[ENFP] NF Pack-rats

[wedekit]

My ENFP best friend and I met each other randomly our Junior year in High School and we immediately discovered we had a lot of things in common. One being that we didn't like throwing pens or markers that ran out of ink away. As children we both felt like these objects had "feelings", and if we threw them away we would be hurting those "feelings". We both of course know now that they don't have feelings but we still are hesitant to throw them away.

So, anyone else have a similar story or are we just crazy?

 

[SillySapienne]

I would be too embarrassed to tell you just how many pens, pencils, markers etc. I have, in what's become my collection.

It is pretty crazy how inanimate things tend to radiate feelings, a sad bottle, a happy eraser, an angry hairbrush...

Yup, we're insane.

 

[Atomic Fiend]

My closest friend is ENFP.

And if your friendship is anything like ours, then yes, you are crazy.

 

[scantilyclad]

i have trouble getting rid of stuffed animals.
i feel like i'm putting the family pet to sleep. =(

 

[heart]

As children we both felt like these objects had "feelings", and if we threw them away we would be hurting those "feelings".

My husband (INFJ) is this way, to this day even though he "knows" objects cannot have feelings, he feels that they do.

 

[Ender]

I don't think I've ever really given inanimate objects feelings such as you describe. I do however at times give animals "voices" so to speak.

Though it's usually only something I did with my brother, where as we'd project our thoughts on what the other was doing as one of our pet's thoughts and it was always in a nonsensical way of speaking. Kinda like "No! Scutter says it's forbidden!". Scutter of course being my old cat's name.

 

[cafe]

I keep a few sentimental objects, but nothing like my INFP daughter or my INTP hubby. He has gotten more selective about the things he keeps over the years, but my daughter would never get rid of anything, including outgrown clothes, without my encouragement.

 

[PuddleRiver]

This is something I'm dealing with right now as a matter of fact. *groan*

Yes, I am a pack rat, always have been. We're almost literally, almost, being run out of house and home. I hate throwing stuff away, It seems so...wasteful, ya know? I'm in the process of dealing with it but, at the same time, feeling very guilty. I don't know what makes me feel guiltier, saving everything just in case I might need it, and making us miserable, or throwing the stuff out.

I just do not believe in the whole throwing away thing.

 

[Shinzon]

*

 

[PuddleRiver]

My husband (INFJ) is this way, to this day even though he "knows" objects cannot have feelings, he feels that they do.

What's up with that? I do it too.

 

[EsoteriEccentri]

I have trouble getting rid of... anything.
XD

 

[alcea rosea]

My ENFP best friend and I met each other randomly our Junior year in High School and we immediately discovered we had a lot of things in common. One being that we didn't like throwing pens or markers that ran out of ink away. As children we both felt like these objects had "feelings", and if we threw them away we would be hurting those "feelings". We both of course know now that they don't have feelings but we still are hesitant to throw them away.

So, anyone else have a similar story or are we just crazy?

Yes. Everything had feelings when I was a child and I felt sorry for everything. I'm still terribly sentimental. I have trouble in getting rid of things because I might need them later (and I usually don't need them).

 

[redacted]

i've never been this way at all. my NF-ey energy has always been focused on humans (and certain animals a little bit).

i'm not really attached to my possessions at all, and i never have been. my life is about people.

 

[arcticangel02]

Yeah, I'll initially be quite reluctant to throw things away, even something like shopping bags. I don't know what use they'll be, so I keep them.

Of course, then a few weeks later I've forgotten entirely why I thought I might need to keep them and throw them out without hesitation.

 

[wolfmaiden14]

I've never really been much of a pack-rat. When things need to go, they need to go, though I do sometimes feel awful about it. I may keep something for an extra year if I just can't let go yet. Now, if something has a specific memory attached to it, then I'll probably never get rid of it. Like the airforce stripes of an old love interest, or the stuffed kitty my Dad bought me in a REALLY rare good mood.

I did, however, attribute feelings to many of my stuffed animals. I had some get married to each other, and I always felt like it hurt them when they would get de-moted from being on my bed to staying in the closet. To this day, I still make sure my favorites stay next to me in bed. This includes a stuffed Cthulhu the same guy mentioned above gave to me that he used to sleep with. I refuse to give him any less of a rank than he's used to, unless of course, I'm mad at his former owner at the time. >D

I also have a tendency to hang onto random crap that I never know if it might come in handy for cosplay, but I'll usually pitch it if it hasn't been used by the next time I clean out the fabric bin.

 

[chatoyer]

Yes. Everything had feelings when I was a child and I felt sorry for everything.

Same here! I remember eating chips or cereal, & picking out the ones I thought were cute & feeling bad about eating them!

I'm still terribly sentimental. I have trouble in getting rid of things because I might need them later (and I usually don't need them).

I have some of that, practical, let's save money, I might need it. And I also have the typical EP problem of not wanting to throw away brochures & such that represent social events I don't want to decide about just yet.

But the sentimental stuff is the hardest, because certain objects & letters/notes from people represent really fond memories of certain people/relationships. I feel like I forget a lot of detail (probably poor Se), so when I find the object or the letter, it conjures up the whole memory of why that person had such a powerful influence on me/my life. So, there is a lot of joy in reliving those moments, & I like to re-analyze it, & notice the details.

I worry that if I throw away the symbolic object, I'm throwing away the memory.

 

[nightning]

My ENFP best friend and I met each other randomly our Junior year in High School and we immediately discovered we had a lot of things in common. One being that we didn't like throwing pens or markers that ran out of ink away. As children we both felt like these objects had "feelings", and if we threw them away we would be hurting those "feelings". We both of course know now that they don't have feelings but we still are hesitant to throw them away.

So, anyone else have a similar story or are we just crazy?

Pens and markers that can no longer be used were immediately thrown into the rubbish bin. Pens and markers that still can be used... however bad/awkward/difficult they were to use are kept. The waste not, want not philosophy. Except those stationaries are simply too much of a hassle to be used. They ended up sitting around taking up space when I really ought to toss them away along with the used items.

I've never attribute feelings to stationaries... to bigger objects such as cars and computers yes... but not stationaries.

 

[SillySapienne]

But the sentimental stuff is the hardest, because certain objects & letters/notes from people represent really fond memories of certain people/relationships. I feel like I forget a lot of detail (probably poor Se), so when I find the object or the letter, it conjures up the whole memory of why that person had such a powerful influence on me/my life. So, there is a lot of joy in reliving those moments, & I like to re-analyze it, & notice the details.

I worry that if I throw away the symbolic object, I'm throwing away the memory.

I absolutely can relate!!! I revisit my past a lot, i.e. on random nights, five to eight nights, shit maybe more, a year, something will catch my attention and I'll be led down an "object-guided" path down memory lane, pictures, drawings, scribblings, letters and significant mementos will take me right back to where I used to be, how I used to feel, etc...

These sentimental things are essentially pieces of my past, or dare I say, pieces of me.

*However, if my house were to suddenly burn down, and I lost all my things, I'd be able to get over it. (I've left, got rid of, and lost a lot of things in my past and have shocked myself by how easily I have gotten over it)

 

[Kyrielle]

I've never been big on thinking objects "feel" things, except when I accidentally ram a chair into a desk and say "ow" for either the chair or the desk without even thinking about it. But I do have a hard time throwing things away. Especially paper. I mean...if it has a blank space on it that might be used for anything, I hang on to it...eventhough it takes up a lot of space. I just feel so wasteful when I have to go through my stuff and chuck half of it.

As to whoever mentioned the projecting thoughts onto animals, I do the same thing. Sometimes I'll try to mimick what I think they're thinking, and sometimes I'm right (especially if it's a pet of mine).

 

[SillySapienne]

Well, animals have feelings. Especially mammals, and birds. So to look at an animal, and feel its feelings is not that weird to me. When trees, and objects start projecting feelings, then, and only then, do I start to freak myself out.