Can anyone actually explain Se?

I know there have been tons of threads on here about Se and I can see why.
When people ask about it, the same answer is given (sensual world, in the moment etc) and yet it isn't explained properly.
Is there actually Se? From asking people about those two things either everyone has it or no one has it at all, it depends on the extremes. I've asked people who are Se dom and they either agree or don't at all. I agree with the Se description and yet I'm Ne dom and there appears to be only a focus difference (future/present, but even then, everyone's in the present and the future, no one's isolated from either).



So basically, I was just wondering if anyone can actually explain Se, or it just 'is' or even if it exists?
Thanks :)

Se as explained by a ESTP

"I think what you guys are doing is leaping directly from the idea of the function itself to the actions that sometimes occur as a result. However, what you guys don't seem to realize is that Se always begins as a state of mind before any action actually happens. (Well, that's understandable, considering that most of you at least aren't Se types, and thus wouldn't understand what it actually feels like.) I'll do my very best to explain what it's like as I'm experiencing it, without being mixed with any other functions (although this might have an unavoidable Ti tinge to it).

At rest, you're kind of in an observatory state of mind. Everything around you gets registered, no matter if you can touch it, or it's way off in the distant distance. You're subconsciously registering everything that enters your "radar". If everything's good, your sonar stays at a constant rate. Sometimes, particular things will enter your radar that will cause the mental sonar to start beeping a little more rapidly, a little louder, or at an irregular rhythm. When this happens, attention immediately gets directed towards the cause. It may be the presence of a person or thing, the absence of it, or something that's registering as "abnormal". When this happens, the proper action to be taken as a result of it is determined. (After this happens, the action is usually tweaked or outright changed by whatever Ji function you have better control with.) A few examples:

I'm up in my room, writing this post, and a scratching noise enters into my radar. Immediately, my attention gets diverted from writing this sentence, and I focus solely on the "disturbance". At first, it sounds as if my parents are quietly whispering downstairs. At this point, my Se tells me to go out and see if this is the case. However, my mother starts talking about something in a louder tone of voice, but my radar picks up the fact that the scratching noise is still happening. Ti decides that if mom's talking louder but the noise is still happening, she can't be whispering stuff to my dad. So I stay here and fine-tune the radar, until it's clear. It was the sound of crickets being muffled through all the closed windows.

Another scenario is that tomorrow is the first day of school, and I'm going in a bit early. Most likely, no one will be there yet, but my Se radar will be on the prowl for certain. Each person that comes into my radar is instantly analyzed, and I determine if it's someone cool that I'll want to talk to, someone I want to give a funny look to make them uncomfortable, or someone who is fugly and thus I don't want to even look near them. Whichever category the person lands into gets the corresponding action. Easy.

Then of course, certain things will enter the radar (or be absent from the radar) that the Se will want to change. It could simply be an object that needs to be moved somehow, a person that needs a spanking (hah), or just a plain old boring situation that I want to make fun. For the first thing, you can just pick it up and put it somewhere else (self-explanatory). If it's the person that needs a good hard spanking, you can either outright spank them at the next available opportunity, wait until the situation flips into your favor so that you can spank them in the most advantageous manner, or you can trick them into allowing you to spank them. Whichever way would work the best as determined by x function is the action that gets performed. If it's a boring situation, you can do a myriad of different things to change it, so that it works in your favor.

Edit: And I'd also like to add that sometimes in the absence of any activity, beeps in the radar are actively persued by the Se as to get things moving. When a lot of you guys think of Se, this is probably a big aspect of what you're all seing. But remember that Se is a whole fucking lot more than just that!

Originally Posted by tine

I know there have been tons of threads on here about Se and I can see why.
When people ask about it, the same answer is given (sensual world, in the moment etc) and yet it isn't explained properly.
Is there actually Se? From asking people about those two things either everyone has it or no one has it at all, it depends on the extremes. I've asked people who are Se dom and they either agree or don't at all. I agree with the Se description and yet I'm Ne dom and there appears to be only a focus difference (future/present, but even then, everyone's in the present and the future, no one's isolated from either).

So basically, I was just wondering if anyone can actually explain Se, or it just 'is' or even if it exists?
Thanks :)

Se isn't just sensory awareness, although that's one component. It's a knack for learning things on the job and figuring out skills by experience, by "doing it." When you combine Se with Ti, it's sort of like a logical instinct as well, which tells the basketball player whether to shoot the ball or pass to his teammate. Se/Fi-ers will do what feels appropriate to the moment.

Edit: Yep, it exists. It has its own piece of territory in the brain :)

Thanks guys, those were much more helpful than the usual replies :) I think the major problem is that Se is viewed as 'just sensory' and not something with other functions that effect it.

and if you happen to be more into abstract, mathy descriptions there are a few here: element descriptors

Originally Posted by tine

Thanks guys, those were much more helpful than the usual replies :) I think the major problem is that Se is viewed as 'just sensory' and not something with other functions that effect it.

Wrote out a long informative response, only to brush the dust off my laptop mouse and have my computer interpret it as "I want to go back a page."

The gist of what I was saying: We don't know the full descriptions of each function in a pure form. They're always affected by the surrounding functions. We should probably be examining childrens' psyches to figure out a more rote description, as they seem to develop their dominant first.

Also, Ne and Se are more like each other than any other functions, which is why you identify with Se's descriptions. Being both Pe functions is far more important than having the same "letter." Take a closer look at the functions and you'll figure out why. The Pe functions think similarly. So do the Ji, Je, and Pi function pairs. They're closer to each other than the "N" pair, the "S" or "T" or "F" pairs. The Ji/Je/Pi/Pe is more important than S/N/T/F.

Maybe I'll rewrite the other post later, but I'm too tired to do so now...

Well, since I didn't want to create my own thread... I was wondering what functions are being used in this followeing mental conversation while walking in the halls from one class to the next.

*walks out of last class* (in mind) oh man its sunny today. Wow, why am I thinking about
the weather, this is like the worst subject in the world to talk about, let alone think
about. So many awkward conversations result from this.... didn't the weatherman say that
it was going to rain today... lying bastards! Oh no, the weathermans crying, you hurt his
feelings hur hur hur. Oh yea smart, OF COURSE the weatherman could somehow telepathically
obtain your thoughts. MIND READING WEATHERMAN! Maybe he could be a superhero. It would
still be funny if he could'nt accurately predict the weather despite his ability to read
minds. /laughs to self. Oh hey that girl that just walked by was pretty hot. *friend
walks by* HELLO THERE! *engage in conversation until we get to class*.

THANKS

Originally Posted by 9001

Well, since I didn't want to create my own thread... I was wondering what functions are being used in this followeing mental conversation while walking in the halls from one class to the next.

Ti - internal analysis of why's behind one's own actions
Fe - is this socially appropriate subject? would this hurt anyone's feelings?
Ne - weird, absurd scenarios about telepathy & superheroes

I see, thank you :) I was wondering how Se and Ti and Se and Fi work together as well. Especially compared to Ne with those functions. Also, how Si looks different.

To understand how Se works, I think you may want to first understand how Ne does not work. Ne is not future-oriented like Ni. It does not deal with the abstract like introverting functions. Instead like all extraverting functions, Ne is present oriented and will focus on the immediate object. Only then can Ne consider the possibilities, not the future. Granted these possibilities may lead them momentarily away from the object, but at some point Ne will have to return to the object that prompted the possibilities.

Jung describes Ne this way:

Just as extraverted sensation strives to reach the highest pitch of actuality, extraverted intuition tries to encompass the greatest possibilities, since only through the awareness of possibilities is intuition fully satisfied. Intuition seeks to discover possibilities in the objective situation; so as a mere contributing function it is also the instrument which in the presence of a hopelessly blocked situation, works automatically towards the issue which no other function could discover.

Where extraverted intuition is dominant every ordinary situation in life seems like a closed room, which intuition has to open. It is constantly seeking outlets and fresh possibilities in external life. In a very short time every actual situation becomes a prison to the intuitive; it burdens him like a chain, prompting a compelling need for solution. At times objects would seem to have an almost exaggerated value, should they chance to represent the idea of a severance or release that might lead to the discovery of a new possibility.

In fact when going back to Jung, he says:

If I ask the intuitive how he is [p. 463] orientated, he will speak of things which are identical to sense-perceptions. Frequently he will even make use of the term 'sensation'. He actually has sensations, but he is not guided by them per se, merely using them as directing-points for his distant vision.

Based on an understanding of Ne, I think it's easy to appreciate that Se and Ne actually work the same way:

Se and Ne are both simultaneous in nature and involve perception of many things at once. This can lead to random activity as the outer world is scanned for additional information. With Se, there is an emphasis on possibilities for actions to take. With Ne, there is an emphasis on possibilities to be considered for action.