They have been pretty accurate portrayals in the past a couple of times. As I said, these are past situations. I'm sure depression was a factor, but that appears to be something not uncommon to INTPs. It didn't appear as if the analysis stopped, but that, in this situation, it was failing him. I don't know.
You are right. I should use different wording to clarify. In my case, the problem wasn't that analysis was failing, per say, the problem was I wasn't puting effort into it (and so my analysis failed).
This may be complicated to explain. It is simply impossible for me to stop analyzing. So in my case the analysis didn't stop when I was depressed (or when I procratinate due to fear). The problem was that I stopped directing my analysis. I stoped putting effort into it and simply went into automatic. There wasn't any effortful analysis anymore. Automatic analysis served me surprizingly well during my depression, but at it did "fail" far more often. I think of the "effort" as informing my analytical process (maily through observations and experiments) .
So, even though there was analysis going on (in the new way I'm using the word in this thread). There was no "analysis" going on (in the other sense).
Perhaps drawing from the enneagram :rolli: will help explain. It is the Type 5 dynamic. Fear of being Overwhelmed->Retreating->Being Overwhelmed->Fear of being overwhelmed
vs. Observe, Analyze experiment->Understand the world better->Desire to Understand the World better->Observe, Analyze, experiment....
The distraction case is still part of the healthy cycle, but needs fine tuning, while fear based delay needs encouragement to observe, analyse, experiment, not discouragement.
I hope that made sense.