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How do you process emotion?

BlackCat

Shaman
Joined
Nov 19, 2008
Messages
7,038
MBTI Type
ESFP
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9w8
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

I deal with them. I don't usually get irrational emotions (ones that aren't tied to something real) so I try to fix my emotions ASAP when they come up in me. Them being tied to reality makes them easy to deal with usually.

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?

Quickly.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

It depends; some of both.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?


Yes.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?

It honestly depends. Again, some of both.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*


There is a lot of both. I very much enjoy digging up the beneath the surface ones; it feels like revealing skeletons in your closet to yourself. Like seeing someone else's secret or personal demon; yet it's yours.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?


They are very important. I get frustrated when I can't deal with my emotions because they don't stop though; and won't stop until I can deal with them. If that happens in the future, I still feel them even though I know I shouldn't be. Urgh. There are ups and downs to my emotions that's for sure. I wouldn't want to change though.

My emotions are like instincts. They provide insight yes. They also let me know when something is wrong with a situation; or when something isn't right with myself or another person. They can also get in my way; but they provide insight more than they get in the way.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?

Depends on what the reaction is to. Usually either annoyed or intrigued.
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
Joined
Oct 4, 2007
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sp/so
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

I generally ignore them unless they're something fun like happiness or excitement!

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?

anger and excitement quickly- anything else has a good delay going on

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

they're all pretty light... I can't really think of the last time I intensely felt anything

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?

if it's fear related to the cop driving behind me, yes... otherwise I'm not all that good at it, so I tend to put the emotion aside and focus on something else- this is surprisingly easy to do

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?

I'm not sure... these emotion things are confusing- like I said, ignoring them is my favorite approach!

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?

I'm really pretty bland- I'm not sure- I'm pretty tuned out of the whole realm of things being asked about here I fear :blush:

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?

do hunches count as emotions? I tend to go with them a lot... and I'm always out looking for something that will make me feel excited for a bit! Otherwise, not really :doh:

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?

confusion... like people who cry at happy movies, I just don't get it! (and if its my sister I laugh at her for it! :devil:) I try to be somewhere else if that happens... make myself unseen and slip out the door kind of thing...


Dammit Toonia! I've taken easier calculus tests!
 

tastes_like_purple

New member
Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
200
MBTI Type
XXXX
Enneagram
4
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally?
I generally put them off if they are negative.


Do you feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
Pretty quickly.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
Depends on the situation, but usually intense.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Not always, sometimes i can feel down for no apparent reason

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
Mostly a mix. Only the stronger ones come out on top while i can't figure out the rest.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*
I have absolutely no idea.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?
Its very important to me. They sort of navigate me in whatever i do.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?[B/]
I understand why they react in that way, i just don't get involved.
 

Polaris

AKA Nunki
Joined
Apr 7, 2009
Messages
2,529
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
451
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

I take hold of my feelings and let them work me into a frenzy, or I allow them to pass through me like a delicious electrical current. Less frequently, I swallow them down to keep from acting in a foolish or offensive manner.


You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?


My emotions respond to the situation the moment it happens, and it's hard for me to imagine them any other way.


Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

My emotions are usually mild; only when I'm around people I care about, or have recently been with them, do I feel deeply.


When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?

Yes, almost always.


Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?

The more intense my emotions, the more complicated they become. Since I rarely have the chance to feel deeply, my emotions tend to be simple.


How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?

I don't believe in the subconscious, so I can't answer this.


How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?

To feel is to experience a value of yours, and your values as a whole define who you are, where you stand, and where you wish to go. Not only do my feelings provide me with important insights, therefore, but they're a direct measure of the quality and nature of my life.


How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?

My reaction can be anything from amusement to irritation; it depends on what kind of emotion they're expressing and in what context.
 

King sns

New member
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Nov 4, 2008
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enfp
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sp/sx
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)
In a serious emotional blow, I feel it intensely at first, and then it seems to disappear, almost to the point where it feels that everything is fine, and I remain quite detached for quite a while, and then reemerges later when I least expect it. Same often goes for happy feelings.

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?Immediately and very briefly and then again a very long time later.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
It varies. The intensity usually cycles in waves.


When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?Almost always.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
They are layered but I deal with them one at a time in their most simple form.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*
Mostly unconscious, but I try to bring bad feelings to the surface so that I can handle them rationally.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?

Gets in the way, almost always.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I don't, everyone experiences things differently. Though I guess when I see people who quickly and intensely feel emotions and announce them to the world it seems fake in a way sometimes.
 

peterk

New member
Joined
Jan 11, 2010
Messages
39
MBTI Type
intp
Enneagram
5
i'm an extreme intp. i do my best not to have emotions! an impossible quest. when i do have emotions they are usually intense. it's like i've been pushed into cornor or i'm on a high cliff looking down at the roiling turbulence below me wondering when it's all going to stop.
 

Meowcat

New member
Joined
Sep 30, 2019
Messages
209
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?

I think it depends on the situation. If it's impersonal, my "emotional flow" as far as I do have it is pretty unimpeded with immediate reactions. If it's personal, the more personal it is, the slower I will be in having the emotional response eventually. Until then detachment.

It's like the parts in my brain that deal with personal info are much weaker than other brain areas.


Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

That's a fun question. Because I can have these "blips" where I barely just notice a little bit of emotion, and I suspect they are just the tip of the iceberg and they are actually really intense emotions but the rest doesn't enter my consciousness or take up working memory - so that it is easier for me to control it heh.

And then sometimes all of it or most of it comes up into the consciousness and is felt intensely and takes up a lot of the working memory. Up to 95% of it if I'm unlucky but that's very rare unless under extra crazy and continued stress.

The "blips" are more lightly felt by default, anyhow. So I would say by default I have moderate emotions until it all comes out under stress. To be specific, the "blips" are moderate intensity that are barely just a little dot in size in my consciousness and are fleeting, disappear quickly. If they were larger than these little dots they'd feel more intense and they'd stay a bit longer. Under extra crazy and continued stress they'll stay literally for hours though I try to not directly focus on them too much (try to find a solution instead and focus on the thinking for that).

I can also sometimes have really abstract or personal feelings and those are very light and *always* fleeting. Feels like my brain structures for those personal thingies are unable to maintain activation. Except sometimes under the crazy stress, then they can last a full hour. Never longer than an hour, so far anyway. And even this is really really rare


When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?

In impersonal situations very easily, because I have that "unimpeded flow" of their perception then. Though they are usually just those "blips" of emotion. But I can just see where, which part of the external (impersonal) situation they are affecting/affected by.

It is also easy because it does not have to be complex definitions for what "blip" I am feeling. The situation itself is what I need to discover and perceive fully and not the emotion.

In personal situations.... uh. Since I have delayed reactions, I have a harder time with this. And the "emotional flow" can be so impeded that even when I get to feel the reaction I'm often not able to feel which part of the (personal) situation it is affecting/affected by. Like which person or what action of a person is affecting things for me. If I can see that then I'm better off and it can be much like dealing with the impersonal situations. Like my stronger parts of my brain regained control at that point.


Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?

Usually singular and simple but I've seen mixes for the more abstract stuff but this is realllllllly rare. Maybe I can count on two hands how many times I've seen that in my whole life so far.

For the singular simple ones, they can switch to another one really fast though so it's almost like a mix too. But it's not a layered or nuanced mix. Just a mix of separate objects.


How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*

Most of it is under the surface, like maybe 90% or more. Tip of iceberg is enough for me usually though. I very rarely desire more than that.


"* To clarify this question you can have a sense of subconscious emotions based on behaviors that conflict with conscious emotion or thoughts, sometimes dreams can reveal emotions under the radar, or feelings that come up as you fall asleep that have little or no apparent source, etc."

And yeah! I've had that lately, falling asleep or waking up, my emotional systems activating more and then I get extra feelings visible. I also, as I had my perception strengthened over time, realised that I have way more emotions somewhere deep under the surface yeah.

I also have really strong reaction formation for some stuff. It was truly illuminating to understand that, helped a lot.

Detecting behaviours that are motivated by emotion pushed down by the reaction formation can be ... pretty weird lol. I'd like to think I don't do too much post-hoc rationalisation and subsequent behaviour motivated by emotion lol but I guess I do in some cases.


How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?

Role: Uhh... mysterious. I'm not trying to say that that's bad. There can be some great power coming from them. And that's the part I call mysterious. But it's very very bad if you let post-hoc rationalisation fuck up things. Or all the actually evil things motivated by some negative feelings. So it's such a conundrum too, something being that good and bad too.

Importance of ability to feel: zero or negative importance in most cases. I don't want even the blips to be too conscious most of the time, let alone tune into them, I'd rather register them subconsciously and pull it out of memory later only if I need it for some reason. So often they are not all that relevant. But then ofcourse for some things you do want to be able to enjoy experiences lol. In an impersonal way as much as possible, though

Insight: Yes they can be good insights for the personal arena. But even then they'd get in the way too easily if they were to take too much importance.


How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?

I don't mind them

I actually don't tend to react to people's personal traits and stuff much. I like my "zen" about this, lol. Referring also back to the previous answer, it can be downright evil to me when people care to be bothered about that stuff too much. Causes a lot of bad in this world.
 

The Cat

Just a Cat who hangs out at the Crossroads
Staff member
Joined
Oct 15, 2016
Messages
23,554
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

Like a waking dragon.

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?

That's a bit of an enigma too me. Laughter is often the thing that comes to the surface most often. It's always there. I laugh when I'm angry or sad or happy, not always when I am amused. Which makes me laugh. On the inside Im always laughing or screaming. It wouldnt be profitable to always be doing this. So for me emotions can be felt most commonly as a person always talking to someone quietly whether you can see that other thing or not.
I'm invisible to the naked eye.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

I like to keep things light on the outside. More freedom to move around and distract myself from the titans that are bound within me.

Scylla lives in my head and Charybdis in my heart. Both will devour any who come too near.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?

Yes. No one wants to be hunted and devoured or live forever buried alive.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?

I am the fractured mirror and the bleeding rose.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?

It all lies on the surface, it doesn't start telling the truth till you go beneath the surface. It's all here if you really look...

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?

The right tool for the right job. You can't fly through the air in a submarine, any better than you can swim through the depths in an aeroplane.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?

Usually I fall in some type of weird love with them. But then I'm a romantic. :dry:
 

Maou

Mythos
Joined
Jun 20, 2018
Messages
6,117
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INTP
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?

I feel very slowly, like a poison slowly creeping through my thoughts, and physical awareness.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

Pretty light overall, since I supress my emotions by default. There are some instances of intensity that hit the extreme or scary though. They are rare.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?

Not usually, as I try to ignore them. I've learned to pay attention to physical sensations to determine my emotional state.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?

Oh they are extreamly complex and layered, which is why I have such a hard time understanding what I want or feel.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*

I would say I am very much an iceberg in terms of conscious awareness. Since I can remember my dreams, I know very well how much supression there is.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?

They get in the way, at least the negative ones. But witjout them, life is too boring and lacks purpose. Its a nessicary struggle.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?

I keep my distance, because I am out of my element.
 

Lexicon

Temporal Mechanic
Staff member
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Sep 28, 2008
Messages
12,342
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JINX
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5w6
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sp/sx
Do you feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?

It’s all quite immediate, though my external reaction to the feeling (what I communicate/show, choices I make, or final conclusions I draw) take longer to work out.

Particularly in the interpersonal realm, I prefer to verify that whatever stimuli/information I took in [that led to whatever tentative conclusion I drew in my head— triggering the emotional response] matches up with how I interpreted it internally, before externally reacting to it— or even fully experiencing it within (especially if it’s intense). It’s like a mental emergency brake. It’s not nearly as cold/mechanical as all of that, of course— I just can’t think of a better way to phrase it, presently. Brain gearshifts don’t always translate to speech in a fluid way.

We all have kneejerk moments, though. I’ve learned over the yrs to keep those at a minimum by asking questions early on, before I’m too overwhelmed by personal noise in my head. Compare notes. I absolutely detest that special feeling of gross stupidity that stems from upsetting myself over assumptions based on incomplete or misinterpreted data (even more so if it leads to unnecessary conflict). I try to avoid that type of draining dumb at all costs, these days.


Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

Highly dependent on context. Both.


When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?

Yeah, it’s fairly easy for me to trace the invisible cords.



Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?

Highly dependent on context. Both.


How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?

I’d say I’m more aware than not, but I’m merely guessing, since I lack the equipment to properly measure shadows.



How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?

They’re a natural part of existing. Indicators of what’s going well, and what needs further assessment, adjustment, or repair. Help more than hinder, even when it seems otherwise, in the moment.

And yes, it’s important to me to feel.


We learn through our pain, passion, fear, and joy. We learn to survive. To love. To grow. To deeply live.




How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?

With patience, curiosity, and an abundance of caution.
 

Schrödinger's Name

Blessed With A Curse
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Messages
1,693
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally.

?¿¿?¿??¿
Depends on the emotion, really. I think it's harder for me to process thoughts rather than emotions. I tend to dwell on things, not emotionally, but I'll keep thinking about it which makes things worse.

As for experiencing them. It really depends on my mood, and I am kinda moody from time to time. Sometimes I'll do things and later on I'll feel guilty about it. While I knew that while I was doing a certain thing, that my behavior wasn't okay.
Same goes for happiness too tho. Someone can tell me something and it won't trigger any emotions. Later on (the same day) I'll think about it and then I will laugh, or come up with a response/reaction. *sigh*


You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?

Again, this depends on the situation. That one time when I was walking home at midnight, completely alone and someone hit me in the face. I surprisingly didn't even feel fear at all. I stayed pretty calm.

Anger is something that seems to come up more quickly tho. Or the fear of abandonment.
I tend to get stuck on pretty stupid things. I once didn't understand a mail I received from school and apparently my only option was to die. What else can you do when you don't understand something?? :shrug: (It's the fault of my ADD tho, thanks to my 'working memory' that doesn't really work at all. Emotions might become strong from time to time)


Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

I rarely feel anxious (anymore, right now, for the... :')) but when I do it's intense. I think most of my emotions are intense, when I feel them. It's all or nothing.
It's like a sudden downpour. Sometimes you're just chilling, walking down the street and it seems to come out of nowhere. Sucks when there's no shelter in sight too, all you can do is endure it. At other times I'm inside, watching it from a distance. And sometimes I am the downpour. :shrug:

Most of the time, they are intense and short lived. Even though at times it feels as if I'll be stuck in there forever...

-Though this is not always the case. Idk.-

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Sometimes I wake up with an unexplainable shitty feeling. So, no, not always. If something triggers me and I have an immediate emotional response to it I can identify the source of course.
But some emotions seem to come out of nowhere. I can be happy for a whole day and I'll believe that I am 'cured' and then I'll suddenly feel like a piece of shit for no reason at all. And I'll truly believe that I'll never feel better again. (At moments like that I of course can't find an 'explanation' for it. But it's really just because my brain is fucked. :'))

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
I think most emotions are mixed. When I am mad at someone, it's probably because they did something that hurt my feelings. Or okay, also because of irritation etc.
Or when I am very happy about something, I might become anxious at the same time because what if it ends? Or who knows what's coming next?

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*

I think I am pretty detached from my feelings, as in; I don't feel it 'in' my body. I have a hard time describing how anxiety feels, or when I am 'feeling' stressed. Most people talk about stomach aches, shaky hands,... But I just don't know. I tend to think more about feeling it, rather than actually feeling it I guess?

My horse once kicked me in the stomach. I swear, I thought I was going to die back then but I am thankful. After that, I experienced some feelings. I finally felt how my body responded to stress, or how my body reacted when something scared me,... (Now I don't feel it anymore of course, it was just because my muscles were probably kind of damaged)

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?
I love my lows and my highs. It has definitely given me some insight, it's who I am and even though I don't always love myself... I couldn't imagine who or what I would be without my emotions and the experiences that come with them.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I am my own opposite, I have a love-hate relationship with myself. And with most other people in my life too.
No seriously I really can't tell. I love people who are emotionally intense. 'Cold' people are interesting too. So many interesting people.
 

Yuurei

Noncompliant
Joined
Sep 29, 2016
Messages
4,509
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
8w7
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation? Yes, but I am just as quick to set it aside so I think about the best way to deal with whatever is causing me to feel said emotion. If there is no solution ( there almost always is) then I disregard it.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt? If anyone feels the same intensity of rage for someone who gets the last apple fritter as they do for a man who poisons their dog, they have some serious issues. ie, it depends on the situation.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why? I try not to express emotions unless I am certain. That could cause a lot of trouble.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner? Again, depends on the situation.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?* If it's subconscious then I would have no way of knowing.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?
My experience has taught me that is never, ever beneficial to express whatever you feel without first considering the outcome. I see those around me do it and I see how it inevitably becomes their downfall. I truly think that despite my starting handicaps it is why I've survived them all.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I don't. I'd rather not get involved and allow myself to be taken down by their own emotionalism.
 

Earl Grey

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Dec 3, 2017
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sp/so
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)
I'm going to assume you mean not necessarily in typology terms in general, not just MBTI. I'm gonna sound like I'm ripping it out of enneagram anyway, because when I read accounts of my type, it really feels like reading my brain being printed out. It's usually a very natural response- detachment, especially in the moment. I don't have to try not feel, I just don't. Afterwards, I may peel and analyze it in my own private leisure (if I do at all).

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
It really depends. Generally, it's very muted / slow, but there are things I consider / personally call 'hot button' topics for me where I 'allow' emotion. Even so, I'm usually very 'conscious' and not swept by the emotion, it is as if I need to press a button to allow them to happen at all. If I wasn't ready, then back to the above ^ (auto-mute/auto-detachment)

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
This is a tricky question, because it may be relative. What I've called intense, others called dry and scarce. I suppose that much is an answer all on its own.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
NOPE- I NEED TIME (if I give it time at all, it's usually irrelevant)

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
I- I don't know??

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?
Maybe most of it lies in the subconscious, because in my POV, it sometimes feels like they (re?)surface and I only just noticed the moment they do. Generally speaking, if asked what I am feeling, I need to actually think about it first- because I don't think in those terms. The answer is not readily available.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?
I'm going to sound like I'm ripping this right out of an enneagram book again, but I tend to devalue the importance of it too much (in itself, a bias). I think I am better now in that I at least recognize that it has a role, function, and place where it is indeed needed or relevant, such as in hobbies, more personal relationships, etc. In those aspects, they are insightful, otherwise, not really.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
"??? *asks them directly, or goes on a certain forum to post threads and questions*"
Honestly? I think how they react TO ME is more amusing / noteworthy.


You know what? I think these questions would make part of a good typology questionnaire.
 

StrawberryBoots

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Dec 29, 2016
Messages
407
How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)


The nerves in the retina of my eyeballs tell my brain what the rods and cones are seeing. There may be auditory processing and the other senses involved too. The administrative part of my brain will either attempt to dismiss my emotions or use them constructively. On occasion, there's catastrophic failure, which I'll briefly describe an example in your next question...


You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?


It really depends on the situation. For example, at the funerals of loved ones, I'm caught by surprise by my own waterworks and how I'm powerless to shut it off, until I remove myself from the presence of an open casket, or the reading of eulogies (cease).
 

Mind Maverick

ENTP 8w7 845 Sp/Sx
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Jan 17, 2018
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How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
Depends. Both. In general probably very quickly, but in certain things such as death of a loved one it just doesn't sink in right away.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
Entirely too intense...I would kill for them to not be so amplified.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
I wasn't able to in the past, but I got a lot better at it with a ton of practice in 2018 and now I'm pretty emotionally self-aware. I still don't know every now and then though.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
Usually pure and singular.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*
* To clarify this question you can have a sense of subconscious emotions based on behaviors that conflict with conscious emotion or thoughts, sometimes dreams can reveal emotions under the radar, or feelings that come up as you fall asleep that have little or no apparent source, etc.
I don't have the slightest clue.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?
It's not important to me to feel, in fact I wish I didn't have to and I've spent a lot of time inhibiting my emotional experiences out of sheer displeasure. I strongly feel that they get in the way, and I've never considered the possibility that they might be providing insight into anything until this question. Emotions are an annoying 3 yr old child screaming in the back seat of my car and I'm just trying to keep it buckled up and quiet so I can drive with clear judgment and focus.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
giphy.gif


Why would anyone want to feel intensely?

Or if they are opposite in the sense that they don't feel very much naturally...tbh I get pretty envious.
 

Meowcat

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There's this one situation I am still kind of baffled about. I once had an immense panic attack, I thought I was going to die. There was a friend with me and she basically just left me alone in my room, she went home. (Yeah, stoned people are amazing) Surprisingly, I never felt angry about this. While I've been mad/irritated about so many stupid things...

If you don't mind my input... I have the same thing, it's much easier to get irritated about little impersonal things getting in the way. But when it's personal like a friend mistreating me in a major way... now that's harder to get angry about immediately. Because I feel connected or emotionally open to them I guess or something like that. So it's hard for my brain to process these more complex emotions then. I do get there eventually but it can take very very long. Sometimes I would never get there in a natural way, only if I force myself to be open to the pain : / Then eventually after going through that pain, I can get angry and get energised to resolve the situation in a way I feel confident about (yeah, not in too feely ways tbh and that doesn't help in some cases). My theory is that when the pain is very strong, I do have to face it instead of blocking out or it will never get processed in the natural/default way (which is just that I wait, ignore the whole thing and one day I suddenly am ready to get angry about it but this is what comes with a delay).


Again, this depends on the situation. That one time when I was walking home at midnight, completely alone and someone hit me in the face. I surprisingly didn't even feel fear at all. I stayed pretty calm.

Yeah. Same. It's a survival mechanism I guess. To get focused instead of getting emotional and getting crushed, so that you can defend yourself and deal with the attacker.


I rarely feel anxious (anymore, right now, for the... :')) but when I do it's intense. I think most of my emotions are intense, when I feel them. It's all or nothing.
It's like a sudden downpour. Sometimes you're just chilling, walking down the street and it seems to come out of nowhere. Sucks when there's no shelter in sight too, all you can do is endure it. At other times I'm inside, watching it from a distance. And sometimes I am the downpour. :shrug:

Most of the time, they are intense and short lived. Even though at times it feels as if I'll be stuck in there forever...

I really liked this description. It's very similar to my experience when it's about intense emotions. I think for me in impersonal situations they are rarely intense like this if ever. For the personal situations is when it gets like this I think... because it's like I have less control over putting them in the right place maybe - because personal situations get so complex emotionally for me - so maybe I experience them more fully when they do get at me eventually ? Also because of the complexity, I do by default automatically block them out so when they do come out and get at me they have grown more intense by then I guess.


Sometimes I wake up with an unexplainable shitty feeling. So, no, not always. If something triggers me and I have an immediate emotional response to it I can identify the source of course.
But some emotions seem to come out of nowhere. I can be happy for a whole day and I'll believe that I am 'cured' and then I'll suddenly feel like a piece of shit for no reason at all. And I'll truly believe that I'll never feel better again. (At moments like that I of course can't find an 'explanation' for it. But it's really just because my brain is fucked. :'))

Oh god it's been the same for me lately lol. I wasn't like this before. It's so weird.


I think I am pretty detached from my feelings, as in; I don't feel it 'in' my body. I have a hard time describing how anxiety feels, or when I am 'feeling' stressed. Most people talk about stomach aches, shaky hands,... But I just don't know. I tend to think more about feeling it, rather than actually feeling it I guess?

My horse once kicked me in the stomach. I swear, I thought I was going to die back then but I am thankful. After that, I experienced some feelings. I finally felt how my body responded to stress, or how my body reacted when something scared me,... (Now I don't feel it anymore of course, it was just because my muscles were probably kind of damaged)

Oh again same. I don't feel the emotions in my body. I have no desire to. It would feel like making me too vulnerable in a way if that makes sense. I'm fine with how I perceive emotion, in some holistic way, and I don't need them localised further and deeper in the body. I don't understand why anyone would want to feel them in the body. I can count on one hand when I did in my whole life and I didn't get any special enjoyment out of it and it wasn't useful either so what's the point?



I wasn't able to in the past, but I got a lot better at it with a ton of practice in 2018 and now I'm pretty emotionally self-aware. I still don't know every now and then though.

Can I ask you what kind of practices you did? You can also PM me if you don't want to go off topic here. Thanks a lot.


Why would anyone want to feel intensely?

For certain experiences and situations it would be really enjoyable ...


It's not important to me to feel, in fact I wish I didn't have to and I've spent a lot of time inhibiting my emotional experiences out of sheer displeasure. I strongly feel that they get in the way, and I've never considered the possibility that they might be providing insight into anything until this question. Emotions are an annoying 3 yr old child screaming in the back seat of my car and I'm just trying to keep it buckled up and quiet so I can drive with clear judgment and focus.

I kind of am getting here too. I was less bothered by them before lol but they got stronger and harder to control. So yeah..... Like you, I'd too kill for them to be less amplified sometimes oh yeah. It's funny because I did WANT to feel more, and then it got too much when I eventually got my wish fulfilled. Damn it.
 

Mind Maverick

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hexcoder said:
When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
I wasn't able to in the past, but I got a lot better at it with a ton of practice in 2018 and now I'm pretty emotionally self-aware. I still don't know every now and then though.

Can I ask you what kind of practices you did? You can also PM me if you don't want to go off-topic here. Thanks a lot.
A magician never reveals his secrets! Just kidding. I don't think there's much to PM about, I just started forcing myself to pry open the door and access things. I just...tried. What am I feeling? Why am I feeling it? How do I fix it? I wasn't perfect at it at first, but the more I did it, the easier it got and the better at it I became. Just dove in and kept doing it until it became easier. At first, I felt like the answers were running away from me, but now I'm enjoying emotional analysis. I don't know. I suppose I do treat them as though they provide insight into things, I just didn't realize I am that way at first...so that answer on the questionnaire should probably be different than what it was, too. Oh well.

For certain experiences and situations it would be really enjoyable ...
I'm sure. I can understand feeling good around a boyfriend or something, but...things such as wanting movies that make you feel scared, or otherwise exploring emotional experiences, is something I don't relate to. I don't want to feel just to feel, I just...feel good sometimes as I experience certain things in life. Even that can be a bit overwhelming to me a lot of times and I suppress it, so that keyword is intensity. When it comes to emotions my level of intensity is just too much.

I kind of am getting here too. I was less bothered by them before lol but they got stronger and harder to control. So yeah..... Like you, I'd too kill for them to be less amplified sometimes oh yeah. It's funny because I did WANT to feel more, and then it got too much when I eventually got my wish fulfilled. Damn it.
Yeah, one extreme or the other, all or nothing basically. Surely there must be some way to obtain a balance...
 

Schrödinger's Name

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[MENTION=39881]Meowcat[/MENTION]
I don't understand why anyone would want to feel them in the body. I can count on one hand when I did in my whole life and I didn't get any special enjoyment out of it and it wasn't useful either so what's the point?

It might be pretty useful. As for being able to pinpoint 'where' the stress is coming from. To feel as if it's not only 'in your head'. As if you're 'one' with your body.
For me personally, it feels as if many of my issues could get easier 'resolved' if I felt them in my body. Since many psychologists like to ask 'how you feel' and always seem to think that you must have x bad thought before feeling a certain way. How can I possibly say that I feel anxious when I actually don't feel as if I physically experience it? I probably do, but I am unaware of it. But it makes things more complicated, it makes me feel more disconnected from everything.

To me, it feels as if I lack body awareness. Being aware of your body, being able to feel stress could be pretty useful from time to time. In order to avoid getting overstressed par example. I can imagine that for someone who doesn't feel physical stress, there's an increased chance to explode 'out of nowhere'. Though your body has probably sent you so many signals... But you just don't receive them, you go over your own limits.

Though I can relate to the rest of your post. It feels more 'safe' not to experience those emotions, physically. I barely feel stressed for presentations par example. Though I don't enjoy talking in front of other people. Or for my exams... It's actually bad, since stress can also work in a motivational way, forcing you to study. But this is again more correlated to ADD, I don't feel pressured until it's near, really near... (And then my 'fear of failure' might set in - making me avoid studying even more lmao.)
 

Meowcat

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A magician never reveals his secrets! Just kidding. I don't think there's much to PM about, I just started forcing myself to pry open the door and access things. I just...tried. What am I feeling? Why am I feeling it? How do I fix it? I wasn't perfect at it at first, but the more I did it, the easier it got and the better at it I became. Just dove in and kept doing it until it became easier. At first, I felt like the answers were running away from me, but now I'm enjoying emotional analysis. I don't know. I suppose I do treat them as though they provide insight into things, I just didn't realize I am that way at first...so that answer on the questionnaire should probably be different than what it was, too. Oh well.

lol, thanks for revealing the secret anyhow. : p

For me it took way longer but I too got to the point where it can be fun to categorise the emotions and then analyse them a bit.


I'm sure. I can understand feeling good around a boyfriend or something, but...things such as wanting movies that make you feel scared, or otherwise exploring emotional experiences, is something I don't relate to. I don't want to feel just to feel, I just...feel good sometimes as I experience certain things in life. Even that can be a bit overwhelming to me a lot of times and I suppress it, so that keyword is intensity. When it comes to emotions my level of intensity is just too much.

I agree a lot here too


Yeah, one extreme or the other, all or nothing basically. Surely there must be some way to obtain a balance...

Some way. Some. Lol that is where I hope the analysing helps get somewhere. Looks like a very long-term project. :cry: lol



[MENTION=39881]Meowcat[/MENTION]

It might be pretty useful. As for being able to pinpoint 'where' the stress is coming from. To feel as if it's not only 'in your head'. As if you're 'one' with your body.
For me personally, it feels as if many of my issues could get easier 'resolved' if I felt them in my body. Since many psychologists like to ask 'how you feel' and always seem to think that you must have x bad thought before feeling a certain way. How can I possibly say that I feel anxious when I actually don't feel as if I physically experience it? I probably do, but I am unaware of it. But it makes things more complicated, it makes me feel more disconnected from everything.

To me, it feels as if I lack body awareness. Being aware of your body, being able to feel stress could be pretty useful from time to time. In order to avoid getting overstressed par example. I can imagine that for someone who doesn't feel physical stress, there's an increased chance to explode 'out of nowhere'. Though your body has probably sent you so many signals... But you just don't receive them, you go over your own limits.

Though I can relate to the rest of your post. It feels more 'safe' not to experience those emotions, physically. I barely feel stressed for presentations par example. Though I don't enjoy talking in front of other people. Or for my exams... It's actually bad, since stress can also work in a motivational way, forcing you to study. But this is again more correlated to ADD, I don't feel pressured until it's near, really near... (And then my 'fear of failure' might set in - making me avoid studying even more lmao.)

Ahh I see now how you meant it. Yeah psychologists can leave me at a loss for words too lol, I usually idk what I'm supposed to feel in the moment emotionally because when you ask me that question I am going to be focused on your question and not on feelings, lol. Maybe an attentional issue. : P (I don't mean ADD but just some issue with emotional attention.) I've heard about the idea of automatic thoughts too, but I don't entirely agree with that working the way they try to tell me lol. I sometimes do have it working that way i.e. there is an automatic thought with the emotional state, but usually not, for some reason.

I do have visceral emotions i.e. it's not in the head, but I feel them in some holistic sensations and somehow not in the physical body itself. I just think it's easier for me to control emotions if I keep those holistic things and not have them in the physical body. So yup more safe. And I don't see what useful information it would give me if I tried to have it localised in my physical body when it's about emotions and not about physical states.

With stress as the example, physical stress is in the physical body for me but it's just a physical sensation to me, not an emotional state. Emotional stress is not in the physical body for me though it's visceral fine. Pretty sure it's not a semantic issue either, so for example where others feel excitement about their lover in their stomach, I do not, I just feel a holistic emotional state, etc.

But I'll add, lately I had some new emotions that did try to disguise themselves as physical sensation (and localised yes)... I can just perceive that they are not actually the usual physical sensations because they miss that "physical realness" about them. This is a subtle distinction but it's there luckily. They feel the SAME otherwise as a physical sensation... and localised as one. Pretty weird. I don't count these "fake" sensations for anything though lol. I can't do the usual emotion management for them, nor can I fix it in a physical way (like: sleepy, so go sleep, hungry, so go eat, etc). And I had one or two emotional states that did disguise themselves successfully as a physical feeling of being tired / stressed / uncomfortable. That also pissed me off lol, I'd like to keep seeing clearly about what's physical like hunger or actual physical exhaustion from say, not sleeping at night, and what's "just" emotional discomfort or exhaustion from bad emotional stress. But I think I'm kind of learning to see the distinction here too, like, there is sortof an emotional charge to these maybe and emotional content if I look hard enough if that makes sense lol. It's very very hard to do...

What you said about not perceiving stress at all - that's actually familiar too. That's when I have too much detachment. I again don't like that - when detaching both from the emotional and the physical, that's when I call it too much. But yeah it can have its advantages of sparing you from too much stress. :p I do figure it's a protective reaction to too much overload. And it does feel safe too sometimes. But if you lose motivation due to it that's its disadvantage, yes.
 

Venus Rose

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How would you describe the way you process emotion personally (not necessarily in MBTI terms)

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
quickly, though it can last for a while, depending

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
I remember the more intense ones, though I am sure I feel both

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
For the most part, I do have an idea. I am pretty in touch with my emotions so I have no issues with that. Recently, I have had a few crying spells due to depression, whose source I did not fully know at the time.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
definitely latter, I mean, that I is how I view most things, and that is how I view the psyche, and likely how others might experience things too, even though they may speak of it "in a singular form"

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*
as with anything to do with most psychological experiences, a lot can be unconscious, but I am in touch with my feelings.

How do you view the role of emotions in your life? Is it important to you to feel? Does it provide you with insight or do they get in the way of other things?
for the most part, it's been overwhelming and painful. It disorganizes my psyche.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I am not sure exactly what is meant by "different way." As in those who are not quite in touch with their emotional experience? It depends on how well I get along with them, I could "tune in" to it myself even if they weren't themselves totally in touch with it.
 
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