[Si] Wherever you have Si in your stack of pancakes, how do you identify with it?

[Dreamer]

So borrowing this approach from [MENTION=25403]ZombieNinjaPirate[/MENTION] when he posted his thread about Ne. I'm curious what all of you have to say about Si and what it means to you regardless of where it sits in your stack, how it plays with your other functions, and all that yummy stuff. What Zombie noted about inferior Ne users is that they have a rather negative view of Ne. Is this the same for everyone with their inferior function or is this just a case of bad Ne? But, no, let's stay on topic here shall we?

From my observations on what Si means to me, is that yes, residing in Si-ness is comforting. It's where I go when the world is scary. But no seriously, it can sometimes really trip me up. When something's initial impressions don't line up with the impressions of that same thing gathered over time, I'm then left with this two "copies" of what I know of that object, and those impressions never go away. Since I attach emotion to everything, objects included, that sensory data comes with an emotion attached, therefore that memory is even further imprinted in my mind and never forgotten. (I have to have a personal relationship to this object though, so not everything I interact with is stored in memory complete with its impressions) Damn those internet cookies. It's the ESFJs out there I tell ya! Sorry, made an analogy/joke combo there without giving context. Internet cookies are the "impressions" of websites, just as things I work with carry impressions.

Also, while I appreciate Si for giving me this personalized sensory data to pull from, my Ne just eats that up! When I get in a slump or have been stressed for too long a time, Si is where I tend to find myself residing. It's fine, it works for a brief time since it's comfortable and feels safe, but when I don't use my Ne and Fi for too long, I just sink further and further into my slump. So with Si as an inferior function, I definitely see it's valuable use and I do have an appreciation for it, but it's a place I can't hang out in for too long if I want to stay the best version of me that I can.

 

[Cloudpatrol]

Delicious! I luxuriated over your gorgeous descriptions in the 2nd paragraph more than once.

I too enjoy Si ‘staycations’. Retrieving songs, images, smells, sounds, faces, feelings… Dipping into my vast storehouse of nostalgic experience and (subconsciously?) weaving threads thru life’s tapestry. Finding patterns or emotions that might connect vaguely or even powerfully to the present.

If I stay too long tho, I begin to feel indulgent and listless. Thankfully my Ne is strong and will step in to kick my butt. Ne knocks on the door, sticks it’s head into the Si room and says “Hey Kid, we already took care of that ______ (passion, idea, sadness, wistfulness, grief, love etcetera). We obsessed about it, tore it apart from every angle and now it’s time for new possibilities!”

Ne grabs Si by the hand and drags it out to the party and forces it to dance.

Then Si can remind Ne later what happened at the party when Ne gets a little overly enthusiastic with all the potential that life affords (dry grin).

 

[Pionart]

Si is a mental recreation of the physical world, which can be used to make concrete predictions and allow for a stable navigatory tool for everyday situations.

 

[Yama]

It's hard to describe in detail how I use Si because it is such an unconscious process for me, being my dominant function. I'm living and breathing Si every moment. It's my framework for looking at the world. It's my default mode. It's much more than just simple memory recall or nostalgia; it's my way of making sense of the world around me. Categorization, details, impressions, all are just as present and important as recollection. I am never not using Si at any moment. In less than a fraction of a second, I passively take in information around me, filter it through my subjective impressions, and use that to define my surroundings and organize it in a way that makes sense to me.

Needless to say, there are a few Si stereotypes that I do actually fit--I am sentimental, nostalgic, etc. But it is so much different in the dominant position than in the tertiary or inferior of xNFPs. I have the impression that in xNFPs, Si is more of a "walk down memory lane" sort of deal; a nice thing to look at or use once in a while, but easily overwhelmed or discarded in favor of Ne and Fi. But for me, that Si is my lifeblood and my very way of existing.

There you go, one of the like 3 SFJs on the forum to describe upper Si.

 

[ZNP-TBA]

So borrowing this approach from [MENTION=25403]ZombieNinjaPirate[/MENTION] when he posted his thread about Ne. I'm curious what all of you have to say about Si and what it means to you regardless of where it sits in your stack, how it plays with your other functions, and all that yummy stuff. What Zombie noted about inferior Ne users is that they have a rather negative view of Ne. Is this the same for everyone with their inferior function or is this just a case of bad Ne? But, no, let's stay on topic here shall we?

From my observations on what Si means to me, is that yes, residing in Si-ness is comforting. It's where I go when the world is scary. But no seriously, it can sometimes really trip me up. When something's initial impressions don't line up with the impressions of that same thing gathered over time, I'm then left with this two "copies" of what I know of that object, and those impressions never go away. Since I attach emotion to everything, objects included, that sensory data comes with an emotion attached, therefore that memory is even further imprinted in my mind and never forgotten. (I have to have a personal relationship to this object though, so not everything I interact with is stored in memory complete with its impressions) Damn those internet cookies. It's the ESFJs out there I tell ya! Sorry, made an analogy/joke combo there without giving context. Internet cookies are the "impressions" of websites, just as things I work with carry impressions.

Also, while I appreciate Si for giving me this personalized sensory data to pull from, my Ne just eats that up! When I get in a slump or have been stressed for too long a time, Si is where I tend to find myself residing. It's fine, it works for a brief time since it's comfortable and feels safe, but when I don't use my Ne and Fi for too long, I just sink further and further into my slump. So with Si as an inferior function, I definitely see it's valuable use and I do have an appreciation for it, but it's a place I can't hang out in for too long if I want to stay the best version of me that I can.

Nice! As I've gotten older and my cognitive development has had ample time I find I'm more 'in tune' with my Si. I see Si as sort of a repository bank of experiences from which I can draw on for something solid and concrete amidst Ne 'streaminess' sort of like the rocks in a river or creek that the water current races around. Seen differently, Si is helps me source my associations. Sometimes when I rattle off random information I'm asked 'how do you know all this stuff?' or 'where did that come from?' I attribute this bank of knowledge to my Si. No matter where Si is in your stack all Si users have a distinct ability to recall disparate information seemingly out of nowhere.

Using the river current example, If you are a dominant Ne user such as us (ENxPs) the strength of the current is massive and thus the current meets more resistance from those 'Si rocks' and barriers so it seems more 'dramatic' for the Ne dom smashing up against Si. If you're a 'calmer' Ne user (Aux and below) Si offers less direct resistance. Conversely if you are dominant Si but inferior Ne then the current can be incredibly weak to the point of stagnation so 'flow' could be an issue.

Heh, I'm just toying with this analogy now. Anyways, good topic.

 

[magpie]

I have no idea. Si is one of the functions that confuses me the most. Other than Ni.

 

[EJCC]

Si is the filter through which I process everything. The framework that all data must fit into in order for it to become a part of my conception of reality. Not a system in itself, but a framework. The stereotypical "filing cabinet" waiting to be filled with information.

Not sure how to describe it other than that.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

It's like a nagging voice that occasionally says, "you already tried something similar to this. Remember what happened, Mr. Bright Idea?"

 

[Reborn Relic]

I'm not sure exactly where my type lays, but if I were to attempt to explain how I relate to (What I think is) Si....

It provides a certain sense of clarity to what I'm doing, allowing me to get a better picture of it and making me less indecisive about my actions in whatever the area happens to be. It's the ink on my mental map, if you will.

It can also encourage a certain degree of tribalism in me through the associations I make with it--if I frequently see certain people saying one kind of thing, I will assume that similar people will react or affect me similarly. More in an Fe-ish sense, if I constantly am told that a certain type of music or clothing or whatever is associated with a certain kind of person, I will start believing it (consciously or unconsciously) and that will shape my preferences towards things. I still have a small aversion to pop music partially because of Si-Fe, I think.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

It's the nostalgia subroutine when something in my surrounding environment reminds me of a memory or a past experience.

 

[Galaxy Gazer]

I use Si by picking up on intertwined patterns in people's appearances/behavior. I do what non-Si-users call "generalizing" or "stereotyping."
I think it works with my Ti to help me analyze others from the moment I first meet them. I'm not sure how it works with Ne.

I'm either at my best or my worst when I'm using Si and Fe. It's when I start harshly judging people, but I'm also very confident. I don't understand it.

 

[Dreamer]

I use Si by picking up on intertwined patterns in people's appearances/behavior. I do what non-Si-users call "generalizing" or "stereotyping."
I think it works with my Ti to help me analyze others from the moment I first meet them. I'm not sure how it works with Ne.

I'm either at my best or my worst when I'm using Si and Fe. It's when I start harshly judging people, but I'm also very confident. I don't understand it.

Awesome! Ya, Si does that for me too. Or rather, it picks up the "flavor" of objects and things around me, in relation to how they make me feel (incorporating that Fi in there). The way Ne interacts with Si with me, or how I make of it, is that Si does the heavy lifting of drawing out the personalized "essences" of things, personal subjective realities of well umm...reality haha. All Ne does at that point, is connect the dots and leads to conclusions based on those perceived connections. I feel this is largely why Ne is considered like a bullet train to Ni's steam locomotive. Ni does the connecting AND draws out the essence of what Se picks up, whereas I feel Ne just makes the connections so it's quick, REALLY quick.

 

[pinkgraffiti]

From my observations on what Si means to me, is that yes, residing in Si-ness is comforting. It's where I go when the world is scary. But no seriously, it can sometimes really trip me up. When something's initial impressions don't line up with the impressions of that same thing gathered over time, I'm then left with this two "copies" of what I know of that object, and those impressions never go away.

I'm an Ne user too but I don't know what this is...have I ever experienced it?!Comparing a present copy of a thing with past copies!?
Can you please give an example?

Damn those internet cookies. It's the ESFJs out there I tell ya! Sorry, made an analogy/joke combo there without giving context. Internet cookies are the "impressions" of websites, just as things I work with carry impressions.

Everybody (or 95% people) knows what cookies are LOL

I have the impression that in xNFPs, Si is more of a "walk down memory lane" sort of deal; a nice thing to look at or use once in a while, but easily overwhelmed or discarded in favor of Ne and Fi.

But isn't EVERYONE like this? Whether they have Si or not?

Awesome! Ya, Si does that for me too. Or rather, it picks up the "flavor" of objects and things around me, in relation to how they make me feel (incorporating that Fi in there). The way Ne interacts with Si with me, or how I make of it, is that Si does the heavy lifting of drawing out the personalized "essences" of things, personal subjective realities of well umm...reality haha. All Ne does at that point, is connect the dots and leads to conclusions based on those perceived connections. I feel this is largely why Ne is considered like a bullet train to Ni's steam locomotive. Ni does the connecting AND draws out the essence of what Se picks up, whereas I feel Ne just makes the connections so it's quick, REALLY quick.

I have NO IDEA what you guys are all going on about! LOL I don't understand Si at all, I think I don't have "it"

 

[Yama]

[MENTION=13377]pinkgraffiti[/MENTION] I dunno, I cant speak for the other types. But I've noticed that a lot of people, when they describe Si, are talking about lower Si, and misunderstand it in the dominant and auxiliary positions when they do try to describe it.

 

[Habba]

Si is like google search, like wikipedia, like google maps. It is a compass and a watch.

I have a great sense of time, location and direction. I'm constantly aware where I am in the physical world and how the world functions around me. I can see the vectors people move. I can extrapolate people's actions. When something unexpected happens, I'm usually prepared because I've already run the simulation in my head. I'm quick to understand people, because I can draw help from "stereotyping".

I'm not rigid, I'm always up for new improved ideas. But they seriously need to be better ideas. I don't like change for the sake of change itself, but acknowledge that change is inevidable. I learn new things quickly, when I can find things that work similarly to them. I'm not traditional. On the contrary, I believe it is my dudy as a father to get rid of all the unnecessary customs and traditions (also known as nonsense or religion) that lead to nowhere, and only pass the good ones to my children. I want to structure the world around me because it allows everyone to find their place and work at maximum efficiency.

I understand that everything I experience is a subjective experience. Even if there were anything objective or universal, we would still experience it subjectively. Therefore, we should not expect everyone to want the same things or work the same way. This is why we need to cultivate diversity in all things.

So you see, Si is not as rigid and conservative as you've been told.

 

[Dreamer]

I'm an Ne user too but I don't know what this is...have I ever experienced it?!Comparing a present copy of a thing with past copies!?
Can you please give an example?


Everybody (or 95% people) knows what cookies are LOL



But isn't EVERYONE like this? Whether they have Si or not?



I have NO IDEA what you guys are all going on about! LOL I don't understand Si at all, I think I don't have "it"

Si is interesting. At least to me it is, since I am only now becoming more familiar with how I use it. I think the reason you may not feel so involved with Si, is because you have it situated lower in the stack. [MENTION=23583]21lux[/MENTION] brought up a good point in that people that use Si lower in their stack versus someone that uses it as their dominant or auxiliary function, may feel vastly different towards it. For example, to someone that uses Ne as one of their bottom functions, it can be a hell hole, not the opportunistic sphere of endless goodness that others may describe it as.

For me, my memory of places, objects, my understanding of them works as a series of photographs. My memory is nowhere near that detailed, but the idea still holds true for me, since I keep this particular memory wholly in tact. What helps me to recall these memories is that I also associate anything and everything with emotion that I feel from it, applying my Fi to it. So when I mentioned in an earlier post that Si can at times be jarring for me and fairly unsettling, is when that initial snapshot of an experience, could be of a place or object, doesn't line up with how I perceive it over time, because how I feel about something changes as time progresses. There is more personal association tied to something with time for me (sentimentality steps in here), and going back to that photograph analogy, all representations of that object that I have, are sort of frozen in time and how I felt about that object is also permanently fixed to that moment in time. This jarring encounter doesn't always happen for me, but it happens enough where I started to take notice of those instances and delved deeper into why those experiences were so unsettling, and what exactly, was happening within me. After bouncing off my experiences with other Si users, this experience and personal, subjective involvement with my surroundings, was indeed my inferior Si at work. Just as Ne can be a frightening venture for those that use it as an inferior function, Si can trip me up too, but I do appreciate it without a doubt as well, as I also see how it directly feeds into my Ne. Honestly, without Si, Ne is nothing more than a child's innocent curiosity in my opinion.

 

[Yama]

since it's been mentioned multiple times, i'll just say... Si is not about stereotyping, either

 

[ZNP-TBA]

since it's been mentioned multiple times, i'll just say... Si is not about stereotyping, either

I disagree. I think Si is largely about stereotyping but I can see the aversion to defining it that way since stereotyping typically has negative connotations. Stereotyping can be positive or at least neutral in the sense that it's a quick way to access categorical associations that have a practical use.

A simple example would be knowing the risk/reward of an action or somewhat accurately estimating the cost-benefit of doing something. This is like a cautious investor carefully cataloging the trends of a particular market based on compiled data over X amount of time. Either consciously or unconsciously the Si is plotting a chart model and observing conformity or deviations. If the Si notices something 'out of whack' they can begin to generalize trend data and begin categorizing certain risks and behavior with negative stereotypes. Stereotypes allow for quicker processing of comparative information but obviously has its pitfalls too. It's typically Ne that destroys stereotypes as Ne picks up on alternative patterns that may not conform to a stereotype.

This is why Si relies heavily on impressions of reality. It is a photo or snap shot of an experience mixed with any prior associations the Si might have had before hand. It's an image of reality in the Si's mind with a unique personal flavor (even if it appears conforming to outsiders).

 

[Coriolis]

It's the nostalgia subroutine when something in my surrounding environment reminds me of a memory or a past experience.

Excactly. And as it is at the absolute bottom of my stack, lower even than Fe, I don't identify with it at all. In fact, when something like this comes up, it sometimes gives me what I can only describe as a sensation of temporal vertigo. I have to get out of those memories and back into the here-and-now.

 

[ceecee]

Exactly. And as it is at the absolute bottom of my stack, lower even than Fe, I don't identify with it at all.

At all. And the whole - evokes the feelings associated with memory as if the subject were reliving it - no.