[Eluquise]

This is really hard for me to explain, but I'm dying to know if you ISFJs feel the same way, so here goes.

Do you ever feel like when you think to yourself, it's usually in the form of an emotion instead of words? Like, do you assign an emotion to everything, even if it's a bit subconcious? Do you remember a standard or fact by the way it made you feel and not as much by the facts, like you know exactly why you believe something, but you couldn't put it into words?

My only example would be when someone asks me what a certain word means. It could be a word that I use frequently and completely understand, but I won't be able to describe it with words. I've assigned an emotion to it, but I can't transfer that emotion to you. It may be that I learned the word through circumstance and can't describe how I came about it's meaning.



Sometimes I know all of the facts on why I believe in something, but I can't explain them in common terms. I'm wondering if this is just my lack of social skills or something. Maybe I'm just weird... this is just so hard to explain. xD

[Thumper]

A lot of times I can't explain what I mean.. Especially when it come to things I believe in. Thats why it's terrifying for me to get into a discussion about my believes because I can't explain it in simple words. Maybe it's because I associate it with a feeling, I don't know, but I think you are on to something.

When it come to things say, I say a lot of wired things. Either I pick it up somewhere or I come up with it myself. Mostly I can explain why I say what I say but sometimes it just seems right without explanation. Maybe it's the feeling thing again. I'm glad you take it up, and you are definitely not weird cause I fell the same way! :) (or maybe we are both weird :b)

[stephiphi]

This sounds very familiar, even though you have a hard time explaining it.

I think it has a great deal to do with our primary usage of Si: The Introverted Sensation Function (Si) and Misconceptions

So when we experience and learn new things, we pick up knowledge of these things rather unconsciously and store them away. When asked to put them to use, we rely on those tidbits internalized into a form best described by the word "feelings" and are often able to succeed at the task at hand. We falter when asked to explain our reasoning, because it has been translated into a completely different language in our own minds, and we don't quite know how to translate it back into a spoken/written language.


One example that sticks out in my mind is when someone asked me how I was able to improvise dance moves in the context of my social dancing hobby. I racked my brain for an answer, but my knowledge of improvisation had been translated into "feeling the music and where it's going and then moving to match it" based on my combined musical and dance backgrounds. I was able to come up with a slightly better answer than that, but not by much and it took awhile.

(On second thought, maybe that's just a tough question to answer in general! Agh, I don't know.)

It's interesting that we store information in this way... I do wonder what cognitive function would be most suited to verbal explanations of abstract things, though. Thinking of some sort? (Ti/Te?)

[SocioApathetic]

For me, it's like my emotions are made up of thoughts. Meaning, in a certain situation that (let's say) should elicit sadness, I will usually say to myself: "Okay, time to be sad". Externally, I will show sadness. Internally, it's a battle not to stop and just continue doing whatever I was doing before.

[NineTypesOfLight]

I relate completely. There are times when I have to remind myself to think more objectively so I don't get too wrapped up in my feelings. I think this is why we come off as "sensitive" people, because essentially everything us ISFJ's think revolves around feelings.

For me, it's like my emotions are made up of thoughts. Meaning, in a certain situation that (let's say) should elicit sadness, I will usually say to myself: "Okay, time to be sad". Externally, I will show sadness. Internally, it's a battle not to stop and just continue doing whatever I was doing before.

This sounds like a classic INTJ way of thinking.

For the ISFJ it's the other way around, I'd say. Usually, I get an emotion first, then only a moment or two later I'll acknowledge I'm feeling a certain (negative) way. It's a bit difficult to explain, but for example, if I'm feeling content and something that someone says to me makes me feel bad, I might not register how big of an effect that person's words had on me on the spot. It has to sink in for a while and I'll notice the connection later.

[friction]

Yes, I think I experience what you're describing.

If someone denies saying something to me, I'll say - with absolute conviction - 'no, I know you said it, because I remember feeling <insert emotion> when you said it (and I couldn't have felt it unless you said it, so that's my proof)'. I might also remember some peripheral sentences uttered at that moment.

That makes me reliant on my feelings coupled with some details for facts of what happened. I think I rely on how I remember feeling more the details though, because while I might forget the specifics of the conversation, I usually don't forget how it made me feel. I have also noticed that I need to 'feel' a situation or learning experience in order for me to remember the details of it. If I'm just listening to someone talk, chances are I'll have forgotten what they've said the next minute.

It might be a result of Feeling coupled with Si-dom. I would imagine that a T w/Si would remember the whole conversation and would be able to replay the salient points which would build up towards the 'natural logical sentence that should have been said', and that would be their proof.

[Eluquise]

That makes me reliant on my feelings coupled with some details for facts of what happened. I think I rely on how I remember feeling more the details though, because while I might forget the specifics of the conversation, I usually don't forget how it made me feel. I have also noticed that I need to 'feel' a situation or learning experience in order for me to remember the details of it. If I'm just listening to someone talk, chances are I'll have forgotten what they've said the next minute.

It might be a result of Feeling coupled with Si-dom. I would imagine that a T w/Si would remember the whole conversation and would be able to replay the salient points which would build up towards the 'natural logical sentence that should have been said', and that would be their proof.

That's exactly how I am. Sometimes I'll actually spend time trying to recall how something made me feel in order to remember it better. I think that's why I tend to be so nostalgic.

I think you may be onto something with the T/Si. My mother is an ISTJ and she can give a play by play of everything that happend. The way she teaches actually confuses me for some reason, even though I know she's trying to help. I believe it has something to do with the thinking/feeling barrier. While she uses words to describe exactly what to do, I'm thinking about the emotional and/or subconcious way to figure it out, if that makes any sense. xD

[fabon]

interesting, I can notice the same thing. After so many years, I still remember when in primary school we were thought what words irritation and irony mean. Another day, teacher was checking what I remembered from last lesson and what those words mean. My god, that was a challenge; I did know what they mean by more like thru situation when I felt that irritation in myself or in case of irony - thru experience of situation when someone used the word in front of me and my feelings and associations about that.

[Adasta]

My only example would be when someone asks me what a certain word means. It could be a word that I use frequently and completely understand, but I won't be able to describe it with words. I've assigned an emotion to it, but I can't transfer that emotion to you. It may be that I learned the word through circumstance and can't describe how I came about it's meaning.

Hello Fi.

As an ISFJ, I think the circumstantial aspect will be more relevant; for me, it would be the conceptual understanding. Therefore, ISFJs might express a feeling and then say "Yeah, but you just weren't there!" whereas an INFP would say "Yeah, but you just don't understand!"

ISFJs worry more about making sure they are there for everyone else than what they might really be feeling. ISFJs are oddly poor at Fi-expression. They'll bypass the actual meaning sometimes and just fixate on the sentiment. For example, instead of saying "I'm really upset about my recent break-up" they'll say "I'll be alright tomorrow", or make a joke to break the "tension".

[Tucken]

This is really hard for me to explain, but I'm dying to know if you ISFJs feel the same way, so here goes.

Do you ever feel like when you think to yourself, it's usually in the form of an emotion instead of words? Like, do you assign an emotion to everything, even if it's a bit subconcious? Do you remember a standard or fact by the way it made you feel and not as much by the facts, like you know exactly why you believe something, but you couldn't put it into words?

My only example would be when someone asks me what a certain word means. It could be a word that I use frequently and completely understand, but I won't be able to describe it with words. I've assigned an emotion to it, but I can't transfer that emotion to you. It may be that I learned the word through circumstance and can't describe how I came about it's meaning.

Sometimes I know all of the facts on why I believe in something, but I can't explain them in common terms. I'm wondering if this is just my lack of social skills or something. Maybe I'm just weird... this is just so hard to explain. xD

THIS happens a lot. The rest I'm not sure about. When I'm on the web, I can usually find a way to explain what I mean. But that can take hours of writing and re-writing posts. I know well how I feel on subjects, but when I try and communicate it to other people IRL it gets very awkward. It's very hard, then. I have found a way around this, though, by really slowing down. Sometimes when I manage to, I become very clear. It is like then my brain have the time to structure what I'm saying, what I want to get across.