A place for sensing/sensor quotes, for sensing types to be themselves and love being a Sensor, to vent about their problems, and dealing with the Intuitive Bias in the MBTI community. Feel free to submit!
one thing i hate about stereotypes is that istjs (and most other Sensors for that matter) are portrayed as those who can't think deeply about any topics? I mean it seems completely baseless to me because often I find myself contemplating life, philosophy, emotions and the world view based on my experiences and those near to me and thats part of my Si, thinking deeply of my past experiences. But somehow whenever someone possess any sort of introspective abilities they are automatically typed any xNxx type. It just doesn't make sense to me.
Yeah this is a great point. Being an intuitive is about perceiving things in abstract WAYS not thinking about abstract THINGS.
You can think about abstract things in practical ways and you can think about practical things in abstract ways. They are two different things that are very easy to think of the same, especially for intuitives who are looking for easy ego-stroking wins.
No, but this line "Being an intuitive is about perceiving things in abstract ways not thinking about abstract things" sums up the Sensor-Intuitive divide so well.
For example, sometimes my Si-Fi manifests like this: I think about a past experience and try to probe deeper. It's mostly placing things in their context and my feelings about it, possibilities it could go about (inf Ne probably) and thus trying to fill in details and understand the underlying cause of it.
Even when I read abstract topics like philosophy, it is exactly how you put it, "abstract things in practical ways". For example, I was recently reading about Sufi literature and I tried to go about it practically. Like, knowing about the saint and his biographer, their life experiences which shaped why they think the way they think, how the traditions shaped over time, and so like that.
I like using metaphors to explain abstract things to make things more tangible and understandable, I love reading and writing fantasy, idk from where "Sensors can't be imaginative" trope comes from
I know this blog is barely used anymore but I'm thinking of making an mbti confession blog since the original two are no longer active. Would anyone be interested in following it, or being a mod?
Introverted Sensing (Si) is More Valuable than You Think it is
I touched on this a little in another post I made, but it wasn't the main focus, so I'm making this it's own thing.
Introverted Sensing (Si) is most frequently referred to as using tradition as a way of perceiving things that lead to your judgements later. Some examples include following instructions to a T (or being unable to do things without said instructions), making lists, keeping daily planners, and referring to the past (often times personal memories, but can also be previously reported data) to inform the present.
These examples aren't necessarily wrong, but they are sometimes twisted in a negative way that can makes this cognitive function (and the associate types ISTJ, ISFJ, ESTJ, ESFJ) become interpretted as simple, thoughtless, repetititve, useless, boring, and "basic".
There is a much deeper side to Si that I think needs to be talked about, so that's what I'm going to do.
Introduction
Now, the flaws I listed above, also are not necessarily wrong. High Si uses can embody all of those negative traits, but it is much more rare than the iNtuitive bias would have you believe, because those negative traits come out when Si users are at their absolute worst.
And how often is anybody truly at their absolute worst?
I choose to think of Si predominantly not as tradition, but as a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
Standard Operating Procedure and Si
What is an SOP? An SOP is a detailed step-by-step list of instructions that you follow from start to finish in order to obtain a completely finished, fully function product/result.
Sounds very Si, doesn't it? That's because it is! And SOPs are absolutely mission critical to so many things in our daily lives because they ensure that a certain level of quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) is in place at all times. Some things absolutely need to be the exact same every single time because there is very little room for error and products need to consistently pass quality checks in order to be viable for general public use.
SOP Examples
If you don't follow the instructions exactly right, the cake you are baking will taste very badly. The furniture you are building will not be fully functional, or even unsafe to use. The scientific experiment you are doing will include bias, contamination, or simply will not work, and you won't produce any results.
Si is incredibly vital because by ensuring that everthing is done the exact same way every time, you should expect the same results every time. So when you do not get the same results, it is incredibly easy to notice, and focus heavily on why results are different than expected.
This is how we learn and make discoveries.
Conclusion
We aren't wrong about Si or what it means. We aren't wrong about it's potential pitfalls. We are wrong to focus so heavily on pitfalls and not focus on how effective and essential Si can be when it is being used productively.
Yes, Si can be very dry sometimes. But it is an essential dryness. It is intentionally dry and repetitive because it minimizes the possibility for error. And it constantly updates and innovates its step-by-step instructions as new information becomes available so that the instructions we follow are the most effective as possible.
Si ensures our success. We don't have to change what Si means, we have to change how we choose to view it. It may not always be the most exciting cognitive function, but it makes the world go round, and we need to appreciate the high Si users just as much as we do everyone else.
The Se user will constantly be receiving a photographic feed from the outer world, and thus will have a heightened receptivity to sensory information, which can be both overwhelming when undesired and highly stimulating when accepted and honed. If this data absorption is sought after rather than rejected, the Se user will become so immersed in the ‘one thing’ in front of them, that everything else suddenly disappears. The Se user’s attention is cinematic; causing them to take in the world just as it appears with very high fidelity and this can lead to an appreciation for “realism” in the arts and other mediums. The focus of an Se user is linear, rather than divergent. They will want to sink deeply into the experience of a thing, rather than spread themselves thin and broadly. Unsolicited tangents can be too distracting for them; jarring their attention and focus away from their present obsession. Even if the Se user has multiple interests- which they inescapably do – whenever they are immersed in the subject at hand it is with an acute intrigue. This dedicated attention can create a hyper-vigilance and capacity to refine an art-form faster than others if they choose to attend to it, although each skill will be domain-specific and not necessarily translate to acuity in other areas. If they're learning about a handmade craft they may notice all the bumps, lumps, scratches, and dents in objects and be quick to see the subtle differences in colors and shapes. Volumes of non-verbal information will collide with their attention constantly and guide them to calibrate their personal experiences accordingly.
Flow & Improvisation
The most direct way this sensory calibration happens is through an active flow. For the Se user, flow is when the body/mind moves in rhythm with everything else in the environment, as if pulsing with the same energy. During these moments, the Se user exists in direct contact with life, which creates an intoxicating feeling. One gets lost in the moment as they fine-tune their rhythm with the situation. This can happen when they’re singing, playing an instrument, freestyle rapping, hugging turns on a skateboard, locking in trigger reflexes in an FPS and the like. The Se user will get “in the zone” and feel most in their element when they can perform in real-time, making up their next move as they go. Adaptation is essential to an Se user and there is nothing more adaptive than reacting instantly, elegantly and with no delay to every twist and swerve life throws at you. The closer they are to this flow, the more aligned they’ll feel. Life is most invigorating when they are perfectly aligning the needs of the body, their own desires, and the situation. It may feel like a symphony coming together in harmony, and indeed many Se users take to music production for its capacity to create this lucidity and fluidity. In all their activities and ventures, whenever life is not flowing in this manner, the Se user senses it and will feel out of alignment.
Vitality & Volition
Se is also characterized by a sense of volition, as their linearity of focus quickly translates into a clarity of desire. There's an implicit knowledge of what is wanted and, as a Pe function, a craving for its attainment. The Se type will be a go-getter; motivated to gather what it wants in a literal sense. Se will leverage the environment to work for them, being opportunistic and making the best of what they got. And the quest for this attainment will carry a delicious zeal, giving Se users an added layer of vitality, but also of a self-assertion in reality. The Se user occupies the place where they stand, making their will known by their very composure. Then, as they lock onto their target, they inadvertently create adversity as opposite wills always exist and chase after the same or competing resources. This only greater fuels their thirst for stimulation and arousal, as they get immersed in the hunt. The challenge of going after their pursuits will be part of the very flow they so delight in navigating, and this quest for vigor can often manifest in hobbies such as racing, martial arts and other daring activities. But this ambition, while capable of leading to sprints of great productivity, is not motivated by any type of fiscality or conscientiousness. For Se the desire to win is not sought for the long term procurement of resources, but is instead motivated by some stimulating challenge that reality posits and which is invigorating for them to flirt with.
Movement & Restlessness
By the same token, not having dynamic movement happening will feel like an absence of thriving. While Se users are prone to over-stimulation if the stimuli is unwanted, they also are prone to under-stimulation if their environment is not allowing an outlet for creative flow. Se will have a low tolerance for being forced to attend to things they dislike. If they're denied of freedom to explore the world actively, suffocation sets in like a depressive weight. The Se user has a need to "move" and see; to scan the next corner. They'll be prone to pack up their bags and head off into town on a whim. The Se user lives a mobile life, constantly making things happen as they encounter different situations. But this necessity for motion can also be a curse; interfering with family plans or the practical constraints of life. As children, Se user may be overly active an it may be hard for their parents to find a constructive outlet for their energy at all times. The Se user may have little tolerance for routine and get into trouble for misadventures undergone in an attempt to abate the dread of idleness. Family members may pressure them to stay indoors or not go out as much, but often the Se user will not listen and either sneak out or find a way to explore without permission.
Persistence Effect
At other times, however, life's sensory stimuli is highly unwelcome - making the Se user more keenly aware of disturbance than all others. The Se users' sensitivity to stimuli becomes a double-edged sword when there's a nagging noise in the environment such as an insect's hum, a squeaky fan or crying baby. Temperature differences and potent smells can also be sources of frustration. Their Se won't be able to ignore the aforementioned since, as an explorer function, every new "refresh" of the environment yields the same output - leading to a very real and somatic irritation. Ironically, their quality of attuned focus sinks more heavily in on the irritation rather than putting it out of mind, causing it to grow in their mind until it's the only thing they hear or see; debilitating all concentration. At best this guides the Se user to seek the most pleasant sensory atmosphere available, and at worst it can cause open complaints and outbursts. Because of this tendency, whenever possible the Se user will craft their environment to match what their sensations can tolerate. They will play close attention to minimizing potential inconveniences and maximizing comfort.
Ergonomics & Aesthetics
Due to this careful crafting of sensory experience, Se users will often take to ergonomics. The look, feel and appeal of something becomes very important. How it fits in your hand, how the grip holds, how it throws, sounds and moves are all heavily considered. The Se user will want "the experience" of a thing to be enjoyable and free of micro-irritations. They will go to great lengths to make that happen in their own life; selecting objects based on their ergonomic and aesthetic appeal. They may be fans of designer brands, which are simply those that take the most efforts to maximize user experience. This leads inescapably to an appreciation for luxury, which is an extension of their need for completeness of sensational exposure. And although they may not always afford the highest luxury, the Se user will often take steps in that direction whenever possible. More than others, Se users understand how to create something seamless and often pave the way in domains of design and fashion. They will create things with beauty and convenience as priorities, while being simplistic and to the point. And due to being an explorer process, Se perpetually seeks newness of experience; leading it to be very contemporary. Se gravitates to the latest, causing them to be trendy or at least have a keen understanding of where the trends are and how they're evolving.
Sensual Energy
While we all have an appreciation, capacity and need for the sensual dimension, Se being the sensory exploration process receives a double dose of this facet of our nature. No sensation is more direct, potent and contrasted than the sexual, and from this raw contact with the body Se receives a level of natural eroticism. The amplification of their senses extends to a type of libidinal awareness and intelligence. However, each individual can choose to explore or repress this tactile energy and indeed many Se users - whether by culture or moral verdict - will select to shun this part of themselves. However, for those who decide to explore it, this can add a contagious chemistry to everything they do. The Se user, so predisposed, can be a vixen and leave a seductive trail behind them as they explore and express themselves. They may not shy away from making themselves attractive and showing a little skin or muscle. As Se wishes always to explore all sensory domains to the utmost, this leads to a pointed interest in the subtleties of flirtation, pickup artistry and more exotic art-forms. However, this can cause many Se users to grate against social repercussions and taboos. A girl may be frustrated by her mother's old-fashioned conservatism or a man may be accused of sexual harassment for playful teasing or banter. Se, like Ne, is constantly crashing against the establishment as it seeks to break boundaries, peer around the corner and dabble with all available information with less consideration of restraint or temperance.
-Behaviors Under Stress
Addiction
Like most people, the Se user is no stranger to a bit of wine or hard liquor. But due to the acuteness and physicality with which they experience life's stress, the temptation to exhale problems through stimulants or sedatives is all the more pronounced in them than others. It is here where the Se user may dive into their vice to an excess until it becomes a source of debilitation. More than a few Se users have met a short end at the hands of an overdose. Given their sensitivity, an Se user would require an inordinate strength of will to resist sourcing to a physical outlet when times become roughest. Under stress they will seek for an immediate alleviation to the unbearable "here and now." Their ability to think long-term may suffer or fade altogether as they become consumed only in how disquieting the present feels. This is especially the case if their Ni has made a pessimistic forecast, allowing them little hypothetical escape from their situation. Addiction then acts as a form of escapism and relief; one which is unsustainable at best and fatal at worst. It is in these moments when the Se user most needs to channel from external stimuli. When substances act as a replacement for external stimuli, the Se user may withdraw from the physical world; forgetting that out there is where all life, vigor and vitality is to be found. Substances act as a quick, but ultimately less stimulating replacement for the bliss that is better found in the music, rhythm and flow of a dance and in direct contact with reality.
Delinquency
In other situations, the Se user's stress can manifest in an unhealthy opportunism. The Se function will always be seeking, quite advantageously, the best experience possible and when distressed this impulsiveness can lead to certain unethical behaviors. As their spiritual reserves become depleted from psychological injuries, they may help themselves to the grace and resources of others; perhaps taking more than may be polite. In heavier cases, they may take more than they were explicitly allotted. This can develop into a habit for the Se user, escalating to shoplifting, and eventually to outright robbery. The Se user feels that scarcity of resources is the cause for their sufferings, and attaining more objects is the solution to their deprivation. As with addiction, the Se user feels robbed of sensational release, suffocated by an unpleasant environment and is seeking somehow to remedy the situation through tactile means. However, real poverty or scarcity may not be the cause of their delinquency but instead may be a sort of greed for that which is unattainable. It may be a relative poverty they wish to abate when compared to a higher tier/class that taunts them with the faraway luxuries and experiences they crave.
quirky 14 year old mbticels typing their families like:
dad: xstj cuz he MEAN AND BORING UGH!!! old man doesnt UNDERSTAND ME. 😡
mom: xsfj cuz nice :) still very boring an normie unfortunately (get well soon)
younger sibling: esxp/enfp cuz soooo louuudd and hyper🙄🙄
me: intj/intp/entp/infp swag big brain ethereal being because im deep. no one gets me. im just too intuitive and intelligent for these people. they just dont get it. ugh
Melissa Scully was a bit of a surprise-- I was expecting her to have high Extroverted Feeling (feeling and interpersonal connection expressed outwardly); but that was undercut by her strong, personal, moral system. Everything about her revolves around her beliefs; and how she helps and guides others with those beliefs. So, I tried to do her justice here with her strengths and weaknesses.
**Note**: This is likely filled with typos-- pardon my very tired editing brain~
MELISSA
The Hero Function: This function is the most effortless of the stack of eight, the “superhero” if you will; and serves as a Type's primary source. Introverted Feeling (Fi for short) leads with mood-based personal morals, values, beliefs, principles, and worth. ISFPs guide their lives with what they believe to be "right" rather than what is the "true" or "correct" way;
and are very proud about what they believe, integrating their morals into every fiber of their lives-- from personal expression to how they enact their principles upon the world. Because Fi is the source of independent morals, it draws others who lack or doubt their own to an ISFPs unflinching beliefs. This gives them ample opportunity to suggest or nudge others toward what they think is the right path-- whether that is true or not changes with each circumstance and set of variables.
The Parent Function: A Type's 2nd function is the responsible but slightly pessimistic "parent" of the hero function, helping it to fulfill necessary duties and develop maturity. Extroverted Sensing (Se for short) is "in the moment" personified. ISFPs live fully in the present, creating experiences to responsibly get other types out of ruts and comfort zones. They master creative pursuits (crafting or planting or hiking or sporting) to improve their loved one's life with hands-on, one-on-one bonding activities. They are most effective with Types that have high amounts of Introverted Sensing-- Scully, for instance (see here)-- serving as their healthy boundary-pusher and getting them to tune with just "being."
The Child Function: This function is the most idealistic of all the functions and causes the deepest wounds if “bullied.” Introverted Intuition (Ni for short) centers around personal destiny, desires, goals, willpower, and choice. ISFPs are ruled by their freedom of choice, following its guide in every area of their life. If this is stripped from them, they will be extinguished.
In a sense, Ni child serves as "lady luck" for an ISFP, allowing them to always land on their feet after a possibly deadly situation. They, somehow, usually come out on top, saving themselves and others in powerful and miraculous ways.
Ni Child also teams up with an ISFP's Fi Hero to make them very mood-based creators-- too often laziness is prescribed to them because they have yet to finish a project that has been "in progress" for years; when, in reality, ISFPs just aren't in an inspired mood or are slowly chipping away until, finally, it fall folds into completion.
The Inferior Function: The 4th function is the most important of the 8 functions, as it serves as the simultaneous zone for their fears, insecurities, and aspirations as well as their launching pad to the most powerful function (the Demon Function, see below.) Extroverted Thinking (Te for short) is rationale: inductions, metrics, rules, achievements, labels, standards, and reputations. While they are intensely soulful people, ISFPs are highly sensitive about their reputations: they are easily crushed by others' ridicule of their beliefs or ways of life.
These types strive for academic achievements or "book learning" not for learning's sake, but to increase their popularity and "clout" through cultural or historical knowledge. ISFPs are afraid of what others think of them-- they don't have to be good themselves as long as others think they are good-- and would rather quietly walk away from someone who has hurt them than confront them.
The Nemesis Function: This function is not only the 5th in a list of 8, but it is also the source of a Type's worry. Extroverted Feeling (Fe for short) deals with interpersonal ethics, acceptance, bonding, culture, mutual support, and balance. ISFPs are worried that they do not care enough: they put their own needs before others naturally (usually in a healthily selfish way); and hoard their own time and resources as well. In order to do away with their nagging doubts, these types need to reach out to others empathetically by donating themselves in a sense-- volunteering their time, energy, resources, or company to others and their pursuits. This soothes their concerns; and leaves their own personal touch on others' lives forever.
The Critic Function: The 6th function is a Type's most cynical aspect, greatest possibility for wisdom, and also the easiest place to rationalize a person out of their bad behavior. Introverted Sensing (Si for short) is focused on duty, honor, responsibility, habit, and security; but ISFPs don't like to commit while expecting it from others. They hate being obligated, leaving obligations behind to pursue whatever has caught their interest or passion.
They also have terrible memory; but can't seem to grasp how faulty it is. shrugging it off with a laissez-faire attitude of "it wasn't meant to be remembered." They will accept reproof if given proof they've been incorrect; but shrug off others' frustrations off with a laissez-faire attitude of "it wasn't meant to be remembered."
The Trickster Function: A Type's weakest function is their Extroverted Intuition (Ne for short): metaphysics and widespread consequences for society as a whole. Ne Trickster blinds ISFPs to the intentions of others-- leaving them vulnerable to plotting or manipulation-- and handicapping them to the potential consequences of their actions. To ISFPs, a possible problem doesn't exist until it smacks them in the face. Melissa always motivated Scully to ditch the conventional expectations of her life and go with what her "heart" told her to do (and pushing her to regain her repressed memories); but she was blinded to the harm it might (and did) cause her sister.
This led her and Scully down unnecessary paths of pain; but, while Missy would have seen it as a necessary part of life to fall into the same pit over and over, Scully was frightened further away from her intuition by repeated traumas, clinging tighter and tighter to provable, rational science. Her Trickster also grated on Mulder's nerves: his Ne Parent (see post here) saw all the disastrous consequences of her decisions, the Scully family decisions, their enemies' decisions, and his own decisions that led them to Scully's coma; and it infuriated Mulder that Melissa seemingly hand-waved it away as "entirely human."
The Demon Function: And lastly, the strongest function of an ISFP's stack is their Introverted Thinking (Ti for short), which is unfiltered logical deduction based in facts rather than external opinions or sources. For ISFPs, no one else's opinions matter: they must have their say and be allowed to believe it. If no one takes the time to listen to their input or scoffs away their insight, ISFPs will wash their hands from guiding others, letting the fools implode in their own stupid decisions.
(In extreme cases, these Types will quietly craft a destructive Goldberg Variation machine-- either with words or social embarrassments or life-threatening traps-- and spring a doom suddenly upon their unsuspecting victim.) In Melissa's case, she warned Mulder one last time that his vengeful defeat would disappoint Scully and himself; then washed her hands of any guilt and left him to destroy or salvage his own life.
Summary
Melissa is a gentle soul, actively helping others lead a more present life while attempting to guide them with her own morals and beliefs. If they ignore her or try to silence her voice, she will retreat into the darkness and let them die by their own self-inflicted injuries.
Thank you for reading~
Enjoy!
Disclaimers: This is a self-assessed analysis. This information is not based on the abominable MBTI system (which has been butchered from its original Jungian typology since ~WWII); instead, it’s a combination between the works of Jung’s type psychology, Dr. Linda Berens’ Communication styles, Dr. Dario Nardi’s EEG brain scan compiled research, and others’ data and practices as compiled and simplified by CSJoseph. This system is based only on the Nature side of Nature/Nurture; and each “type” is not a “box” to fit everyone into– simply a tool to help understand the basics of the human mind that science has only begun to fathom in its limited scope.
the “normie-fication” and stereotype that sensors (high Si and Se) are brainless is so tired and had such devastating effects. Not to mention ironically narrow-minded; it closed investigation in how diverse cognition can be. One of the many reasons I hate the MBTI.
Like my favourite types literally include ESTJ and ISTJ, and my favourite types to analyze are ISTP, and ESFP. Also I love my function cousins, the ESFJs and ISFJs, and I would kill to meet one irl. What would the world be without sensors, truly?
I know this blog is barely used anymore but I'm thinking of making an mbti confession blog since the original two are no longer active. Would anyone be interested in following it, or being a mod?
Happy 60th year to the best spooky family, the first family of fright, THE MUNSTERS!
The show was quite ahead of its time with the satirical look on normal suburban families, being a blatant metaphor for how white middle and upper-middle class Americans treated the "Other". Herman and Lily in particular stood out as a tv couple, not only sharing a bed on screen but doting housewife Lily being unusually strong and independent for a 1960s homemaker.
A whole delightfully spooky family of sensors (with the exception of the saucy ENTP grandfather), Herman being a quintessential ISFP with strong ideals.
intuitives aren't better than senors. sensors aren't stupid, intuitives aren't all knowing. feelers don't always cry, thinkers aren't always rational. there is no superior type. get off your high horse. learn the theory for what it really is, a tool to help you understand and improve yourself.
I hate looking at other people’s typing of characters, simply because they are either relying on the lettering system of MBTI (which i take it that most ppl realize how faulty it is) or they have such a bias towards sensors vs. intuitives that they type everyone an N type. Way too many ESFPs for some reason get ENFJ, and very obvious ISTJs are labelled INTJs or INTPs. ENFPs and ESFPs are confused a lot too, which sometimes I can understand on the surface, but it’s usually always based around stereotypes and the superficial reasoning of someone being lighthearted/optimistic, daring to have a hopeful dream even if they don’t show actual intuition whatsoever (daydreaming doesn’t count).
Honestly, I think that a lot of the times the characters that ppl praise as N types, with all of their accomplishments and great feats, are actually a good amount of sensors really being the driving force behind so much genuis. I don’t even want to start on real life people and typing, at least fictional characters are most easily explained since a lot of popular protagonists are archtype heroes. I just think sensors overall are really underestimated/misunderstood sometimes.
