Si

[arcticangel02]

In an attempt to figure out more about my type, I'm going to look at my apparently inferior function, introverted Sensing. I am pretty familiar with how all the others work, but for some reason Si is a bit of a mystery to me.

So I'm looking for examples or instances of Si use, especially as a tertiary or inferior function. (Although any will be great. ) If possible, use your own experiences, as opposed to the theory that we've all heard before.

When do you use Si? Are there certain circumstances which seem to cause you to use Si? How do you recognise that it's Si that you're using, as opposed to some other function?

And so on!

Thanks for your responses!

 

[Domino]

I'm not supposed to be Si and yet I use it dominantly over Se which goes unused frequently. I think it may be a conditioning issue with me, and the fact I was raised with two Si users.

Si - I lean on it because it seems to be concerned with my safety.

 

[Totenkindly]

When do you use Si? Are there certain circumstances which seem to cause you to use Si? How do you recognise that it's Si that you're using, as opposed to some other function?

I have a strong sense of mood and nostalgia based on the past... memories from childhood that are sentimental to me even if I don't show it outwardly. When I think of them, it creates a particular mood inside that is bittersweet (a good memory that unfortunately is long past).

Se tends to be more the raw, current sensation. What you feel in the moment through your five senses. What you experience tangibly.

Si is more tied into the MEMORY of your experiences -- how you felt when you experienced them. So do you see it's not really about the raw external sensations that you're recalling? You're more recalling and focusing on your mood at that time, and how it impacted you emotionally on the inside.

For example, I have had to think a lot about my mother lately. My normal operation is to (1) critically examine what she has said and done and evaluate it according to internal consistency -- Ti and (2) look at all the possibilities of what she could have said and done but did not, and imagine what she might have been thinking -- Ne.

But the more I got wrapped up in it, feelings started to creep in... and I started to recall memories of my mother. Like what she smelled like when she put me to bed, or how her clothes looked and felt on her when she went to work, or how her voice sounded and how she behaved around me -- so many things, actual memories of her, and how I felt inside when those events too place. That creates a feeling of longing and loss, of nostalgia, of connection to her. That's Si... albeit tied a bit into my Fe sense.

(Si is not just feelings based, it also can be used to describe our internal impression of something. Like when we recognize a chair for example, based on our memories of what a chair should look like. It is in our internal impression of a chair that we are recalling, rather than the raw experience of a chair itself.)