[INTJ] INTJ... tactile input required?

[Misty_Mountain_Rose]

I used to wonder if I had some slight form of ADD or ADHD but recently I have begun to think that my specific behavior might be the inferior Se at work in me. I have frequently noticed that while I am thinking about something (without actually thinking words...?) my hands tend to be doing something weirdly tactile, like sticking and Unsticking a piece of tape or thumbing through a stack of sticky notes. The FEELING it makes in my fingers as well as the sounds are extremely pleasing to me in a half-conscious kind of way. It's repetitive and may even be loud enough to annoy people around me. At the same time, there is also usually some song or other running in my head. In the midst of ALL that, my brain is actually processing completely separate information... I guess the Ni at work?

Do any other Se inferior types experience this behavior?

 

[INTP]

My INTJ friend also does similar stuff you explained. Like he might start cutting a rubber band to small pieces(when he is in company of others and not on his computer), which can be quite frustrating if the rubber band belongs to me, which he ofc is not thinking when he starts to do it..

 

[Opal]

My INTJ friend also does similar stuff you explained. Like he might start cutting a rubber band to small pieces(when he is in company of others and not on his computer), which can be quite frustrating if the rubber band belongs to me, which he ofc is not thinking when he starts to do it..

Hahaha... may they rest in pieces.

I've noticed I absently take apart/reassemble mechanical pencils in class. I also usually play with my hands (pop knuckles/stretch tendons) during conversation. Repetitive physical stimulation I find both easier to tune out than stillness and helpful in ordering/structuring thoughts.

 

[Coriolis]

Do any other Se inferior types experience this behavior?

It's called fidgeting. I've seen ISTJs, INTPs, ENTPs, and lots of other untyped folks do it. Might not be type related at all. (Perhaps when and what you fidget with is more related to type . . . )

 

[Misty_Mountain_Rose]

I think it's more than fidgeting... I'm not sure how best to explain it. It's like I enhance the Ni by giving Se something retarded and mundane to do with itself. Kind of like... Distracting the dog by pretending to throw the stick lol

 

[Coriolis]

I think it's more than fidgeting... I'm not sure how best to explain it. It's like I enhance the Ni by giving Se something retarded and mundane to do with itself. Kind of like... Distracting the dog by pretending to throw the stick lol

Identifying it as fidgeting doesn't deny the effects you describe. Fidgeting, or any repetitive, mindless motion, can have that effect. Have you ever read Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon? In that book, the Celtic priestesses will engage in this sort of activity to induce a sort of trance state, and perform magic. Fantasy to be sure, but real imagination can work the same way. Perhaps it just works better for Ni-users.

 

[yeghor]

Identifying it as fidgeting doesn't deny the effects you describe. Fidgeting, or any repetitive, mindless motion, can have that effect. Have you ever read Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon? In that book, the Celtic priestesses will engage in this sort of activity to induce a sort of trance state, and perform magic. Fantasy to be sure, but real imagination can work the same way. Perhaps it just works better for Ni-users.

I keep stroking my head when I am thinking... It comforts me somehow... I think I get anxious when I have something in my mind and do that to soothe myself... People notice that though and think I am weird...

 

[skylights]

My ISFJ does it, I think he mostly rubs his keys between his fingers, but some other little tactile things too. Your thread title caught my attention because of that word. He says it helps him focus. Maybe it's a Pi thing.

 

[chubber]

I'm 35 and it feels like my Se is getting worse really, Like I'm only developing a handle on things now.

Sometimes I read the ESFP posts, and I wonder, is that ME? Is my Se becoming uncontrollably "worse"/stronger.

 

[EclecticTeal]

I used to wonder if I had some slight form of ADD or ADHD but recently I have begun to think that my specific behavior might be the inferior Se at work in me. I have frequently noticed that while I am thinking about something (without actually thinking words...?) my hands tend to be doing something weirdly tactile, like sticking and Unsticking a piece of tape or thumbing through a stack of sticky notes. The FEELING it makes in my fingers as well as the sounds are extremely pleasing to me in a half-conscious kind of way. It's repetitive and may even be loud enough to annoy people around me. At the same time, there is also usually some song or other running in my head. In the midst of ALL that, my brain is actually processing completely separate information... I guess the Ni at work?

Do any other Se inferior types experience this behavior?

I flip through a sticky pad while thinking at work, as well -- kind of like a deck of cards. I've also started noticing that sometimes when I'm walking, my 3rd finger and thumb are touching. Not sure when/why this started as it makes no sense at all. Maybe to help my balance?

 

[Alea_iacta_est]

I am honestly under the wishful thinking spell that I think faster, more coherently, and more focused when I have an object to fidget around with. I always keep a quarter or pencil next to my computer so that can sit back, listen to music, and twiddle a pencil or quarter around trying to solve things in my mind. It feels almost compulsory, as if it were necessary so I don't get too lost in my mind but still not draw my attention to the outside world.

I also always notice that when I'm thinking things over while falling asleep, I am slightly shaking my right foot.