[Jungian Cognitive Functions] Bullshitting

[sofmarhof]

Sometimes I joke that I'm missing the bullshit gene.

By which I don't mean that I am never guilty of bullshitting--I say plenty of things that I believe in that I'm sure sound like BS to others--but that I am incapable of saying or writing anything that I think is bullshit.

Everyone around me apparently has no difficulty churning out 8 page papers on whatever school topic they couldn't care less about, but I find it impossible. I have no idealistic views on education or any nonsense like that, I'm fully aware that nothing more than reaching the page limit and having decent grammar will get me a B, and still I can't do it.

I don't have a very in-depth understanding of function analysis but perhaps it has something to do with dominant Ti or just dominant T making intellectual dishonesty feel like... the greatest crime I could possibly commit against myself? (Dramatic.)

Of course part of me is proud of it but it's hard to be proud when I'm supposed to turn in 8 pages on 1 Corinthians today, and can't stop thinking how much easier my life would be if I were able to BS.

Experiences? Advice?

 

[Qre:us]

^ You're bullshitting yourself.

 

[TopherRed]

It took my group a year to fully examine 1 Corinthians...what's the context? Is it just a general paper?

 

[JustHer]

That happens to me to, I've been trying to identify why and I think that it has something to do with needing everything to fit perfectly in the paper. When I add in random paragraphs for length, I feel like the structure of the paper just dies, and without a very clear structure the paper just becomes garbage to me. .

 

[proximo]

^ You're bullshitting yourself.

Totally

I've difficulty with formal education too - I find assignments excrutiating and a total annoyance. But I don't kid myself (any more) that it's because I've nothing to gain by doing it, that I know better and know it all already so I don't need to follow instructions, etc etc... I know it's just because I'm arrogant, impatient, and don't like being told what to do or given deadlines, etc.

 

[foodeater]

I can bullshit when the other person knows I'm bullshitting and I'm not trying to make it seem otherwise, but otherwise I find it very difficult to not tell the truth (when I speak at all). If I don't know the truth of a matter I either say I don't know or I say nothing, depending on the situation. I'm not sure why this is either, it's like there's a wall between my mouth and my mind that's only permeable to certain things. It may be that I don't want to be thought of as wrong (and therefore stupid). But I've found that in most of my schoolwork if I leave out what I perceive to be a critical logical step they don't point it out, which annoys me because then I know I'm wrong but I don't know why..

 

[sofmarhof]

^ You're bullshitting yourself.

Not denying it.

It took my group a year to fully examine 1 Corinthians...what's the context? Is it just a general paper?

Let's see... it's a required course of all students, from those who actually care and might go on to be religious studies majors, to math majors who don't give a shit. Mostly freshmen, while I'm taking it as a junior (transfer) who has already taken a semester-long course on the New Testament. I can almost understand that studying it for a year could be very interesting but this is one of those sit through one hour long lecture, then prove you have basic comprehension of it. So obviously it's just delightful all around.

've difficulty with formal education too - I find assignments excrutiating and a total annoyance. But I don't kid myself (any more) that it's because I've nothing to gain by doing it, that I know better and know it all already so I don't need to follow instructions, etc etc... I know it's just because I'm arrogant, impatient, and don't like being told what to do or given deadlines, etc.

So after you've completed an excruciating assignment, you honestly feel like you've benefited? Learned? I never actually feel like I learned anything in the end. I mean I definitely am an arrogant jerk but I don't think I'm just an arrogant jerk.

But I've found that in most of my schoolwork if I leave out what I perceive to be a critical logical step they don't point it out, which annoys me because then I know I'm wrong but I don't know why..

I think the number of times I've handed something in expecting to get a C, and then getting an A- on it, justifies my not taking any of this seriously at all.

...

I don't know, it's just driving me crazy that I'm supposed to study something for two months (or like a week) and then write a paper in which I pretend to be an expert on the matter. If I never did anything but study I still wouldn't be as knowledgeable as I'm supposed to act like I am.

 

[Andy]

I often have trouble writting bullshit. I hate it, it obscures the truth and helps to make people complacent and blind to problems. Sometimes when I hear some bullshitting it makes me want to grind my teeth.

Hmm, I think that is probably Ni rather then Ti speaking in my case.

 

[VagrantFarce]

I used to lie and bullshit a lot when I was in high school, can't do it now without my brain freezing up. I'm not sure I even considered the possibility of lying when I was much younger.

 

[Bamboo]

I had a similar problem writing papers on assigned topics. (Ti is my primary function, BTW.) Teachers would normally give out printouts outlining the points that they wanted to be addressed in the paper.

I had a lot of trouble hitting all the points they wanted in a way that I thought was sufficient. In my struggle to address each individual point on the printout with a degree of accuracy that I thought was "good enough", I'd:

- become really stressed out,
- avoid the assignment, and
- I turned in a lot of late papers, (which were garbage).

The problem would be compounded by having to stick to a certain format.

Afterward, I would read people's papers who got A's and for the most part, they didn't actually fully address each point's nuances. They just

-gave a concise response that addressed the topic,
-provided clear examples, and
-used a few of the teacher's keywords from the printout


Concise response:
Be clear about the point you are trying to make. Start with a simple, general idea, then move on to more detail. Trying to morph your words to fit every nuance of the question on the printout will only be difficult to read.

The question isn't a logic puzzle. Just get to the "gist" of it.

Good examples
A good example will clearly relate to and support the point you are making.

Don't go for some offbeat, convoluted example. Keep it simple.

Teacher Keywords:
The teacher is the one grading it, make his job easier. Incorporate the words that he used on the printout in your opening sentences for each subtopic. It's not going to make the most original paper in the room, but that's not what we're after here.

I personally find this step somewhat obnoxious, because the teacher should really verify for himself if your paper meets the criteria by a thorough examination.

But that's not how it works. Your paper is one of many in a large stack. He's going to be skimming through your paper, and if he sees the right keywords, and everything around it is clearly written, he's going to put a nice check on the rubric and move on. Make it easy for him to give you a good grade, you might just get it.




It's just a letter on a piece of paper. Get the one you want, move on. Or don't...your call.

 

[Haphazard]

Afterward, I would read people's papers who got A's and for the most part, they didn't actually fully address each point's nuances. They just

-gave a concise response that addressed the topic,
-provided clear examples, and
-used a few of the teacher's keywords from the printout

It's true. It doesn't really matter if I pour my soul into a paper or just do what Bamboo here says. I get the same grade.

 

[sofmarhof]

- I turned in a lot of late papers, (which were garbage).

Ha. I would have failed a couple classes my now, if two of my professors hadn't let me turn in papers 5 days late with no penalty whatsoever (blatantly disregarding the policy in the syllabus).

 

[paperoceans]

This thread is funny... I BS all the time in college, to the point where I've deceived both classmates and faulty alike. Only my close friends know my little ~secret. I've been doing it since what? Middle school? And it works too. I have a 95 in all of my classes (heavy load, 16 units)

Anyway, why does it matter? It's not like your professor/teacher actually cares.

 

[Antimony]

I wrote an entire blog on 'bullshitting', which is really amusing to me.

My advice? Take the facts and ideas you want to get across, throw it with some Ne to keep some thoughts flowing, a whole lot of pretty words, good grammar, and a grain of salt. Put it in a food processor. It works, honestly.