I’ll take myself as an example. I have ideas – often strong ones – that I believe are correct. However, the challenge at times is when it comes down to acting. I can be afraid to act entirely on my own perceptions because I may be wrong. What I consciously or unconsciously do is to surround myself with others that I can bounce things off of. I’m not looking just for yes people people who will agree with me. If anything that makes me less confident because of the lack of critical thinking that’s applied. I’m looking for people who have an opinion or will challenge my thinking. It doesn’t mean I’m going to do what they say. I do however use this process to help validate my perceptions and thinking. Sometimes of course, I just decide and don’t listen much to anyone (maybe that’s the INTJishness). Sometimes that works out brilliantly and other times it’s a disaster. Getting the right balance between these two things is what’s tricky because you need to have confidence in your own perceptions and thought process but not so much that you are blind and arrogant. The other thing is that while involving others in decisions and gaining consensus can be important to get things implemented, you don't want to be paralyzed from acting for fear of losing your support.
Man, this, especially the bolded, resonates with me.
Gathering others' perceptions doesn't mean that I'm going to do what they say; if their ideas oppose mine, I may even
reinforce my ideas if I find 'holes' in theirs. .. and I can be
very good at finding holes.
In a group setting, we ought to be a fully-functioning whole, which means that we should conflict from time to time so that we can reach a greater understanding overall. I carry this line of thinking to
myself as well. I want
myself to be a fully-functioning whole (contrary to the dependent and clingy stereotypical nature of the 6), so I carry a 'committee' of sorts in my head to shoot holes in my own perceptions from a variety of angles.
It's just that I hold very little as absolute, and I tend to want lots of information before I make decisions. I also tend to have
multiple reasons for doing anything. If I make a decision, it should be the
right one. In seeking a balance like that which you've described, that which I believe leads to correct decisions, I tend to overthink things. That's one of my flaws.
I realize, rationally, that one of the best ways to get more information is to just freakin'
act and get feedback from the outside world by way of a reaction, but it's still sometimes difficult to do.
Too bad I can't find anything in what I've quoted that I flat-out disagree with, because I might be regarded as inconsistent 