5 said:You basically just described people who aren't interested in anything except having their own biases validated.
They're just incredibly lazy when it comes to using Google...

But if you actually did your research, learned it, and then just momentarily "forgot" or set it aside to deduce the context before commenting... would you even be judging?
By the way, she's always been like that; from her very first post, not just this one.

Reading all this above, what kind of reaction does it trigger for you? Is it more linear and logical, or just a whole vibe thing?
P.S. no offense intended...

Joseph Bailey41 said:http://infj-mbti.tumblr.com/post/121...-the-functions

This gives you a pretty solid breakdown of how functions develop. Based on this diagram, the way you approach things like chess or similar mental gymnastics is actually developing Ti, not Te. (I find that fascinating, because I often catch myself deep in these Fi activities, and both of those feel more like tinkering with a "devilish" eighth function rather than an inferior fourth.)

I’d also suggest another useful way to work on Te: debating on forums. And I don't mean just casual reading, sharing personal stories, or agreeing with people—I mean getting into the weeds. (Within the forum rules, obviously, because I don't want to sound like I'm encouraging bad behavior here. 😬) You pick an opponent who is a "worthy adversary" and have a real debate with them on a specific topic. Forums are great for this because there's a written record—you can see when you let someone trigger a negative emotional reaction, when you resorted to cheap ad hominem attacks (which is your inferior Te under stress), and when you managed to stick to logical arguments and elegantly deflect their hits. Think of it like fencing; try to improve your technique. While you're at it, watch how others do it and try to mimic a maneuver you like. Or join a debate club. Or just watch those old romantic comedies where characters spend ninety minutes sniping at each other before finally falling into each other's arms. Something like that. You'll probably think of something else eventually. 😁

The forum keeps my inferior functions in check:

You basically defined people who aren't interested in anything except having their own biases confirmed.
Just incredibly lazy when it comes to using Google.

I'm not quite following your train of thought here... which of those two groups are you talking about? And why on earth are you linking laziness to divergent versus convergent thinking?

Joseph Bailey41 said:Since this is a Jungian system, the goal isn't really to change who you are, but rather to become more aware of how you function. You should stay as consistent as a classic rock legend, but once those neglected functions start waking up, adjusting your behavior becomes much easier when life calls for it. Becoming extroverted isn't actually that hard; you just learn by imitating others and refine it with practice. People who only know me on a surface level think I'm an E because they have no idea that after playing the role of the charming socialite, I need to retreat to my room and hide under a blanket for a few hours just to recover. Basically, I'm socially exhausted even when I haven't had a drink. 😁

The whole thing with the J preference started making sense to me after I played around with my Fi function and realized I actually have that little internal voice telling me when something just doesn't feel right. Honestly, I'm as thrilled about this discovery as a toddler finding out they're a big kid. Up until now, it was always, "I can't make a decision because I don't have enough data," but now, I don't give a damn—I just look at whether I like something or not and go with that. Fi is great; you just have to trust it. (In your case, a similar thing might happen once you start trusting your own private thoughts more and ditch the feeling that everyone else knows something you don't. They don't—they're just acting like they do.)

As for triple results, that shouldn't happen within this framework. If it does, you probably need to look for a different system entirely. The Enneagram is also pretty interesting; it recognizes tritypes and offers more concrete directions for personal growth.

Personally, she’s dragged me so deep into those pathologies that I don't believe a word she says anymore. Lock her up until she fixes her vibe.

A similar thing might happen to you through some sort of analogy when you start trusting your own private thoughts more and finally ditch the feeling that everyone—including their grandmothers—knows something you don't. They don't. They're just pretending they do.)

Huh. "Trusting your private thoughts more"... sounds like an excuse for being closed off to progress or just being a slave to the ego. As long as I admit I don't know things, I get this frantic urge to learn everything possible. Then again, that mindset usually just leaves me stuck in a submissive role, acting like an ear for everyone else's pseudo-wisdom. I guess actual wisdom lives somewhere in the middle...

Roger Kern16 said:Joseph Bailey41 will probably have more intel on that triple result mystery 😁. Honestly, I’m pretty curious about those three... I can't just walk away from an NF combo that easily. As for the whole E-I or perceiving vs. judging thing, I feel like if I actually worked on those functions, my quality of life might actually improve. Most of my issues seem to stem from being too much of a "P" type anyway. Plus, I've always felt like those three types are way more grounded than my own (INFP)... maybe one day I'll try to come down from these dizzying heights without losing the core of who I am.

So, what’s your Enneagram saying?🙂

Where does that hunger for info actually come from? You mentioned panic... do you basically define your existence by how much "not knowing" is left to solve? Does it drive you crazy—or does it "give you life"?
How does it feel when you finally "know"?
And how do you feel when someone starts questioning what you know?

Joseph Bailey41 said:Since this is a Jungian system, the goal isn't really to change who you are, but rather to become more aware of how you function. You should stay as consistent as a classic rock legend, but once those neglected functions start waking up, adjusting your behavior becomes much easier when life calls for it. Becoming extroverted isn't actually that hard; you just learn by imitating others and refine it with practice. People who only know me on a surface level think I'm an E because they have no idea that after playing the role of the charming socialite, I need to retreat to my room and hide under a blanket for a few hours just to recover. Basically, I'm socially exhausted even when I haven't had a drink. 😁

The whole thing with the J preference started making sense to me after I played around with my Fi function and realized I actually have that little internal voice telling me when something just doesn't feel right. Honestly, I'm as thrilled about this discovery as a toddler finding out they're a big kid. Up until now, it was always, "I can't make a decision because I don't have enough data," but now, I don't give a damn—I just look at whether I like something or not and go with that. Fi is great; you just have to trust it. (In your case, a similar thing might happen once you start trusting your own private thoughts more and ditch the feeling that everyone else knows something you don't. They don't—they're just acting like they do.)

As for triple results, that shouldn't happen within this framework. If it does, you probably need to look for a different system entirely. The Enneagram is also pretty interesting; it recognizes tritypes and offers more concrete directions for personal growth.

Hey, this is way too interesting🎉 It's a total rabbit hole of research. 🙂 Here if anyone wants to dive in like I did: 😬

https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test
http://similarminds.com/advtest.html

I keep getting these triple results—8, then a tiny 2-millimeter difference, and a slightly weaker 4 on both links after running them a few times.
Honestly, I love the clean beauty of those even numbers and how logically they fit together—8:2=4.🐔

I'm all about even numbers; odd ones just create this weird, asymmetrical discomfort.🕺

As for Jung—I didn't even notice any connection to the types at first. It was easier to remember the questions than the actual type names; for me, it was more about having fun than studying. Only recently did I see the link and get actually interested.
"Great," said my ego—as if it wasn't already hitting the ceiling.🙄

5-9-3. Doesn't really feel very numerically balanced, does it? 😁

That five, though... it describes me pretty accurately, even if I’ve spent a lot of time shifting toward 7 when things get stressful or 8 when I'm feeling more integrated. I actually took some random, low-quality online quiz recently and it spit out an 8, which honestly made my day.

🙂

Peter Murphy6 said:So, what’s your Enneagram saying?🙂

Where does that hunger for info actually come from? You mentioned panic... do you basically define your existence by how much "not knowing" is left to solve? Does it drive you crazy—or does it "give you life"?
How does it feel when you finally "know"?
And how do you feel when someone starts questioning what you know?

Hey, this is way too interesting🎉 It's a total rabbit hole of research. 🙂 Here if anyone wants to dive in like I did: 😬

https://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test
http://similarminds.com/advtest.html

I keep getting these triple results—8, then a tiny 2-millimeter difference, and a slightly weaker 4 on both links after running them a few times.
Honestly, I love the clean beauty of those even numbers and how logically they fit together—8:2=4.🐔

I'm all about even numbers; odd ones just create this weird, asymmetrical discomfort.🕺

As for Jung—I didn't even notice any connection to the types at first. It was easier to remember the questions than the actual type names; for me, it was more about having fun than studying. Only recently did I see the link and get actually interested.
"Great," said my ego—as if it wasn't already hitting the ceiling.🙄

Type 4, type 9, then type 5; 4w5. I’d bet my life that a few years ago, that five was way higher on my scale. 😁

Intriguing questions. I was actually spiraling through these exact thoughts recently. I think the core driver is just innate curiosity, but sometimes it gets tangled up with something slightly pathological that just leaves me frustrated. When it's pure curiosity, I usually hit that hyperfocus state—almost like a "flow"... but when it's the other thing, it's driven by this existential anxiety. Like I'm missing the point of everything. Or that I get too excited about one thing and jump to the next too fast and lose focus. That I'm not diving deep enough into, say, philosophy. That I'm wasting my limited time... not knowing myself well enough... etc., etc. Basically, it's this feeling that the big truths are slipping through my fingers and I can't quite grasp them or make them part of my actual life.
I rarely ever feel like I "know" things. Knowledge always feels like it's just two steps ahead of me... I'm not even sure I'd recognize the sensation if I felt it. 😬 I've noticed I tend to dodge debates that aren't really about being curious, but are more about people just trying to ego-trip and prove they're bigger than everyone else. It probably stems from my own insecurities, but I just don't have the urge to put myself out there just to engage in some mental tug-of-war. This "exhaustion" might also be explained by toxins from my last relationship, because I don't think I used to be like this... but that's a whole different rabbit hole, never mind that for now. 😁

What about you two? (And everyone else lurking) How much does your drive for knowledge differ from mine?

On this pretty cheesy Facebook group, someone started a discussion about the whole purpose of human existence—you know, our main mission on Earth and all that. People were throwing out all sorts of answers, though most of them were predictably cringey. The second I read it, my mind jumped straight to "collecting data." I got a few likes and a comment along the lines of, "Yeah, like a probe, then you submit your report to the main headquarters." 🤣

I’m not entirely sure I buy into this idea of a "cosmic HQ," whatever that might be, but I am incredibly conscientious about carrying out my mission. If such a thing actually exists, they surely have some high-end database where they don't just dump every random scrap of info. Everything needs to be organized perfectly, double-spaced, properly cited, including original research, a new thesis, an abstract, and all that jazz. My only issue is that I have no idea when my deadline is, so I’m just trying to stay constantly prepared while keeping up with my actual day job. 😬

Basically, I feel like I need to know everything. And I mean knowing it well enough to explain it to a six-year-old. Otherwise, what was the point of my mission? To be clear, I'm not talking about trivial trivia. I assume they already know when World War I started; they need me to answer the "why." So lately, I've been obsessing over the planned Berlin-Baghdad railway, the morganatic marriage of Ferdinand and Sofia, and even my online friend who made a movie about the assassination (he got banned because his sense of humor is way too surreal, and honestly, I miss him sometimes even if he is a total jerk. 🤣

Anyway, non-linear thinking is just a way of organizing data so that it lasts longer and stays ready for delivery. Linear thinking is for other things. Like putting together a lamp from Ikea or some crap. Or constructing coherent sentences. Math, physics—though maybe not quantum physics. Some physicists at Berkeley used to take acid just to get a little more non-linear. Other people, on the other hand, completely lost their minds from it, like that asshole from the CIA who performed self-defense on himself during some bad party back in the day... I can't remember the name. Google knows it, so I won't bother looking it up. Screw a HQ that doesn't even have access to Google. ☕

Yeah, honestly. Before I realized what my actual cosmic purpose was, I used to think all this knowledge had to be "useful" in a practical sense. You know, stuff to help pass exams, land a better job, help people out, or become self-sufficient. Or even solving global issues—which I touched on briefly with Peter Murphy6, but I’m kind of over talking about that there, so I'll bring it here. Anyway, we were discussing how Clive and Jane are basically responsible for poverty in developing nations:

Jane is taking out loans for things Clive sold her back when he was still a nobody. Now, she wants to lock Clive up because life has made her a little high-strung. She doesn't even believe in her own work anymore, but she keeps peddling that whole "Green is the new red" sustainability nonsense just because of the debt and because she still can't wrap her head around why anyone actually pays her for this job—especially since she just treated herself to a year and a half's worth of Xanax. It looks like rain, so she's going to kill some time trying to make ash soap. What would you two advise Jane? (And please, don't suggest she starts drinking; Jane gets a bit aggressive when she's had a few).

Roger Kern16 said:Type 4, type 9, then type 5; 4w5. I’d bet my life that a few years ago, that five was way higher on my scale. 😁

Intriguing questions. I was actually spiraling through these exact thoughts recently. I think the core driver is just innate curiosity, but sometimes it gets tangled up with something slightly pathological that just leaves me frustrated. When it's pure curiosity, I usually hit that hyperfocus state—almost like a "flow"... but when it's the other thing, it's driven by this existential anxiety. Like I'm missing the point of everything. Or that I get too excited about one thing and jump to the next too fast and lose focus. That I'm not diving deep enough into, say, philosophy. That I'm wasting my limited time... not knowing myself well enough... etc., etc. Basically, it's this feeling that the big truths are slipping through my fingers and I can't quite grasp them or make them part of my actual life.
I rarely ever feel like I "know" things. Knowledge always feels like it's just two steps ahead of me... I'm not even sure I'd recognize the sensation if I felt it. 😬 I've noticed I tend to dodge debates that aren't really about being curious, but are more about people just trying to ego-trip and prove they're bigger than everyone else. It probably stems from my own insecurities, but I just don't have the urge to put myself out there just to engage in some mental tug-of-war. This "exhaustion" might also be explained by toxins from my last relationship, because I don't think I used to be like this... but that's a whole different rabbit hole, never mind that for now. 😁

What about you two? (And everyone else lurking) How much does your drive for knowledge differ from mine?

I know someone pretty well who is an INFP. She practically plays the "ditzy blonde" role all the time, even though I know she's incredibly bright and well-read. It used to drive me absolutely crazy because I perceived it as a form of manipulation—like, "I'll act clueless so nobody expects anything spectacular from me, and maybe someone will just step in and do things for me." It just occurred to me that this might be Ti in the eighth position—that sense of "I'm not sure what it feels like to actually know something." In my case, I have Fi there, and I'm a big fan of the mantra "feelings aren't facts."

That whole ego-stroking stuff is Te. Sometimes it's Fe, too. In those kinds of arguments, the person with the stronger J usually wins, even if they're putting on a massive show of being an E. ☕

Joseph Bailey41 said:5-9-3. Doesn't really feel very numerically balanced, does it? 😁

That five, though... it describes me pretty accurately, even if I’ve spent a lot of time shifting toward 7 when things get stressful or 8 when I'm feeling more integrated. I actually took some random, low-quality online quiz recently and it spit out an 8, which honestly made my day.

🙂

What do you mean not flowing? They're all odd numbers 🙂 Plus, 9 divided by 3 is 3, haha

Ekhm, just imagine my sheer joy when that 8 popped up...
The second the results dropped, I basically just confirmed all my suspicions about my own perfection—that intense, dark-eyed stare where I'm just glaring at nothing. 🕺

btw Jane, I'd say you should start a business selling ash-based soaps under the slogan "scattering ashes for purity." 🕺 Take all that profit and invest it in some emotional education for Clive and John—maybe then they'll finally "start using their brains." 🙂
And as for Clive outsmarting her... eh, why even sweat it? It had to happen that way, otherwise Jane would never have come up with the soap idea in the first place. 🙂

No, seriously, following that thread—Jane is dangerous. Like, the most dangerous of the bunch, precisely because she actually believes what she’s putting out there. If she didn't, she wouldn't be nearly as effective.
Idealism is a motherfucker.

I've always wondered, where's that fine line between inspiring someone and straight-up manipulating them?
Because from what I can see, inspiration without a lesson is closer to mania than actual effective action.

Roger Kern16 said:Type 4, type 9, then type 5; 4w5. I’d bet my life that a few years ago, that five was way higher on my scale. 😁

Intriguing questions. I was actually spiraling through these exact thoughts recently. I think the core driver is just innate curiosity, but sometimes it gets tangled up with something slightly pathological that just leaves me frustrated. When it's pure curiosity, I usually hit that hyperfocus state—almost like a "flow"... but when it's the other thing, it's driven by this existential anxiety. Like I'm missing the point of everything. Or that I get too excited about one thing and jump to the next too fast and lose focus. That I'm not diving deep enough into, say, philosophy. That I'm wasting my limited time... not knowing myself well enough... etc., etc. Basically, it's this feeling that the big truths are slipping through my fingers and I can't quite grasp them or make them part of my actual life.
I rarely ever feel like I "know" things. Knowledge always feels like it's just two steps ahead of me... I'm not even sure I'd recognize the sensation if I felt it. 😬 I've noticed I tend to dodge debates that aren't really about being curious, but are more about people just trying to ego-trip and prove they're bigger than everyone else. It probably stems from my own insecurities, but I just don't have the urge to put myself out there just to engage in some mental tug-of-war. This "exhaustion" might also be explained by toxins from my last relationship, because I don't think I used to be like this... but that's a whole different rabbit hole, never mind that for now. 😁

What about you two? (And everyone else lurking) How much does your drive for knowledge differ from mine?

For me, there's always this constant background "fact" that knowledge itself is elusive—like its whole essence is being hard to grasp.
Deep philosophy right there. 🙂

But for me, it’s a game played only once, and I get to choose the rules. My favorite kinds of games are the ones where you build, create, expand, and connect.
To do that, I have to round things off and file away certain "knowledge" (emphasis on the quotes) into little drawers.
That drawer is constantly getting filled with questions, but... hmmm... only periodically. It's like a self-set mechanism—once I "answer" the questions, the process just shuts down, goes to sleep, and my brain wanders off somewhere else. It might last days, weeks, or hell... I've been asking myself the same things for years.
Some things I'll be asking forever, and honestly, that's the beauty of it. I embrace the incompleteness; I "finish" things abstractly, where one thing triggers another in a constant loop. It's like a box inside a box inside a box inside a box—total Russian doll vibes.

Anyway, circling back to that point—I’ve been "gathering" new questions from surrounding topics and just building on them constantly. It's kind of like how I paint or draw. Growing up, I used to start with one tiny detail and try to work my way out to the big picture. But looking at the result? It always felt... messy, disconnected, bloated—just grotesque, you know? It didn't "hold water." Over the years, I learned to flip the script. Now, I build the whole composition relatively equally all at once—making sure to step back and look at it from different angles. Only *after* that setup do I dive into the details.

As for this thirst for knowledge—I think it’s just wired into my core. Ever since I can remember, I've been curious about... well, everything. Reaching the goal doesn't motivate me; the finish line is just a given. What drives me is the colorful chaos along the way. For me, the journey is actually a bigger deal than the destination itself.
It’s like reading an Asterix comic—you don't read it just to rush to the last page, right? It's all about what happens in between.

Back in the day—early on, even—my whole system used to land me in some pretty sketchy situations. I was hitting the negative extremes of certain Enneagram types—the absolute unhealthiest versions for both me and everyone else. I was constantly oscillating between this desperate urge to let all my rage loose (ugh, there was plenty of it) and the paralyzing fear of what would happen if I actually did. Not just the direct consequences for me, but the fallout. Experience taught me what happens when I truly let it rip. It took me a long time to realize that the answer wasn't turning that aggression inward, nor was it just suppressing it.

When it comes to arguing with people—whether online or in person—considering how much work I've put into self-control... honestly, sometimes I still just want to "tear into someone" the second I sense someone acting with "negative intent" toward someone weaker.
It’s like this primal, visceral urge... Ekhm. Then I remember that's just that part of me that loves "fighting for justice," which is really just a smokescreen for other stuff. "Justice"—which is such a complex concept—doesn't actually come from anger or sadness.

It feels kind of pointless when you see yourself acting like a hysterical, aggressive kid.
So now, I pick my battles. I don't just charge in like a headless fly. I haven't given up on fighting altogether; I just frame some of it as a "game" to take the edge off the emotional intensity.
Every game I play is simultaneously super serious, totally fun, deeply educational, and incredibly intense. At least—for me—it's maximum everything.
With the people I actually care about, I don't treat it as a game at all. I protect them on pure instinct. There’s no softening the emotions there—just tact in how I express myself. They get the full package.

I don't like being provocative (even though I'm pretty damn good at it—classic Scorpio vibes here 🕺), but I definitely fall for the bait too easily.

Competing to show off knowledge and stuff? Never made sense to me. How can you actually learn if you're just trying to win? In terms of competition generally, I'm the one whose boundaries I want to push, so I'm basically just competing with myself. And yeah, I know how to play rough... Besides, competing with others just makes it harder to see your own flaws.

Alright, a few more questions... But personally, I've learned enough from all this (thanks for the opportunity 🙂 ) that I'm stepping back now as an "observer" rather than trying to be the center of the conversation.
How do you experience the flow of time? Does it make you feel uneasy, inadequate, or powerless?

And what's wrong with being enthusiastic? Even if you end up getting burned later, that feeling of excitement wasn't "fake"—it actually happened. It's a beautiful feeling, isn't it?😬

Being proven wrong later, btw, isn't a sign that you were "incorrect." If anything, it's the opposite.

Joseph Bailey41 said:On this pretty cheesy Facebook group, someone started a discussion about the whole purpose of human existence—you know, our main mission on Earth and all that. People were throwing out all sorts of answers, though most of them were predictably cringey. The second I read it, my mind jumped straight to "collecting data." I got a few likes and a comment along the lines of, "Yeah, like a probe, then you submit your report to the main headquarters." 🤣

I’m not entirely sure I buy into this idea of a "cosmic HQ," whatever that might be, but I am incredibly conscientious about carrying out my mission. If such a thing actually exists, they surely have some high-end database where they don't just dump every random scrap of info. Everything needs to be organized perfectly, double-spaced, properly cited, including original research, a new thesis, an abstract, and all that jazz. My only issue is that I have no idea when my deadline is, so I’m just trying to stay constantly prepared while keeping up with my actual day job. 😬

Basically, I feel like I need to know everything. And I mean knowing it well enough to explain it to a six-year-old. Otherwise, what was the point of my mission? To be clear, I'm not talking about trivial trivia. I assume they already know when World War I started; they need me to answer the "why." So lately, I've been obsessing over the planned Berlin-Baghdad railway, the morganatic marriage of Ferdinand and Sofia, and even my online friend who made a movie about the assassination (he got banned because his sense of humor is way too surreal, and honestly, I miss him sometimes even if he is a total jerk. 🤣

Anyway, non-linear thinking is just a way of organizing data so that it lasts longer and stays ready for delivery. Linear thinking is for other things. Like putting together a lamp from Ikea or some crap. Or constructing coherent sentences. Math, physics—though maybe not quantum physics. Some physicists at Berkeley used to take acid just to get a little more non-linear. Other people, on the other hand, completely lost their minds from it, like that asshole from the CIA who performed self-defense on himself during some bad party back in the day... I can't remember the name. Google knows it, so I won't bother looking it up. Screw a HQ that doesn't even have access to Google. ☕

The thing is, it's tough for rationalists to break into that headspace, no matter how much bourbon they drink. 🙄

driftingbear29 said:I’m one of those visual learners who needs everything to be color-coded. How can I even put 🤔 It’s like my brain just attaches a specific shade to a certain topic, and then the memory clicks... It sounds hard to explain, but it works perfectly for me. I honestly couldn't function without my highlighters. I don't think I would have ever passed an exam if it weren't for this method.

I actually wasn't surprised by that. 🤣

For me, it's all about how the text "feels" kinesthetically. I process things through textures and sensations—stiff versus flexible, dry versus damp, heavy versus light, tense versus relaxed, fast versus slow, hot versus cold. Most academic papers tend to be pretty dry, cold, and rigid, so that style doesn't really help me absorb the material at all.

I basically have to decode all this stuff and translate it into my own headspace before I can actually connect the dots and make sense of it with what I already know. Since I'm an INTJ, that makes the whole thing way more interesting—everything's up for grabs.

What really trips me out are those random thoughts or memories that just pop up out of nowhere—without any obvious link to what’s happening around me (or maybe it just feels that way) or how I'm feeling at the moment.

Thomas Nelson25 said:I basically have to decode all this stuff and translate it into my own headspace before I can actually connect the dots and make sense of it with what I already know. Since I'm an INTJ, that makes the whole thing way more interesting—everything's up for grabs.

What really trips me out are those random thoughts or memories that just pop up out of nowhere—without any obvious link to what’s happening around me (or maybe it just feels that way) or how I'm feeling at the moment.

For me, the struggle is more about translating everything into "human" language. Something might make perfect sense in my head, but it takes quite a while before I can actually put it into words that other people will understand.

Thomas Nelson25 said:I basically have to decode all this stuff and translate it into my own headspace before I can actually connect the dots and make sense of it with what I already know. Since I'm an INTJ, that makes the whole thing way more interesting—everything's up for grabs.

What really trips me out are those random thoughts or memories that just pop up out of nowhere—without any obvious link to what’s happening around me (or maybe it just feels that way) or how I'm feeling at the moment.

I actually really enjoy those moments and don't bother trying to analyze them, especially since they tend to be pleasant memories or positive thoughts. It's when associations start kicking in that I end up on the much darker side of the spectrum. 😢

Rachel Stewart36 said:I was only talking about one—perceptual-intuitive—didn't even bring up the other perceptual side or decision making. 😉

That’s a rather peculiar way to split them up, isn't it?

In my view, perception really does fall under the umbrella of intuition, whereas attention feels much more like a rational faculty.

But sure, they aren't identical twins, I'll give you that. I actually sat through one of those personality assessments recently—the kind you might see on a Gallup StrengthsFinder report—and it showed that while my perception is incredibly sharp, my intuition scores quite low.

Before I went through that, I had always walked around thinking I was highly intuitive, assuming that's exactly what was happening in my head.

It seems like you all are speaking in very strict scientific terms here, but honestly, it doesn't quite click for me; if perception is considered cognitive, then surely attention is too? It's almost like we're splitting hairs, and I can totally see why someone reading that original post would wonder if they were losing their mind. I don't know...
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Matthew Cruz44 said:That’s a rather peculiar way to split them up, isn't it?

In my view, perception really does fall under the umbrella of intuition, whereas attention feels much more like a rational faculty.

But sure, they aren't identical twins, I'll give you that. I actually sat through one of those personality assessments recently—the kind you might see on a Gallup StrengthsFinder report—and it showed that while my perception is incredibly sharp, my intuition scores quite low.

Before I went through that, I had always walked around thinking I was highly intuitive, assuming that's exactly what was happening in my head.

It seems like you all are speaking in very strict scientific terms here, but honestly, it doesn't quite click for me; if perception is considered cognitive, then surely attention is too? It's almost like we're splitting hairs, and I can totally see why someone reading that original post would wonder if they were losing their mind. I don't know...
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We don't need to get bogged down in technical jargon; we actually drifted a bit away from the main point there.

Everything we do with our brains is "cognitive"—perception, attention, learning, memory, processing, and sorting data. In the framework we've been discussing, intuition is considered a cognitive function, though if you look at alternative options, people have much different views on it.

Which test did you take? Send over a link so the rest of us can try it out. 😁

(On that success traits test I took, I only got a decent score for Machiavellianism, whereas my scores for narcissism and psychopathy were embarrassingly low.
🕺 )