[Jungian Cognitive Functions] What does concrete mean to you?

[Sniffles]

Well I guess Ni by itself probably have no relationship to concrete entities, but that depends to what exact end it's deployed - ie the secondary function. When applied with Fe, for example, Ni's attributes are put forth in order to better understand human nature - which is indeed a concrete conception.

Depending on how it's used; Ni can and often is used to provide a more abstract understanding of the concrete. If that makes any sense.

 

[d@v3]

Can you hear your thoughts?

Hear my thoughts? I don't think so? lol What do you mean by that?

 

[Cimarron]

Can you give an example of how you extrapolate something? Si is my weakest function and your strongest... so perhaps we use them differently.

When faced with the question "What will happen?", my first instinct is "Well, what usually happens?" By the nature of this question, its answer will be derived from the past.

If it's a completely new situation, I guess this is where Ti or Te works with Si. I still search for whatever I already know that's similar or relevant, whether entire situations or just pieces of situations, and try to put those together into a model that makes sense.

I should sit down and track myself one time while I'm doing such a thing. It would be easier than guessing later.

For example, I did this in chemistry recently. The professor asked us what structure we would predict for an unconfirmed molecule, and I thought "Well, what do molecules usually do? What do they tend to look like? What possibilities are more common than which other possibilities?" It seemed to work out. In fact, it seems that I'm doing this kind of problem-solving more as I get older. When I'm forced to improvise, I instantly go look for what I already know and how I can replicate something like that.

That does indeed sound extremely different to how my thoughts operate. Mine are much more linear and focused one thing at a time. (Then again that might be more to do with me being rubbish at multi-tasking thoughts.)

The only times I can bounce ideas is when I've written them down somewhere like a mindmap, otherwise I can easily lose track of them and my overall train of thought. The consequence is when I'm thinking about an issue with multiple sections is that I can end up going in circles rehashing ideas in an attempt to cover all aspects.

I identify with that, somewhat. For example, when someone presents a problem to me, I do have thoughts at first going "What does this person want? He could really be looking for this, or that, or..." But once he gets into the midst of it, my mind moves away from that first suspicion and focuses on his concerns. At that point, I've often forgotten completely about questioning the "big picture", and when someone tries to reach out and challenge the assumptions behind it all, it feels like waking up all of a sudden. I realize I was focusing and pushed the picture of the structure to the back of my mind, and for a moment my brain says, "...oh, yeah. That is the overall thrust of this problem, isn't it?"