[INFJ] You know you're an INFJ when...

[wedekit]

You think existentially...or is that all NFs?

Not me. O_O That is if I'm understanding correctly. Are you referring to existentialism?

If so, then I would have to disagree.

 

[Kyrielle]

You think existentially...or is that all NFs?

No idea if it's common. But I do.

To wedekit:

I would think he would be referring to existentialism.

 

[wedekit]

Hmm... something about the world being meaningless except for the meaning we give it doesn't appeal to me.

 

[Sniffles]

That's the common definition of Existentialism.

Overall it's a philosophy concerning the nature of human existence as opposed to abstract concepts like traditional philosophy. Now what the hell human existence means is anybody's guess.

The standard division is between "Atheist" Existentialists like Sartre, Heideggar, Jaspers, etc.

Then you have "Theistic" Existentialists like Kierkegaard, Berdyaev, Marcel, Tillich, Shestov, Buber, etc.

Naturally as a Catholic I tend towards the latter.

 

[wedekit]

That's the common definition of Existentialism.

Overall it's a philosophy concerning the nature of human existence as opposed to abstract concepts like traditional philosophy. Now what the hell human existence means is anybody's guess.

The standard division is between "Atheist" Existentialists like Sartre, Heideggar, Jaspers, etc.

Then you have "Theistic" Existentialists like Kierkegaard, Berdyaev, Marcel, Tillich, Shestov, Buber, etc.

Naturally as a Catholic I tend towards the latter.

So would theistic existentialism be built around the idea that meaning in life can only be defined through God?

 

[Lotr246]

To you, life is an echo. What you have once said comes back to you from someone else who had no knowledge of what you said. It makes life seem connected.

 

[StoryOfMyLife]

To you, life is an echo. What you have once said comes back to you from someone else who had no knowledge of what you said. It makes life seem connected.

Or in some cases, something I have once said comes back to me from the person I once said it to...and they think they came up with it on their own

 

[cherchair]

1. You've figured out that you don't fit any other type well.

2. Everyone you trust thinks so, and it was your own first guess.

You know you're an INFJ when everything in your house/life has a place and everything is in its assigned place, but your desk looks like it's been hit by a tornado.

 

[Dwigie]

True, I also hate to have uninvited guests or people from my family in my room it's very distracting and I get cranky.
!

 

[Sarcasticus]

Okay, so I was sitting in bed last night, and I was thinking, and I came up with this metaphoric scenario:

INFJs are like rearranged rubik's cubes. In regards with our relationships with people, everyone is likely to fall one of three categories:

The 1st type is really bad at trying to figure it out. They work at it for a while, trying to solve the puzzle and make it clear, but after a while they give up or just leave it as is. Occasionally, they may go back and try again, but they never really get it without instructions (and sometimes not even then).
The 2nd type is excellent. They can figure it out very easily, and can see right through us quickly, or at least quicker than most. However, there are very few people that fall in this category, and they might have a tendency to take their ability for granted or move on quickly.
The 3rd type of people aren't as naturally inclined as the 2nd, but they take a genuine interest in figuring it out. They work on it, sometimes for a long time, until they figure it out, and they actually enjoy the challenge. Even when they figured it out, it's likely they will still keep warm feelings about the game; they keep it around and are always up for any challenge it throws at them. Eventually, they get better and better, but they always keep the game at heart, at least a little bit.


As a rubik's cube, I associate best with type 3.
</random whimsical analogy>

Very interesting (and not so whimsical)!

Okay, so which MBTI types would you say are associated with each of these three types?

 

[gloomy-optimist]

Hmm, there's a good question; I'm not sure it would be so much just MBTI, but also how you associate with them in real life, as well.
To tell you the truth, I wouldn't know. I think some more serious and analytical types, as well as some rather ADD P types, might be category 1. The other 2, who knows?
Wanna take a crack? Which do you think is more 2 or 3?

 

[sade]

So would theistic existentialism be built around the idea that meaning in life can only be defined through God?

Quoted from Wikipedia, as I wasn't able to put my thoughts to words:

Theistic existentialism is, for the most part, Christian in its outlook, but there have been existentialists of other theological persuasions, like Islam (see Transcendent theosophy) and Judaism. The main thing that sets them apart from atheistic existentialists is that they posit the existence of God, and that He is the source of our being. It is generally held that God has designed the world in such a way that we must define our own lives, and each individual is held accountable for his or her own self-definition.

 

[StoryOfMyLife]

True, I also hate to have uninvited guests or people from my family in my room it's very distracting and I get cranky.
!

I'm the same way. It's one thing to have somebody I said 'hey, come in sit with me in here so we can get away from everyone else' to--- but it's another when they just assume my room is the place to hang out.

The last place I lived, during the winter, we did sort of congregate in my room because it was warmer than being in the living room-- however, when one of those friends who is off work for 2 1/2 months due to an arm-ligament related injury spends the night on your bedroom floor nearly every single night and doesn't take hints that she ought to be going home to sleep at least some of those nights...it tends to get very...very....frustrating...and I did get so cranky from it.

..lo and behold, she's my current roommate. go figure, right? I'm so glad I'm an unusually patient person...most of the time.

 

[Sniffles]

To you, life is an echo. What you have once said comes back to you from someone else who had no knowledge of what you said. It makes life seem connected.

If only I got paid everytime I discovered how my own thoughts closely parallels that of some great thinker, writer, or even an entire school of thought.


It's often stated that INFJs are better at generating questions than generating answers. I must admit I only vaguely understand this, so any help is welcomed.

I notice I myself am better able in generating questions in others. Everytime I try to explain my own thoughts to other people, it seems I leave people with more questions than answers. Probably because, as I stated in my rant about Ni, there's so much for me to explain I can't possibly explain it all.

That's also why I often see my role as one of provoking thought in others rather than actually explaining things to others. I'm better at making people think(or even rethink) about issues.

I do notice that a major reason why I'm such a voracious reader of so many books on so many topics is because well I wish to have numerous questions I have answered.

And even then, answers are often just the genesis for new questions - as one INFJ told me.

I don't know, if anybody here can explain this better you're more than welcome.

 

[Sniffles]

Getting back to what Lotr246 mentioned, do you ever find yourself subconsciously imitating the poses of people either you admire, or just poses by others you find impressive?

I do this often. Here's a few examples of poses I often imitate in various circumstances:

Feel free to post your own examples!

 

[Lotr246]

If only I got paid everytime I discovered how my own thoughts closely parallels that of some great thinker, writer, or even an entire school of thought.


It's often stated that INFJs are better at generating questions than generating answers. I must admit I only vaguely understand this, so any help is welcomed.

I notice I myself am better able in generating questions in others. Everytime I try to explain my own thoughts to other people, it seems I leave people with more questions than answers. Probably because, as I stated in my rant about Ni, there's so much for me to explain I can't possibly explain it all.

That's also why I often see my role as one of provoking thought in others rather than actually explaining things to others. I'm better at making people think(or even rethink) about issues.

I do notice that a major reason why I'm such a voracious reader of so many books on so many topics is because well I wish to have numerous questions I have answered.

And even then, answers are often just the genesis for new questions - as one INFJ told me.

I don't know, if anybody here can explain this better you're more than welcome.

Yes, I agree totally. Some people have told me they don't like how I make them think about things. Usually, this comes from generating a question that others seem to have missed. What is even more interesting is that these questions I pose almost seem like answers. It's difficult, though, because I cannot offer a direct solution. I see our minds as a wrapped present, where each torn-off piece represents a question. Yet, when we tear off all the pieces, we find we have another present ready to be unwrapped. I'm curious, what are the answers you are searching for in your reading?

 

[Sniffles]

I'm curious, what are the answers you are searching for in your reading?

Depends on what I'm reading at the moment. I will give one good example of this in action.

This one issue kept bothering me: OTOH I'm a very staunch supporter of localism - ie local culture and small communities; yet at the same time a person who sees the big picture. Often I'm more interested in what's happening halfway around the world than whats happening closer to me. So an apparent contradiction no, especially with our common attitudes on the issue?

That was untill I read Leopold Kohr's Breakdown of Nations, which remains one of my favorite books concerning social-political philosophy.

Anyways, he argued that there is no contradiction between being a mind that sees the big picture and being a localist. With localism, one is better able to grasp the big picture because the big picture within your grasp - as opposed to halfway across the globe. The key events in your life happen at your doorsteps, not halfway around the world.

Kohr remarked that Plato was able to make such deep observations about human nature because he was able to meet people of various types in one small city(Athens)!

As Kohr even once remarked about the small town of Salzburg in Austria:

"The rural population that built this capital city of barely more than 30,000 for its own enjoyment never numbered more than 120,000. Yet, single-handedly they managed to adorn it with more than 30 magnificent churches, castles, and palaces standing in lilied ponds, and an amplitude of fountains, cafes, and inns. And such was their sophisticated taste that they required a dozen theaters, a choir for every church, and an array of composers for every choir, so that it is not surprising that one of the local boys should have been Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart...All this was the result of smallness, achieved with not an iota of foreign. And what a rich city they made it into."​

So apparently I had plenty of questions as to how two apparently contrary attitudes of mine could come together, and my readings help enormously in answering those questions.

 

[Kyrielle]

Getting back to what Lotr246 mentioned, do you ever find yourself subconsciously imitating the poses of people either you admire, or just poses by others you find impressive?

Feel free to post your own examples!

Yes. Usually I end up mirroring them during conversation. I believe it is a good sign--if I imitate your poses and gestures I am interested in what you are saying and/or feel that I am on the same wavelength as you are.

Some common poses I adopt that I don't see my peers do much (I suspect I've picked them up from older, more severe people or from people in movies):

On the other hand, this is one I've retained since childhood. People tell me, that it actually does make me look like a little girl.

 

[iwakar]

Oh Yes!

Ultra ditto.

 

[wedekit]

Come to find out, the branch of Thomism that I was taught in my metaphysics class here is called "Existential Thomism", or Neo-Thomism.