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[NT] Mastering difficult material

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
I'm curious: what are your methods for mastering intellectual material that you think is very interesting and useful but that's also not particularly easy to understand?
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
It all depends on what kind of a material we are talking about.

Advanced mathematical and statistical methods, basically. But a general approach is welcomed, too.
 

Synarch

Once Was
Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
8,445
MBTI Type
ENTP
I read what other people have to say about it. I also talk to people who understand it better than I do, to see if they can "break it down". I think due to a certain ADD-ness, this is a common problem for ENTP's, not that we're incapable of understanding just that it's so difficult to focus on something really complex.

Oh, also, I have to do it myself before I get it.
 

Simplexity

New member
Joined
Jul 15, 2008
Messages
1,741
MBTI Type
INTP
I'm actually really curious to hear some of the responses. I think right now I'm sort of in the mode of trying to figure out a consistent and efficient way that I can rely on, rather than relying on some of my INTP traits. I think INTJ's are actually some of the best at this, although I fear their methods are too personalized and thus wouldn't necessarily be generalized too well.
 

BlackOp

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
211
MBTI Type
intj
I'm curious: what are your methods for mastering intellectual material that you think is very interesting and useful but that's also not particularly easy to understand?

You will never be the master of something that doesnt come instinctively/naturally IMO...maybe comprehend, remember and apply but never control.
 

Synarch

Once Was
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Oct 14, 2008
Messages
8,445
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ENTP
Yea, they always sound so powerless to change anything.
 

BlackOp

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
211
MBTI Type
intj
You step on and kill rattlesnakes.

No..only if one comes in my space. They are normally generous enough to supply a warning and I respect that.

What I meant was we dont try to make a rattlesnake a pet. Translation- dont attempt to master something that you have no business mastering.
 

Synarch

Once Was
Joined
Oct 14, 2008
Messages
8,445
MBTI Type
ENTP
Again, fundamental difference between INTJ's and other types. I like to discover my limitations directly by failing rather than by anticipating and never trying. Until I try, I assume I can do it. What can other people do that you could never do? There are few things like that.
 

BlackOp

New member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
211
MBTI Type
intj
Again, fundamental difference between INTJ's and other types. I like to discover my limitations directly by failing rather than by anticipating and never trying. Until I try, I assume I can do it. What can other people do that you could never do? There are few things like that.

See, we already know what our limitations are...and work within those realistic constraints. By that logic, maybe I should try out for the Bears. Mastering something is a very specific task. If I put my hand on a hot stove, it burns. I dont need to repeat the action to know the outcome. That lesson is applied UNIVERSALLY...in a deeper unconscious, way.
 

kyuuei

Emperor/Dictator
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
13,964
MBTI Type
enfp
Enneagram
8
I feel the same way. I don't let anything tell me what to do.. *I* tell myself whether to give up on it or not.

Take learning a hard language for example.. Not everyone has the natural knack for bridging languages together.. but people are still capable of learning a language to fluency, or perhaps learning a different language than that one. It doesn't make them NOT master the language, just because they don't have that natural talent for their advantage. It takes longer and more dedication, is all. Determination is a skill and a gift, wielded by the beholder as he or she chooses.

In my case, this is me entirely. I have no natural talent for bridging languages.. but I have wanted to learn Japanese since 2nd grade. I've always been in love with the culture, and the language itself.. so I know that now that I've started taking my steps in learning it to fluent-status, I shall wrestle with it harder than some.. but in the end, if I want it, I'll have it. And if I do not, it is because I gave up on it. Especially with something so established..

Though currently, being bad at straight-out memorizing things, when reading the characters that seem so foreign to me I make up pictures to help my memorize.. little tricks like this help me. Also, doing things in a step-by-step order (especially in math) help me out tremendously.. I feel like I'm on the right track knowing every small step taken one at a time.
 

runvardh

にゃん
Joined
Jun 23, 2007
Messages
8,541
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
See, we already know what our limitations are...and work within those realistic constraints. By that logic, maybe I should try out for the Bears. Mastering something is a very specific task. If I put my hand on a hot stove, it burns. I dont need to repeat the action to know the outcome. That lesson is applied UNIVERSALLY...in a deeper unconscious, way.

No wonder so many INTJ's give up on dating... :rolli:
 

ed111

New member
Joined
Sep 9, 2008
Messages
426
MBTI Type
INTJ
I'm curious: what are your methods for mastering intellectual material that you think is very interesting and useful but that's also not particularly easy to understand?

I have to spend long periods in solitary confinement with lots of books, lecture materials and the Internet. I plan my approach, attempting to understand a little at a time, practicing, re-reading over and over if necessary (although I need to understand the general thrust of what I'm studying before I begin). I also go running ... I find that it helps clear my mind and allows me to think about things without getting too stressed.
 

Provoker

Permabanned
Joined
Feb 4, 2008
Messages
252
MBTI Type
INTJ
I'm curious: what are your methods for mastering intellectual material that you think is very interesting and useful but that's also not particularly easy to understand?

Excellent question. In order to master things (complex material, rubik's cubes, complicated political systems, etc) you must master your mind. Most answers are already contained in our minds and it is the person who has sharpened various dimensions of their mind to be able to cut across and communicate with other parts of the mind. In Batman Begins there is part where Bruce is talking with the League of Shadows guy and he says something like "you can fight 5 guys at once, we will teach you to fight 500 at once" (or something to that affect). Likewise, if you only have the intellectual storage capacity for a few theories, this can be changed so that you can learn to keep hundreds of theories in your working memory. To to this with any kind of efficiency, you're going to have to focus on procedures rather than substance. Just like a rubik's cube, once you've learned the procedures for solving it someone can give you the cube with any configuration and you'll be able to solve it: the substance chances, the procedure does not. How does this apply to you? Well, by taking a procedural approach you can learn to store so much more. Take theories for example, the procedure for mastering a theory can be: main position (thesis), reasons/evidence in support of thesis, strengths of the theory, limitations of the theory, counterargument to the theory. Next theory - same procedure.

Setting that aside, let's be realistic. If you want to master something you need to be able to teach it. You need to be able to draw it, write about it, converse about it. In order to gain mastery, you need opposition (either through your own thinking/rationalizing function or by someone else). Once you've hit the books and learned the basics, try to teach it to a willing friend. Start with someone weak who won't offer much opposition. This will etablish confidence on your behalf. But the real mastery comes with a strong devil's advocate who will challenge your limits. Never give up. Never accept anything that doesn't make sense. Don't rely solely on intuition (afterall, intuition tells us the world is flat). Try to refine your instincts and intuition so they are in sync with your intellect. Whereas someone else mentioned that you'll never master something that doesn't come naturally/instinctively to you, I disagree. You can work consciously to program your subconcious so that intuition becomes ally to the intellect rather a force against it. Again, the procedures are critical. If you've mastered procedures and learned to intuitively recognize procedural patterns than although the substance of various phenomena changes you should be able to apply your procedural intelligence to master various problems.

Furthermore, write and rewrite your notes. Even if it doesn't make sense, with enough repetition you will internalize it. FOr extremely complex material, this is the safest method. There's a story about Bobby Fischer (chess master) who was calling his Russian frieng and his daughter picked up. She spoke Russian on the phone to Bobby and although Bobby didn't understand Russian he was able to play back what the Russian girl had said with perfect precision to his friend at a later time. So, although comprehension and mastery is the ultimate aim, if you've mastered your mind you will be able to handle the material in some way in the short-run, while you work toward complete mastery in the long run.
 

Angry Ayrab

New member
Joined
Mar 31, 2008
Messages
600
MBTI Type
ENFP
I have to spend long periods in solitary confinement with lots of books, lecture materials and the Internet. I plan my approach, attempting to understand a little at a time, practicing, re-reading over and over if necessary (although I need to understand the general thrust of what I'm studying before I begin). I also go running ... I find that it helps clear my mind and allows me to think about things without getting too stressed.

Ditto, lots of self study on my own with a thousand different books. I taught myself the basics of quantum mechanics before I took the class so I wouldn't look like a dipshit biochem major among physics lords.
 
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