A workout for the mental functions

[Tamske]

Just some idea I've come up with...

Suppose you can exercise your mental functions, and by using them they get stronger. I don't know if this is true, but at any rate, here are some exercises!

Se: imagine yourself as an alien coming for the first time on earth. Describe everything you observe in great detail. The catch: don't start to compare with your home planet, because then you're using Ne... I'm so going to try this.

Fi: try to describe, bring under words, how you feel right now. Stick with the description, don't search for reasons. Decide if you want to keep this feeling or not. There's nothing wrong with a little introspection, too. If you don't feel at ease introspecting, you shouldn't do it. Let Fi decide.

Te: define some goals to reach. Write them down if that helps. Try, consciously, to find the best way to reach those goals. If this helps, write down the steps you'll take.

Ni: whenever I think Ni, I think "heuristics". Get some problems to solve - with "problems" defined as questions you don't know the answer directly. These can be math problems, but also trying to cook a meal with some given ingredients with which you don't know a recipe right away.

Si: try to do something in a traditional way, just this once.

Fe: before you post something on this forum, try to imagine what effect it would have on others. Would it help them or piss them of? How will they interpret your words? If you answer a question, will your answer be helpful?

Ti: before you post something on this forum, check consistency.

Ne: why would you want to make your Ne even stronger?!
Well, okay... take the Se exercise but do imagine what's different at your home planet.

Any other exercises?
If you try them, what are the results?

 

[Phantonym]

There are some exercises brought out on Lenore Thomson's wiki page as well - How to Experience Different Function-Attitudes

I haven't tried them myself but I've always wondered what the results might be.

 

[BlahBlahNounBlah]

Great thread idea.

 

[Qre:us]

Great thread idea.

I agree. Shall try a few, from Tamske and SIB's link, and report back....

 

[Asterion]

There are some exercises brought out on Lenore Thomson's wiki page as well - How to Experience Different Function-Attitudes

I haven't tried them myself but I've always wondered what the results might be.

Those are awesome

They all give you a really clear idea of what the functions are too

 

[BlueSprout]

I prefer Tamske's list to LT's in some ways because it's simple and easily practiced without much planning or time reserved. Perfect for my lack of attention span, in other words. I just tried Se and had a blast even though it was frustrating to change the focus of my attention at first. I'm still noticing things I didn't before and can't seem to fully turn it off. I challenge any intuitive to try it too. (Though on reflection, I was using as much Si to describe and catalog as anything else...)

 

[Tamske]

There are some exercises brought out on Lenore Thomson's wiki page as well - How to Experience Different Function-Attitudes

I haven't tried them myself but I've always wondered what the results might be.

I don't see much difference between the Ne and Ni exercises in this list... They seem both quite Ne to me, actually - starting from an observation, whether around you or on cards...
The others seem quite okay, though! I'll try the Fe and Fi ones the next time I have to wait somewhere among a crowd

I just tried Se and had a blast even though it was frustrating to change the focus of my attention at first.

Thanks! Nice to see people trying..

I've tried the Se one too (while showering!), but all the time this sort of thoughts dropped into my head:
"Am I using Se now? I'll be able to use this in a story! What if those drops were made of liquid helium instead of water? I'll describe that on Typology!" I really had to force my attention back to the real, present-time observations.

I'm still noticing things I didn't before and can't seem to fully turn it off.

This seems to corroborate the idea that mental functions can get stronger by exercising...
I didn't have this result (yet), but I'll try the Se one more often... it's quite fun to do indeed!

 

[BlahBlahNounBlah]

I don't see much difference between the Ne and Ni exercises in this list... They seem both quite Ne to me, actually

I noticed this too. The Ni exercise didn't exercise anything, because that's how I already see the world, and it's what leads me to link components. The Ni exercise feels more like Step 1 of Ne (Step 2 being the connection).


Shouldn't the exercise be centered more on concentrating on a single thing and clawing things in from the environment with the goal of making the beast more solid? Or do I have Ni all wrong? With some Ni users' assistance, maybe we can come up with more Ni exercises.



Isn't there a book for this too? I remember Jaguar referencing a book on improving function skill.

Found the book: Amazon.com: Functions of Type: Activities for Developing the Eight Jungian Functions (9780974375168): Gary Hartzler, Margaret Hartzler: Books

 

[Requeim]

yeah the Ni one is bad

the Fe one however is spot on

 

[Tamske]

Another Ne one... I remembered doing this a lot when I was a child:

There exist people for who the gravity works the other way around. They fall upwards instead of downwards. But everything else - their furniture, ... is normal.
How do they get around?
They have found some tricks to look like normal people. They hide their upside-down preference. But they hate it. They constantly try to get somewhere with a roof such they can stand in their normal way. They try to find other people of their kind...
Whatever you do, try to imagine how an upside-down person would do it.
When among a crowd, pick some of the people and imagine they are upside-down ones. Let them interact.

Enjoy!

 

[Asterion]

Ne- Just combine everything near you... not in your head, eg. coathangers, toothpicks, toys... everything, it all has connections and possiblities. Just like lego, some things just click together and you'll build something new.

I liked a lot of these, I lack Si and Fe to the point where it gets problematic, and now I'm trying to stay alert enough to practice them. I'm making progress with Fe, but it's really slow, I can't stay focused long enough to even try Si.

 

[Tamske]

Si? Si? Isn't that the thing your Ne links to the whole time?

 

[neptunesnet]

Si? Si? Isn't that the thing your Ne links to the whole time?

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

You have to remember past associations with a thing to Ne it, right?