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[NF] How do life experiences shape and define NF's?

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Your approach to life in general. I mean are there differences in the stages of development, maturity, responsibilities, attitudes and experiences that shape and define who we are as we age.

As teenagers how did you respond to people and social/political/health issues to now, are you responding much the same or adapting to life differently each year?

As you become wiser do you notice the changes in generational attitudes, trends, social implications of what you did as a child and what they do as children now?

Is it true that during certain times there is a shift in perspective as it were, say just before 19, 29, 39, etc whereby just as you enter the next stage in your life your point of reference is totally different, the experiences and transition, the gap feels different more self aware too. Or is that every 3-5 years, say 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 etc. How would the shift in perspective change, does it?

I noticed the comparison with ages in relationships and seeing this parallel whereby younger people would tend to be comfortable in their own age while older people have a more broader comfort level.

What do milestones in your achievements mean to you? The highs and the lows, are you better equipped for dealing with life because of what you've experienced? In terms of your health, relationships, career etc?

What does emotional, intellectual and spiritual maturity meant to you?
 

Moiety

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I had very uneventful childhood,teenage, and even university years. It shaped me in a number of ways, in that I isolated myself from people in some ways. I also was very inactive, and now that I want to do stuff, I see myself picking up bad habits from the past...They were years full of introspection though, hence my very philosophical predisposition.

Now I live regretting not having done all sorts of stuff when I was younger...feel like the age where I'm expected to have a degree and get a job is creeping in....and I was just now getting ready to have fun and travel etc.

As ever, I feel very disconnected from the people my age. It varies, from feeling much older to feeling much younger.

Last week I turned 24 and felt really old. My biggest frustration is not feeling like I can have the irresponsible kind of fun I didn't have when I was younger, and that others my age are starting to lose the lust for the adventurous life.
 

CrystalViolet

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This is such a broad question, I don't even know where to start.
 

Thalassa

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Q

Your approach to life in general. I mean are there differences in the stages of development, maturity, responsibilities, attitudes and experiences that shape and define who we are as we age.

As teenagers how did you respond to people and social/political/health issues to now, are you responding much the same or adapting to life differently each year?

Ha...well, okay, when I was sixteen I thought I was a communist and I wanted to hug all of the outcast people and I stupidly enabled people who had serious problems because I felt bad for them because I made the connection (even at that young age) between bad childhood/abuse/mental illness and "damaged" people, so I knew even then that people were products of their environment. I was waaaay more forgiving. Too forgiving. Very naive. Very hopeful.

But on the other hand INSANELY REBELLIOUS against any kind of Fe social convention or politeness for politeness sake. In some people's perception I was probably a much more intolerable person at that point in my life, though I remember myself as being so sweet and innocent and open-hearted. I was actually quite uncouth...very much an immature ENFP, an immature Ne dom that wanted to try all kinds of crazy stuff just to see what would happen.

I was much less cautious and sometimes I'm amazed I lived through my late teens and early twenties relatively unscathed. Like...I don't relate to Sytpg at all, how could a young ENFP be that boring?

I was many things, but definitely not boring...

I became much more of a fan of personal responsibility and confrontation as I grew toward my mid-twenties due to life experience. I became much less fanciful as I grew older and got a better grip on reality.

I'm much, much more politically moderate now and I really hate the idea of enabling people. I'm much more cautious than I once was in day-to-day life. I've gone from one extreme to the other... from being overly idealistic to almost being bitter. I'm currently in the process of accepting myself and learning that it's not always best to confront people...I'm trying to find a nice, mature middle ground without being either extreme. I'll let you know when that happens.



As you become wiser do you notice the changes in generational attitudes, trends, social implications of what you did as a child and what they do as children now?

I was aware of these things when I was an adolescent. That's why I never wanted to have children at a young age.

Is it true that during certain times there is a shift in perspective as it were, say just before 19, 29, 39, etc whereby just as you enter the next stage in your life your point of reference is totally different, the experiences and transition, the gap feels different more self aware too. Or is that every 3-5 years, say 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 etc. How would the shift in perspective change, does it?

Ah...I used to have rapid perception changes frequently up until the age of 23 or 24 (baby Ne?) and had a major personality shift at around the age of 25.

I think I might be in the process of changing right now.

I noticed the comparison with ages in relationships and seeing this parallel whereby younger people would tend to be comfortable in their own age while older people have a more broader comfort level.

I realized I had developed a broad "comfort range" with different age groups at about 22.

What do milestones in your achievements mean to you? The highs and the lows, are you better equipped for dealing with life because of what you've experienced? In terms of your health, relationships, career etc?

Yes. Milestones and achievements mean more to me than they might mean to someone with less Te. But they also don't mean as much to me as they do to say, an SJ. My milestones and achievements mean very personal things to me in terms of my strength and self-confidence, and don't really have much to do with traditional milestones.

What does emotional, intellectual and spiritual maturity meant to you?


That's like a graduate thesis. Let me get back to you when I'm forty.
 

nynesneg

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Could you narrow down the question to two specific areas please?
 

Synapse

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Oh hi thanks for responding. :hi:

Wants to refine to.

How have your life experiences shaped and defined you (NF's - anyone is welcome) with the experiences you've had?
Optional: - Please share experiences that changed your life or that was life changing for you and the way you interpret society and your environment.
And
Would you change anything about where you are at in your current life situation?


As an adult, how different do you feel today in contrast to your childhood. How would you describe the changes or transitions that have happened during your life, positive or negative?
Optional: - What does emotional, intellectual and spiritual maturity meant to you?

I have to learn to break this down rather than compress so much ideas together there, talk about loaded over wording. I was in an intense idea moment there I have to say. :yes:
 

Moiety

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I was much less cautious and sometimes I'm amazed I lived through my late teens and early twenties relatively unscathed. Like...I don't relate to Sytpg at all, how could a young ENFP be that boring?

Boring? I was always up for fun. It's just that other people had a different idea of fun. Their boring activities bored me. That's why I turned into movies and videogames and traveling.
 
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