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Why Ps tend to see the world in "maybes"

strychnine

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I had a "realization" earlier today so I thought I would try to post it here, for people to discuss/criticise. It's probably either obvious or wrong, lol :D

So, I had an idea as to why Ps tend to view things as maybes.

I think Ps tend to think in terms of "Maybe it's like this, maybe it's like that, maybe I will do X, Y, or Z..." etc. It's not very certain. Unless the P in question applies judgement -- then I think we can be certain of things (e.g. being certain that X is the correct/right decision).

I think it would be different for Ji doms (IP) and Pe doms (EP), with IPs applying more judgement and EPs thinking more in terms of maybes.

That much I think is obvious. As always, if you disagree, please respond.

The realization was regarding WHY Ps look at the world in maybes:

Dependencies. Everything seems dependent on everything else to fully make sense. In order to understand something fully, it seems to me that I have to also understand EVERYTHING else. And given that I don't understand everything at present, and that I probably CAN'T understand everything even if I tried, I have to view the things I would otherwise say I "know" as maybes. This means that what J types might consider "facts", the P is forced to view as possibilities -- even if a possibility with a very high probability of being true -- such that the probability that it's untrue is negligible. Yet, it's still a possibility, not a "fact".

But in the meantime it's like everything new that I learn unlocks a piece of the puzzle, and if I were to learn everything (which I won't) it will all stitch together perfectly to make a coherent, consistent whole.

But until we can fully understand everything, we cannot claim to have fully understood any one thing... and what remains only partially understood is a "maybe" in the mind of a P. So everything remains a "maybe".

And this is my working hypothesis as to why we Ps tend to view the world in "maybes" while Js tend to see things more definitively.

(It may not be true for all Ps, even though it is true for me. But if it's not true for most Ps, then I'd think it's not type related. lol)

It would also explain why I (and maybe others) have problems explaining things from the ground up. To explain one thing fully, I'd have to explain everything else! More realistically, to explain one thing to the best of my knowledge, I'd have to explain all closely related concepts, which is still a pretty large set.

So yeah, perhaps that's why you see all these people writing walls of text... it really is that hard to explain things without making reference to all sorts of other things we determine are somehow related.

Comments? Thanks :)
 
N

NPcomplete

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I can definitely relate to this realisation.

Not knowing everything (besides, how does one even know it's everything???) is the reason why I constantly use the words "maybe", "potential", "probably", "possible", "likely", "perhaps" etc in all their variations.

Re: explaining things from the ground up
Yep definitely! I'd rather have people ask me questions than me telling them things. I wouldn't know where to start, where to stop.

I will some ponder more and maybe add more later. :)
 
A

Anew Leaf

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I like it (at least right now I do)!

I am the queen of maybes.... I am not sure I could go through with marriage because I couldn't maybe my way out of the vows. :laugh:
 

entropie

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My life has become easier since I dared to make decisions. I dont think that "deciding" is so much related to p or j at all, but I think that p or j's have different preconditions for developing strength in that department.

I came to know with age that deciding means to compromise to settle for one opinion and with that develop something progressive. So the phase of "could be, could be not" basically ended for me when I passed the age of 25. In the real world indecisiveness doesnt get you very far, if you want to achieve a responsible position in your working environment.

Pness nowadays isnt so much about "maybe" for me no more, but about flexibility of opinion and your decisions. I go by the idea: every decision thast can be changed easily is a good one.

I have learnt that having an opinion means actually to take on responsibility for a thing or idea and given the vast amount of ideas there are out there, one has to settle for some and try things out to at least have some sort of progress. I think this is a lesson all P's need to learn at some point in their lifes.
 

Thinkist

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I am the queen of maybes.... I am not sure I could go through with marriage because I couldn't maybe my way out of the vows. :laugh:

If you are the queen then "perhaps" I'm the king ;)

Perceivers may be prone to being more indecisive because their decisions (made with Ji) are often changing, and they're not firm with them. Perceivers are most firm with informative communications. Another possibility: lack of proper knowledge in a topic.
 

Thinkist

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My life has become easier since I dared to make decisions. I dont think that "deciding" is so much related to p or j at all, but I think that p or j's have different preconditions for developing strength in that department.

I came to know with age that deciding means to compromise to settle for one opinion and with that develop something progressive. So the phase of "could be, could be not" basically ended for me when I passed the age of 25. In the real world indecisiveness doesnt get you very far, if you want to achieve a responsible position in your working environment.

Pness nowadays isnt so much about "maybe" for me no more, but about flexibility of opinion and your decisions. I go by the idea: every decision thast can be changed easily is a good one.

I have learnt that having an opinion means actually to take on responsibility for a thing or idea and given the vast amount of ideas there are out there, one has to settle for some and try things out to at least have some sort of progress. I think this is a lesson all P's need to learn at some point in their lifes.

QFT. Indeed a lot of perceivers (especially the extreme perceivers like us), don't like to be settled, and that is a big factor in our sounding reluctant.

Now the problem is how to deal with those extreme Js who are not only firm, but you try time and again and they will still not change their decision. They might not even try to convince you why they settled on said decision. They have a lesson to learn from Ps: it's OK to be open ended and "un-decide", and in fact, will make you a better person.
 

entropie

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QFT. Indeed a lot of perceivers (especially the extreme perceivers like us), don't like to be settled, and that is a big factor in our sounding reluctant.

Now the problem is how to deal with those extreme Js who are not only firm, but you try time and again and they will still not change their decision. They might not even try to convince you why they settled on said decision. They have a lesson to learn from Ps: it's OK to be open ended and "un-decide", and in fact, will make you a better person.

The luxury of my current employement is that I can fire them. That makes life a lot easier :D
 

skylights

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^ :laugh:!

it's like everything new that I learn unlocks a piece of the puzzle, and if I were to learn everything (which I won't) it will all stitch together perfectly to make a coherent, consistent whole.

But until we can fully understand everything, we cannot claim to have fully understood any one thing... and what remains only partially understood is a "maybe" in the mind of a P. So everything remains a "maybe".[...] it really is that hard to explain things without making reference to all sorts of other things we determine are somehow related.

:yes:

Pe expands. our worlds are ever-expanding. unlike Pi, which reduces. both aim towards One eventually, but we are working outward towards the Whole, while they are working inwards towards the Singularity. it makes our lives harder in that we have trouble deciding, yet easier in that we are more open to change.

Perceivers may be prone to being more indecisive because their decisions (made with Ji) are often changing, and they're not firm with them. Perceivers are most firm with informative communications.

indeed. and to dive further into that, because we seek the "heart" of the decision, instead of its external measure via Fe or Te. so while others may see "change" outwardly, we are remaining steady in our Ji values.

for example, my SO recently explained to me that he could not understand why sometimes i "snapped" at him sometimes. what we learned together while talking is he would do something mildly offensive to me, but i would hold off on saying anything until he reached my "tipping point" of "this is my life/body/space and you are infringing upon my rights". to him it seemed like it was inconsistent when i would say something, but to me it was highly consistent - but based on internal measure.

as such we are "indecisive" to the external world, because we are being asked to make Te and Fe decisions, when we are wired to make Ti and Fi decisions. whereas a J's internal landscape is much less consistent, as it changes with Pi.
 

21%

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I won't mind the 'maybe's until I start hearing my biological clock ticking :smile:
 

INTP

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Things change over time and possibilities depend on these things that change. P(Ne/Se) is about keeping the eyes open for things changing(rather than seeing static things) and N is about concentrating on the possibilities(rather than facts(S)).
 

entropie

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I won't mind the 'maybe's until I start hearing my biological clock ticking :smile:

Let me quote that with what Verne from "Over the Hedge said":

Verne: Whenever something doesn't feel right, my tail tingles. And let me tell you something, everything you've said so far is driving my tail crazy.

Now you can read that again and substitute "tail" with "pness" that makes it a lot more fun :D
 

21%

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Let me quote that with what Verne from "Over the Hedge said":

Verne: Whenever something doesn't feel right, my tail tingles. And let me tell you something, everything you've said so far is driving my tail crazy.

Now you can read that again and substitute "tail" with "pness" that makes it a lot more fun :D
Keep your pness in check you naughty ENTP :nono: :smile:
 

ICUP

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The luxury of my current employement is that I can fire them. That makes life a lot easier :D

I like that kind of employment. :D Yes, it does make life a lot more enjoyable as well.
 
G

garbage

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Huh, cool thoughts.

I've tended to put a veritable asterisk right beside most every statement or thought that I come across (and even those that originate with me). Every single thought has an underlying context and a set of assumptions or caveats. Gathering more information might just mean trying to read the footnote.

"Maybe" is good, in a way. It just means that you recognize that there's always more out there.
 

Santosha

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P's see the world differently and operate differently because they are taking in new information all the time. New information frequently changes ones stance. This isn't exactly where you are going with it.. but I saw this a few months ago and found it kinda funny ;)

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfl55fHhLik"].[/YOUTUBE]
 
G

garbage

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P's see the world differently and operate differently because they are taking in new information all the time. New information frequently changes ones stance. This isn't exactly where you are going with it.. but I saw this a few months ago and found it kinda funny ;)

This. This is what should be about.. using the archetypes to help us recognize our own tendencies so that we can work toward balancing them.
 

entropie

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P's see the world differently and operate differently because they are taking in new information all the time. New information frequently changes ones stance. This isn't exactly where you are going with it.. but I saw this a few months ago and found it kinda funny ;)

[YOUTUBE="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wfl55fHhLik"].[/YOUTUBE]

You know what sucks when I see that ? His perceiver description explains a lot of the unorganized "driving me nuts" attitude of my girlfriend. But I am the J, when I get out of the bed in the morning I have a everyday the milestone masterplan which I work down step by step, already in the process creating more masterplans for next week, next month or longterm goals....

But I am only like that with outer world stuff and I was so all my life. School, finances, work all masterplaned, home a mess. My girlfriend is working late shift and I am supposed to clean the bathroom for 3 hours now but I havent gotten up so far. Ok I was working all day and I hate cleaning the bathroom, important thing is I will have done it until she's back, I always do it and am reliable; pride myself in being reliable....

Dunno do you think you can learn Jness ? Or could maybe be the definition according to the example of masterplanning or going step-by-step as data comes in be faulty ? I dunno but that p the guy described is my worst nightmare, when I have to work with people like that, I lock my office from the inside.
 

Santosha

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Dunno do you think you can learn Jness ? Or could maybe be the definition according to the example of masterplanning or going step-by-step as data comes in be faulty ? I dunno but that p the guy described is my worst nightmare, when I have to work with people like that, I lock my office from the inside.

Yes I do believe J tendencies can be learned, but the preference will always remain. That speaker moves into some training he's developed to aid that, but I have not seen it myself. I know that I organize and plan some aspects of my life (usually work) very well, but it does take tremendous effort - not natural. Not sure if tert Te development has helped this along, or just being pounded over the head for years with the undesireable consequences that come with constant perception, lol.
 
A

Anew Leaf

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Yes I do believe J tendencies can be learned, but the preference will always remain. That speaker moves into some training he's developed to aid that, but I have not seen it myself. I know that I organize and plan some aspects of my life (usually work) very well, but it does take tremendous effort - not natural. Not sure if tert Te development has helped this along, or just being pounded over the head for years with the undesireable consequences that come with constant perception, lol.

I tested very close on the J/P scale and if you could see my house... 9/10 times you wouldn't believe I am a P. I love organizing my home and work environments. But I prefer keeping plans on a "to be determined" basis. I am J with external matters and P with internal matters. Does that make sense? :laugh:
 

entropie

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Yes I do believe J tendencies can be learned, but the preference will always remain. That speaker moves into some training he's developed to aid that, but I have not seen it myself. I know that I organize and plan some aspects of my life (usually work) very well, but it does take tremendous effort - not natural. Not sure if tert Te development has helped this along, or just being pounded over the head for years with the undesireable consequences that come with constant perception, lol.

I tested very close on the J/P scale and if you could see my house... 9/10 times you wouldn't believe I am a P. I love organizing my home and work environments. But I prefer keeping plans on a "to be determined" basis. I am J with external matters and P with internal matters. Does that make sense? :laugh:

That makes all sense yes. Its just frustrating for a rational mind with the demand for clarity to agree upon the fact that all tests give me J are wrong and I am right. But that wouldnt be the first time I got in conflict with the law :D
 
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