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What stimulates your mind...

The_Liquid_Laser

Glowy Goopy Goodness
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Messages
3,376
MBTI Type
ENTP
As I was listening to "The Assalt on Reason" audiobook in my car today I was enjoying envisioning all the types of websites that could be created in response to our current social climate. As I was doing this I realized that much of my life is centered around acquiring a wide variety of knowledge and discusing a variety of ideas with whomever is willing. This is the sort of thing that really stimulates my mind. I also realized that the payoff for me is generating new ideas. These new ideas might include new projects to attempt, new ways of tackling old problems, business ideas, social models, etc..., but the essence of it is new ideas. I think this sort of thing is driven by my primary function (Ne) which is in itself the function for generating ideas. For me I see my reasoning (Ti) as really a tool for figuring out which ideas have merit and are likely to work, but ultimately my reasoning ability (Ti) is there to serve my desire to generate new ideas (Ne).

On the other hand when I speak to INTP's (like those on this site) I gather that they are more interested in pursuing some pure form of knowledge or truth (Ti), and that their ability to generate new ideas (Ne) is generally used in that pursuit of knowledge.

If I had to describe what motivates my INFJ wife it is the pursuit of understanding herself completely, and then using that understanding to grow personally. This understanding and growth comes primarily from the relationships she has with the people around her. I believe this is what you would expect from someone with Ni dominant, Fe auxiliary functions.

So anyway I want to open up the question in general: What stimulates your mind? What is it that motivates you? What types of things really grab your interest and why?
 

Haphazard

Don't Judge Me!
Joined
Apr 14, 2008
Messages
6,704
MBTI Type
ENFJ
I really like making stuff that works.

Whether it's putting together an explanation to help further somebody else's understanding or making a hat, this is probably what I spend most of my time doing, and really what motivates me to do what I do.

This is probably why I hate school so much -- most of the stuff we're forced through doing has already been done by the students before me and serves no further purpose than to prove that I can do it myself. Oh, sure, there's value in such exercise, but mostly it feels like a waste of time.
 

JAVO

.
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
9,178
MBTI Type
eNTP
I identify closely with your description, Liquid_Laser. I have become significantly more extraverted over the last 10 years, especially the last 2. And associated with this, I started engaging my Ne more. When I did this, I discovered that ignoring my Ne was often a source of depression and lack of enthusiasm for life in general. Ti kept critiquing Ne and telling it to shut up with all of its crazy ideas which would be inefficient and time-wasting to explore. :) As a result, I was focused on pure knowledge, rather than its multiple and potential applications.

Edit: Also, the relationship between becoming more E and engaging Ne more was an interdependent one. Each of these approaches fueled the other. Ne is what told me, "You know, you could get out and make those good friends you've been wanting to make all of your life." It also gave me the motivation to explore this possibility. I'm glad I did. :)
 

Magic Poriferan

^He pronks, too!
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
14,081
MBTI Type
Yin
Enneagram
One
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I think about principles and structures of the conceptual sort. I study politics, psychology, and game design, among many other things.
The qualities of these studies that usually interest me the most are the classifications and hierarchies, and the way different classes of things relate and interact with each other. The enormous impact that can come from making one point change in a model.

For instance, I could go on for quite some time just talking about the profound differences of a 1-player game compared to a 2-player game, and a 2-player game compared to a 3-player game, etc. I'd have to point out the specific tendencies of odd player sets compared to even player sets. And I'd focus on how the larger the number gets, the less profound the addition of a player becomes. The nature of having a team game or a free for all is very much affected by the number of players, and so are issues of balance and choice.

You see? There's so many important little details, and factors, and encompassing principles just in that subject! That's what stimulates my mind.
 
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