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[NF] Why NFs pity themselves so much ?

CrystalViolet

lab rat extraordinaire
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
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In answer to the OP,
If I don't pity my own self, no one else will;)
Seriously, though I'm just venting, once it's off my chest it's done.
This is retrospect, to an event that happened to me recently, where in a rare moment of openess, I cracked (I'm a little stressed about what I'm going to do once my work contract ends. No-one else seems willing to employ me). Having vented, I feel much more on an even keel, and certainly clearer than I have in months, but then it has always taken a crisis for me to come into my own.
It kinda irratates me though, when people overdo the sympathy/empathy thing though. I don't need solutions...I can think of them myself, I don't need hugs and goo goo eyes either. I just need people to listen, and take my feelings on board for a bit because I don't want them muddying up the picture.
It's not so much self pity, but a means to lessen the internal pressure in the steam cooker so to speak.
 

ReadingRainbows

Cat Wench
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I quit life, is this enough self pity to fill my NF quota of the day?
 

Little Linguist

Striving for balance
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Although I tend to engage in a lot of venting to 'free' myself of negative feelings and emotions, I wouldn't say I pity myself. Not getting rid of negative feelings often results in blow-ups later, so it's actually more effective to get rid of it initially and avoid later explosions.

In any case, I think 'sharing' these feelings and thoughts tend to elicit other ideas and perspectives, which often helps me grow.

Furthermore, I do not only act in this way when I have problems or negative thoughts and feelings. In fact, sharing is something I do especially when I feel positively or have a 'gush' of ideas. When sifting through thoughts and feelings to try to make sense of everything and put them together in a mosaic, it's often more beneficial to do it with others out loud (at least for me), which is one reason I love discussions and engaging in fora so often.

Would you classify this as pity? I wouldn't. Sharing positive and negative thoughts, feelings and ideas in order to get some feedback is not a way to be an attention whore or a crazy idiot or a pity-seeking, sad-ass, pathetic nincompoop, but rather a way of 'sifting' and 'making sense' of things or just relieving tension within my mind/heart/soul.

However, I guess the key thing is - how do you define pity? I'm not really sure, but its connotation has something negative and non-productive about it. So as long as the sharing process and the empathy lead to a productive improvement or solution or better situation, I don't think it is pity or pity-seeking. But just whining and bitching to drive other people crazy that doesn't make anyone feel better or alleviate the situation is not good.
 

ENFJ_Catholic

New member
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ENFJ
There's a sense of venting, I would agree with this. Thanks for rephrasing the original post, Antisocial One. :)
 

Virtual ghost

Complex paradigm
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
19,769
Although I tend to engage in a lot of venting to 'free' myself of negative feelings and emotions, I wouldn't say I pity myself. Not getting rid of negative feelings often results in blow-ups later, so it's actually more effective to get rid of it initially and avoid later explosions.

In any case, I think 'sharing' these feelings and thoughts tend to elicit other ideas and perspectives, which often helps me grow.

Furthermore, I do not only act in this way when I have problems or negative thoughts and feelings. In fact, sharing is something I do especially when I feel positively or have a 'gush' of ideas. When sifting through thoughts and feelings to try to make sense of everything and put them together in a mosaic, it's often more beneficial to do it with others out loud (at least for me), which is one reason I love discussions and engaging in fora so often.

Would you classify this as pity? I wouldn't. Sharing positive and negative thoughts, feelings and ideas in order to get some feedback is not a way to be an attention whore or a crazy idiot or a pity-seeking, sad-ass, pathetic nincompoop, but rather a way of 'sifting' and 'making sense' of things or just relieving tension within my mind/heart/soul.

However, I guess the key thing is - how do you define pity? I'm not really sure, but its connotation has something negative and non-productive about it. So as long as the sharing process and the empathy lead to a productive improvement or solution or better situation, I don't think it is pity or pity-seeking. But just whining and bitching to drive other people crazy that doesn't make anyone feel better or alleviate the situation is not good.

But from my position this can look exactly like self-pity.


In the real life people are asking if I have something(emotions) I would like to share and I always say "No". So people tend to think I am hidding a lot and they are placing bets on when I will finally explode.

But this is not happening simply becuse they are misreading me from the start and the main reason is because they are projecting their experiances form the time when they were old as I am now. Or how they would be feeling in my place.



For an example my SFP father is actually depressed because I have never done anything really stupid. So that he has to pull me out of shit.
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
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It makes sense that people who test as feelers are more likely to communicate their feelings, but does this mean they view themselves as more victimized than other types do?

Having a self-concept of being victimized by life doesn't appear limited to type. I understand that sense of victimization to be the core of self-pity. Crying looks more like a physiological function to me. From what I understand, I would say the majority of people have been victimized in some manner during their lives to varying degrees, but to indulge that mentality is to embrace a kind of entitlement. There is danger in that entitlement distorting one's relationship to the world by justifying an exaggerated role of controlling and dominating others. Bullying is one pure manifestation of self-pity on a much deeper level than a poem or a couple of tears. It's a long demonstrated aspect of human nature that oppressed becomes oppressor. Self-pity (embracing victimization) is the means by which this transition is made. This does not necessarily involve a kind of "heart on the sleeve" style of self-pity, but it does require a way of embracing a sense of personal victimization that leads to entitlement.
 

FinalFrontier89

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May 26, 2009
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I think T's tendency to "deal with" emotion by suppressing it can be counterproductive. It causes them to be more accepting of the problems that trigger negative emotions in them, even if said problems stem from an external injustice. "Self pity" is often not about the self at all but about a bigger picture that many feel the need to be vocal about, and rightly so.
 

Amargith

Hotel California
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It may look like self-pity, but self-pity is only a factor if you actually get 'hung up' in that mode. If you're just venting and find that essential to move on and do something, I don't see the problem. We all have our own way of coping. Personally, I find self-pity comes way more into play when you get mad and cynical at the world for a long time, even if you don't whine to anyone about it. It's way more disruptive for your personal growth and health as it can be a vicious cycle you cannot get out of anymore.
 

mortabunt

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Self pity? I've never seen an NF in that mode. Well, I hardly know any NF's. NF's can get into vicious cycles of joy, frustration, idealism, and disillusionment. That might cause self pity.
 
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