How do you process emotion?

[Siúil a Rúin]

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?

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

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

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

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

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?

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

* 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.

 

[Orangey]

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
My emotional response to situations is usually fairly quick. In fact, I can't imagine a slow emotional reaction. If I'm going to have one, then my reaction is going to be almost immediate.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
I don't really know how to judge intensity, so I am going to measure it in terms of how well I can shake off a "wave" of emotion without having residual reactions or problems. In other words, an emotion is felt intensely to the degree that it incapacitates my mind for a significant period of time afterwards. In those terms, I'd say that I can shake emotional reactions very easily, so I'm going to say I feel them pretty lightly.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Most of the time, I guess. I'm rarely confused as to why I reacted a certain way to some external situation.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
Pure and singular. I have never experienced a real "mix" of emotions in my life. If I'm angry, I'm completely angry, with no room for anything else. If I'm sad, I'm completely sad. And so on...

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?
I don't know...

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 don't really feel very strongly one way or the other about my emotions. They are a fact of life, and usually they aren't a big enough deal to cause problems for me or get in the way. Of course, I don't really derive any sort of insight from them or anything. Sometimes, though, I do get a kick out of testing my emotions and artificially pushing them. For instance, "coming down" off of certain prescription psychostimulants increases my emotional lability, and I sometimes enjoy feeling what it must normally feel like to be an emotionally labile person. It is certainly an experience.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
These types of people simultaneously repulse and attract me. I am (theoretically, at least, or from a distance) attracted to their different way of experiencing things, but I am repulsed when I have to get my hands dirty dealing with their "drama."

 

[Kasper]

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
Emotional reactions are immediate, it's just that they aren't what controls my reactions, aren't shared with others and may not be the reaction that others would consider normal. My normal initial reaction is to quickly gather as much information about the situation as I can and determine what is appropriate. For instance in a situation where someone wrongs me and anger may be the expected reaction I'll often feel curiosity or intrigue as to the other persons actions.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
There are some emotions that are harder to overcome than others but generally they're not intense. The ones that are more intense tend to be things like elation, excitement, grief and feelings of hopelessness.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Yes. Understanding the source and why gives me greater ability to change the emotions I'm experiencing to something of my choosing. Anger for instance is pointless and self desctructive so when I feel anger I quickly notice why I've allowed that emotion to surface and replace it with something more productive.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
Iunno, I think they're pretty simple and singular.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?
Emotional experiences to important past events are generally in my subconscious and it takes some kind of cue to resurface them, otherwise they dissipate and are forgotten about reasonable quickly.

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 find them interesting to understand, control and watch. Emotional reactions say so much about a person, being able to recognise how I'm feeling and choosing the healthiest reaction I know is important. It's not about not experiencing emotions, they are an important part of us, it's about not allowing the more negative and detrimental ones to run things.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
People who are outwardly emotional are fine, people who express negative emotions such as anger on others are people I actively avoid. I consider it immature and irresponsible to not take control of your outward emotional reactions.

 

[Lux]

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

I feel it, and then I think about what it means, and how (or if) to react to it at all. I think about the numerous whys concerning the emotion.

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

It usually flares quickly, and then calms quickly. It depends on the situation, though. With guilt or anger (on either side) I feel it quickly, maybe because those emotions are denser.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

It depends on what it is. Sometimes I surprise myself with how strongly or weakly I'll feel something. Usually strongly though.

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

Yes. Well, I attempt to understand. I may not at first, but if I think about it enough the answer usually comes to me.

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 usually related to the issue at hand. Of course I have had instances (and will have instances) where the past, whether I want it to or not, may influence my emotions.

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

I'd like the answer to that as well. I don't know. I think think subconscious is incredibly powerful.

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 emotions are an integral part of my life, they're very important to me. I think that they can provide me with insight if I look at them from a subjective point of view. Other times they can cloud my vision.

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

I realize that people are different from myself, and I take that into account when dealing with others. I usually slow down, and go into processing mode. I try to be as comforting and calming as possible. Big displays of wetter emotions make me uncomfortable at times. Not at all times, but sometimes.

 

[ayoitsStepho]

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
Quickly. It always shoots me in the back when I'm not looking.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
I feel my emotions pretty intensely.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Sometimes, but I have a lot of time where I don't know why I'm feeling the way I am.

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 its pretty layered.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?
...I really don't know.

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 indifferent to my feelings. Thats how I am, and I know no different.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I don't, at least I don't think I do. I've always figured that everyone is going to react or feel differently about different things. Its no big deal to me.

 

[Xenon]

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
It varies. When I'm alone, it's usually immediate. When I'm with other people, I usually don't want to share my emotions with them, and in those cases my emotions are sometimes temporarily muted. It's not just that I hold them in, I actually feel them less. I'll often just start to feel tired drained and get an urge to withdraw when I'm with someone and something upsets me, and I won't feel an urge to cry or anything until I'm alone.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

I experience a range of intensities.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Yes, almost always. Getting myself to take some positive action that might help is much harder 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?
More often a mix, I guess. Though the same mixes tend to pop up over and over.


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

Well, that would be pretty hard to know, since if an emotion is subconscious then by definition I wouldn't be aware of it. Sometimes though, I find myself reacting as if I'm trying to distract myself or escape from something and when I stop and think about why, I can usually find some reason. So it seems I do shove some painful emotions underneath.


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 ones I feel most often now just seem to keep me paralyzed and stuck, and prevent me from taking action to solve my problems. I think generally there's insight to be gained from emotions, but I've been stuck in the same place and feeling the same despair and frustration for so long that there's no more insight to be gained from this.


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

Depends what that means.

People who are very expressive of their pain can make me uncomfortable if I'm the only one around to deal with it, because I don't feel equipped. As long as I don't feel responsible for handling it, I'm okay with it.

People who make impulsive decisions or form intractable opinions based on emotion and little else can irritate me.

People who seem to gain something from their emotions, who can use them to improve themselves, gain insight or help others, make me sort of envious and fascinated.

 

[sketchymcsketcherson]

This is an interesting idea for a thread.

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

Emotion comes in waves for me based on my environment, what's on my mind, etc. Usually, my predominant emotion is associated with the most important thing on my mind at the time.

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

It's pretty much instant.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

It usually varies depending on how great the magnitude of the object of my emotions.

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

I can usually identify the source easily, because my emotions are either associated with the situation at hand or I have a vivid image in my mind of that which I fear, loathe, love, etc. while I'm feeling the emotion.

I can't always "understand why" because feelings have a tendency to defy logic. For the most part, though, I can understand why I might feel a certain way about something.

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 can't really answer this for certain. There are some times I can definitely see my layered feelings, other times my feelings are simply very intense.

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

Depends on how intense the emotion is. If I'm very nervous about an upcoming situation, for example, I will feel both consciously uncomfortable and also physically ill. Even if I get my mind off it for a while, I am still very aware of a looming monster on the horizon.

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 value my emotions. I'm happy with being an F, really. I have my Te to develop while I'm alive.

Sure, sometimes they get in the way, and sometimes I wish I could quiet my emotions just so I could go through my day without being such a worry-wart. But happiness, laughter, joy, and love are all emotions, and I get to experience them intensely as well. So they balance each other out (on a good day )

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

I can't really think of an example of this. I'd have to ponder on this more.

(BTW, do these sound like typical ISFP thoughts? I'm always looking to confirm my type...)

 

[Lacey]

Do you feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
Slowly. Very slowly. It's a slow build, but when it's finally to the point that I notice it...it's kind of ridiculous.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
Intensely...but internally. Nobody else would know. Everybody views me as the most laid-back person on earth. I laugh when they tell me this.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
I've noticed I've gotten better at doing this, and it makes me really excited. With that kind of knowledge, it's A LOT easier for me to work through my emotions. I still have some work to do in this area... Identifying the source has gotten much easier...I can be a little inconsistent on the "why". It's all about being more self-aware, I think.

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's always a mix. I can feel two completely conflicting emotions about something at the same exact time. I have these internal arguments with myself all the time. It drives me nuts.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?
It depends on what I'm going through in life at a certain point in time. It's kind of like things just get traded off between subconscious/conscious. I might forget about something for awhile, but it never completely goes away. And if something related happens, it comes back up to the surface again.

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?
Emotions play a guiding role in my life...I can know if I'm on the right path based on my overall emotional health. I can learn a lot about something based on how I feel about it. They're important to me...when I don't feel, I feel kind of dead. My emotions don't get in the way (most of the time). I'm pretty good at overriding my emotions if I need to, to do what needs to be done. I can "switch off" and then deal with myself later.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I usually get annoyed with "dramatic" people. Which probably isn't fair. I'm probably just as emotional as them, but I keep it under wraps. I just don't like it when people aren't responsible with their emotions. I (like to think I) keep mine under control.

 

[Mitzy]

Do you do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
i feel emotions quickly

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
intense

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
yes. usually understanding why gets me even deeper

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

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?
i try to let as much of it consciously known and felt so i can deal with them. however, i do have a lot of them stored whether i know what they are or not

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?
of course its important to me how i feel. its especially important to me to let others know how i feel. it doesnt really provide me with any real insight or get in the way either. its just my way of communicating with others and myself.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
its hard for me to deal with people who react slow or dont show emotions at all. especially if theyre not vocal about their thoughts either. i find it very difficult to communicate with them. if i cant know whats going on in their head OR how they feel, it drives me berserk.

 

[Saslou]

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

Depends on the situation. I am more of a reactionary person so if i talk to someone who is upset then i'll become sad. Usually though they come slowly.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

Majority of the time they are lightly felt, it is only when having a discussion with a loved one that they become more intense. I try to rationalise my emotions.

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

For the most part yes .. I need to move away from the situation first to clarify my thoughts 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?

They are a pain in the backside because they are layered.

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

Again depends on the intensity and particular situation. When i am emotional, i am unable to rationalise the why's of that feelings so i become a mess. Pulling back i am able to consciously (not sure about unconsiously) reassess what i feel in a logical manner.

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 don't like emotions. They are a hindrance although beneficial at times. Like i said, as long as i am in a position to back off from the situation with a time out, collect my thoughts in a quiet place, then i can go back with a rational mind andhopefully come to some sort of conclusion.

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

Each to their own, express it however you want, that doesn't bother me.
I can sit and listen to anyone express how they feel. I could not do it full time though, they drain my energy (energy vampires). Due to my bluntness at times, i can come across as an inconsiderate prick if the person has been moaning and moaning about one subject for what seems like forever. I am aware that people go through a process with their emotions and i will try and help out if i can. However at some point, you have to stop thinking and start doing.

 

[Hopelandic]

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

"not very well"

Either I feel it and acknowledge it, and don't know what to do with it

or I numb it out.



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

Often immediately. I feel anger and happiness very quickly, if the situation promotes either of those emotions.
I do experience blocking and numbing when I am in a high stress situation. I handle situations like that very well. Later on, it really hits me.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

Good question. I do feel overpowering emotions generally because I'm battling an addiction right now, and the highs and lows of it are great. But other than that, my experience of emotions has been pretty even par. Moderately felt. Apart from depression, in which I feel numb.


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

Often. But this has taken many years... learning and practicing self awareness and observation is an skill that is easily lost if you don't use it often i.e. daily

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

Multiple. I often feel overwhelmed by the tangled emotions that sometimes engulf me. My emotions are only intense when they are layered upon others.

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

I repress a lot of emotions. A lot. Particularly anger and sadness.

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?

A bit of both. I am working my way towards being able to extract individual emotions, instead of feeling overwhelmed all the time. I often appear cold to the outside world- I do withold my emotions as not to bother anyone. I don't enjoy depending or 'dumping' on people. But I find emotions are a good feedback system IF they are teamed with self awareness. The second point is a MUST. Emotions left to their own devices don't do anybody any favours.

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

I used to question people over this - especially the a-emotional. With maturity, learning about myself, and others, I have learnt people experience, and deal with emotions in very different ways, and the manifest in people uniquely.
I tend to deal with emotions in a variety of ways, but generally I rarely outwardly express them. So I suppose people who outwardly express their feelings, is the opposite reaction to mine. I do respect people who are like this, and sometimes I wish I could do the same myself. I believe expression of emotion helps people in their own lives and their relationships (especially if it's their relationship with me!). But I don't like excessive over the top explosions. A few times a year is ok, but any more than that is really pushing it.
I'm ok with enthusiasm, and joy, as long as it's honest. I enjoy being in environments such as this. They rub off on me.

 

[Serendipity]

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
It's dependant upon my awareness of the situation. If I am "there", I feel it immediately. If I am distanced, my emotions might linger beneath me until I gain a grip of reality again.
More often than not, I notice emotions quickly.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
Situation dependant, if I allow myself; they are strongly felt and more often than not, thickly layered. If I don't, feelings become as light as feathers.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Yes. I've had troubles with not noting how/why at an earlier age, but I have taught myself in the art and have become quite aware.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
When I feel, it tends to be a spectrum of emotions, ideas and images in one singular feeling. Taken apart, it's easy to notice which of the feelings are the strongest and most influencing upon my physical self. Analyzed and woven together with the others, creates whole new symphonies of attributes; just as metal alloys, woven with great care and definite proportions to gain a new material with attributes one seeks.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?
An out-of-my-ass ratio: just about 40% lies beneath my conscious efforts. I do not, however, imply that those emotions are strong nor light. As of that, I do now know until I gain awareness of them. Since I begun to meditate, more emotional data seeps into my conscious and is analyzed accordingly to my skill as of here and now.

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?
Emotions are just as valued as rational thought. Emotions tend to dim the mind but also give way to insight one might not have encountered another way. Likewise with rational thought, although with much more clarity and tends to focus on physical aspects (however imagined they may be).

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

 

[thisGuy]

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

i know what the right emotion to emote is. depending on company, i might (not) actually emote


You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
quickly
emotion is a felt deeply and quickly though it IS, for the most part, guided by Ti



Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

well...depends on the situation. though i lean towards intense

i should clarify that not a lot of things trigger my feelings. to me, understanding comes first, then the emotion...for most things


When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
yes. i dunno. i just know.
then if i rationalize it, i come up with a way (usually very idealistic) to balance it



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

very good question. i have been wondering this for the past few months.

they start off as mixed then only the most significant remains. i try to will away or sweat away any negative emotions.

i am able to isolate each emotion to its particular cause. i think this is what makes me so laid-back and thick-skinned. i dont get offended easily because i can usually see why people are doing something to me. understanding leads to a more thought-out response from me.



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

for the most part i think my emotional state is a part of my conscious self. though there have been instances when my feelings (the correct word here is 'reactions', but reactions can be factored to feelings) were surprising to me.

so about 5%, of my emotions, when dealing with less important situations/relationships, come from the subconscious. far more so if im invested in the relationship. i try to NEVER be invested in a situation. it is important for you to know that i dont make a conscious choice to be invested in a relationship...it just happens (or doesn't )thru the subconcious


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 is very important to feel. the construct of feeling covers human needs such as contentment and happiness which exist and affect you whether or not you choose to believe in them.

feelings are also a very good feedback mechanism for growth and self-discovery. provide with insight to human motivations with which you can judge yourself and make sure your thoughts and actions are aligned with your morality/conscience

there are times when feelings get in the way and cloud your judgment but that is a final warning signal that you need to pay attention to the cause NOW! you must do something about it. its like the ringtone on some cellphones. when someone calls you, the first ring is at volume 5; second is at volume 6, third at 7. if you answered the call (or pressed the mute button) at the second ring, you wouldnt have to hear the annoying ring being played at an even louder decibel the third time.

that time when feelings cloud your judgment, is the time when you really really need to pay attention to them and come to terms with them


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

with understanding though sometimes i do laugh at their expense cuz i get this feeling of superiority that i have a better understanding of my feelings than most

 

[Virtual ghost]

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

In most situation I don't have any clear emotional response.
But I instantly konw is it good or bad situation for me.



Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

Lightly.


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

It is possibe to feel a emotion and not knowing from where it came from ?

I guess you can.


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

Pure and singular.


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

I am not sure you can measure/know 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?

From perspective of others am not that much emotional person and I don't feel that much. But to be honest with everybody I think that I could use more of them in life.

I certanly could not survive without any of them. In my life they are mostly "I agree" and " I don't agree" value judgments.

Btw I think you have a hole in you logic here. I think that the insight comes from the the intuition not emotion. (since emotion is the outcome)


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

I don't pay that much attantion to them in the first place.
But if I do I either roll my eyes or I will be teasing them because of their feeling side. Or I will just talk to them.

 

[Unkindloving]

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
Quickly. Extremely quickly, but i don't react frequently even if there's an immediate emotional response.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
Intense. My comfort level with other people and their understanding would determine if that comes across more or less though.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Usually, 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?
A mixture. Some situations can invoke both positive and negative emotions so i sift through those, or multiple negative emotions and vice versa.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*
I'm aware of my emotions constantly, but they are contained internally a lot of the time. I, in a way, put them on a shelf and pick and choose which to utilize when i am more prepared or in need. Sometimes they overwhelm because i'm human and it's hard to keep emotions shelved, but otherwise they stay in place.

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 important to me and it is important for me to feel. I find it to be an amazing part of being human and that it should be embraced, yet people don't prefer embracing it. It got in the way in the past and still does in certain situations, but i have a more functional system of analyzing my emotions and utilizing them for advice and personal growth.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I think they fall under both sides of the spectrum. Others who experience intensely tend to have less of a hold/understanding on their emotions. Others who experience lightly can rarely grasp where i am coming from and view me as the intense people that i don't fit in with.
It's an isolating feeling. (and i've used that word more on this forum than ever before in my life)

 

[Bubbles]

You do feel an emotion quickly or slowly in response to a situation?
Quickly. Sometimes too quickly--I don't have time to compose myself.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
Intense. I'm a bit too expressive about what's inside.

When you experience an emotion, can you identify its source and understand why?
Yep. Because I sort through every little nuance, and can tell you exactly why I feel sad, guilty, happy, loved, etc. Try and get me to shut up about it, sometime.

Are your emotions pure and singular, or do they tend to be a mix of multiple feelings in a more layered and nuanced manner?
Certainly multiple. I don't think I ever feel just one pure feeling, ever. I feel sad because I feel guilty, or I feel happy because I feel loved, etc. I get nervous because I'm overjoyed and anticipating something wonderful and then scared because it might not live up to my expectations. Etc, etc.

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*
Yeeeeah, it's conscious, pretty much. Only time I can recall it was subconscious, maybe, was when I was telling my boyfriend about my best friend getting married and how happy I was for her then suddenly found myself crying. Stunned me that I was actually sad about losing her, not happy for her at all.

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 think they're important, personally, because saying they're not would mean lots of my existence was wasted on nothing important at all. I need to get through feelings to function. If I ignore them and say they're easy to put off figuring out, I literally can't live properly. The absolute worst instance I can think of was being unable to eat or sleep or focus or smile until I solved an emotional issue. Lasted two days.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
Stupidly. I try and get them to talk about it because I assume they're just like me, when in actuality they just want to do something to get their mind off it so they can rationalize it later.

 

[Seymour]

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

Usually fairly quickly. Sometimes my emotional reaction can lag a bit, as can my intellectual understanding.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

It varies. Generally I feel like I manage to keep them in a fairly moderate range as I go through my day.

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

Usually I know why right away. Occasionally, it will take me a bit to puzzle it out. For example, I might get angry when someone is attempting to subtly manipulate me, and become aware of the anger before its source. Other times, there might be some nagging emotion that causes me to go back and review some interaction.

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

Almost always mixed and layered, although I can usually identify the components.

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

I think I'm aware of a lot, but there's definitely stuff I'm unaware of. Occasionally, some of what I've been repressing or suppressing because conscious, and demands some internal spelunking.

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?

Definitely important to feel, and I'd say my emotions are very important to me. They add depth and meaning to my day to day life. They often communicate things that I consciously have missed. They often represent subconscious (if not always correct) judgements and perceptions.

Emotions aren't always convenient, though, and sometimes having to deal with them is a drag.

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

I sometimes have problems with people who routinely suppress their emotions, and yet those emotions leak out under the surface and clearly influence their decisions and actions. When there is a huge disconnect between what people say they are feeling, and what I perceive they are feeling, I tend to feel off-kilter and as though I am losing my grip on the reality of the situation. I generally take people at their word, but sometimes that forces me to ignore what I am perceiving. Generally I find that if I have a whole series of sustained perceptions, there is some cause and they aren't coming from nowhere.

 

[cascadeco]

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

I think I notice the emotion quickly, and I do mentally take note of them, but I may disregard them, at least in the moment. Especially with negative emotions or reactions, I may not 'trust' them...I will continue to be more detached because I need to figure out after-the-fact why I'm reacting in a certain way. I may decide it's not reasonable, given the situation, which is why in the moment I often don't allow them to impact my behaviors or responses very much. Just depends.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

I suppose it depends on the emotion. Sometimes pretty intense. I will say though that there's a distinction between feeling something intensely, and letting that be known to others. Most of my emotional processing/analysis is done in-house.

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

After spending a while thinking about it, I think I can usually identify the source. But this has only been over time; I don't think historically I was as good at figuring out what the root issue is (i.e. sometimes the emotion is tied to something quite different from what triggered it).

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

Normally they're pure and singular, but I do have emotions now and then that are more nuanced - like a combo of happy and bittersweet, or a combo of peaceful but confused. Stuff like that.

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

I think the majority is consciously felt and known, but that's mostly because I want to be aware of everything that's going on and I'm pretty big on getting to the root of things, so I tend to keep tabs on where I'm at and why I might be feeling a certain way...just as a general, daily thing.

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 think my emotions are important, mostly in the sense that they indicate where I'm at, and whether or not I'm balanced or off kilter. In a big, general sense, they're an indicator/road map for whether I need to change things in my life, whether I need to reassess my priorities, whether or not relationships are going well or not, etc.

The small, everyday, momentary emotions, though, play little role in my life and overall decision-making process. As I said in the first blurb, I often choose to disregard momentary ones, at least in terms of letting them impact my behaviors or conversations with others. I'll note them, but only for later analysis.

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

I've never really thought about this before. I guess I don't entirely relate to F's on the forum who have issues with T's being unemotional or less responsive, as I recognize T's are simply different and I don't think there's a 'right' or 'wrong' way regarding this, or a 'good' or 'bad' way. Just a big spectrum. In general though I view people who experience or process anything differently from me as....Interesting. Not just when it comes to emotions - it could be any behavioral/cognitive thing. I suppose I don't make a distinction or draw the line just with emotions. I find it interesting/curious/fascinating/whatever. Just on an intellectual level, I guess. I've never been inclined (I don't think?) to think or believe or require everyone else to act or process just as I do. It doesn't make much sense to me that they would, or for me to expect that they would.

 

[FDG]

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

Usually, rather slowly. Even when I do feel it quickly, I try to "buffer" the emotion when it's negative.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?
Light, unless I'm discussing something important with my SO.

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

How much of your emotional experience lies beneath the surface in your subconscious and how much is consciously felt and known?*
I *think* there's a large subconscious part. Much of my emotions might just be materialized via actions.

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?
Well, they are part of life - I can't see them as something good or bad, they simply are, I have never experienced anything different. They tend to provide me insights about my likes-dislikes, in this sense they can be extremely useful.

How do you react to people who experience emotion in an opposite way from how you do?
I might have some trouble interacting with them very frequently, esp. if they perceive emotions very quickly and intensely.

 

[OrangeAppled]

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

In many ways...as a reaction, it's usually a "welling" up. Occasionally an emotion flies out of nowhere and hits me in the head, from some random thought occurring to me...that's when I may laugh to myself or feel a tear from my eye, and hope other people don't notice & think I'm crazy.

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

It seems there's often an initial shock period. I think my emotions unfold slowly so I can process them at a time when it's "safer". It can also be like puke rising slowly up the back of your throat. You hope you can push it down & then make it in time to the bathroom before spewing it out. Even for positive emotion, it's often kept under wraps until I am alone or around someone I trust; it's not even a conscious decision, it's just how I am. I process emotion best internally and it's hard to do in the moment when the stimulus is still present. This can cause displays at later times in seemingly unrelated situations, or the emotion may be channeled creatively to finally be expressed.

It's weird, because if I am really feeling happy, I may want to leave that situation to experience the feeling fully alone, where I can process the emotion better.

Are your emotions intense or more lightly felt?

I have a full range from totally neutral to very passionate, and the emotional response tends to be in line with how important something is to me. Sometimes an emotion may seem larger than a situation warrants, but the situation may feel representative of something larger, and that's what I'm reacting to.

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

I can usually identify the source very quickly. Once in awhile, my emotion surprises me and I have to reason it out, and I'll probably learn something from it. It's not unusual for an emotion to be at odds with a "feeling value", and that creates an internal conflict.

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 I have a mix, but one is dominant. Words like "angry" are often too vague at times....emotions have subtle differences to me, and the subtly is important to pinpoint what they mean and their level of intensity.

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 known, in the sense that I am aware of it. Sometimes I have a dull feeling of something and I'm aware of it, but it's been stuck in the back and I'm not operating with it because it has nowhere to go for now (see "internal conflict" mentioned above). Occasionally I will experience physical symptoms that illuminate a feeling I was not fully aware of, and this is usually anxiety.

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?

Emotions to me are like color, flavor, scent - part of being human, knowing you're alive. It's important for me to feel if it's something I want/need to care about. I can rationally know something is good/right, but if there is no emotional response it can feel like drudgery. I want to be excited and inspired. Again, the emotion can cause an inner conflict, where I wish I did or did not feel a certain way; it can be inconvenient.

Emotions can be insightful when they clue me in on something that is important to me that I never considered before. In reasoning why I felt a certain way, I can link the emotion to an existing principle and understand why the smaller aspect at hand caused a response. Sometimes the line between emotion and feeling-thoughts gets blurry. The resonating and rise of feeling can seem like emotion, yet it is not really just emotion.


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

I tend to understand people in the general middle range...not overly dramatic and not totally emotionally blank.

Very dramatic people can annoy me - I know what passionate feeling is, I know what it is to be temperamental, but that doesn't give an excuse to fly off the handle all the time. Even strong positive emotion can be overwhelming for me to witness. Other times, I admire people more expressive than me. It can seem courageous to wear your heart so openly.

Robotic people can bore me. Lack of passionate feeling seems so dull and colorless.