# Using Auxillary to get out of depresson/stress,etc



## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

trewdys said:


> No, it was conducted by a school teacher, who is also a certified MBTI facilitator. Here's roughly what he told us:
> 
> MBTI is about balance. Dom and Aux are conscious, Tert and Inf are unconscious. When your mind is functioning normally it uses those functions in the correct amount. Under moderate stress your mind will start to rely more and more on the Dom function, because that's the function it is most comfortable with. Under immense stress, since the Dom function hasn't been successful in resolving the source of stress, your mind flip-flips around and consciously uses the Inf function instead. But since the Inf function is undeveloped you use it badly. (They call it being "in the grip" of your Inferior) To get out of "the grip" you should do things to stimulate your Aux function. It is one of your conscious functions so it will flip your mind back to its normal state where the functions that ought to be conscious are consciously used. For example, the teacher, who is an INTP (Ne-aux), likes to go out to malls and shops and look around at new ideas and concepts in order to destress.


Wow! Thanks for sharing! makes perfect sense to me!


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

ephemereality said:


> Yes, I know of this theory and I actually think as per Jungian definition, that this is largely incorrect. We get stressed because we hold on too much onto our dominant, and as such, the unconscious influence of the inferior gets more power as well, and as such, it also means when it floats up into consciousness, it will be much more forceful than typical. Learning to balance the psyche is learning to let go of the dominant because the dominant is actually a psychological neurosis. That's why we hold onto it defensively, because it wards the ego against the inferior.


i don't believe the dominant is a psychological neurosis, if that were the case then everyone would be a robot identical to everyone else, the human race would be unbalanced because there would no longer be all the different skills that different types bring to the table, and there would be no 16 personality types. it doesn't make sense to me. i love Jung, but this doesn't make sense, sorry.

EDIT: i mean the part about where you say it's a psychological neurosis, the rest makes sense, just not that end part, or at least to me imo.

EDIT AGAIN: (sorry phone rang and distracted me) , yeah, so Jung is the one who created the 16 personality types, so why would he view the dom as a psychological neurosis, the 16 types would be eradicated if there was not the dom functions? i just can't make sense of it?


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## bearotter (Aug 10, 2012)

@_Dreamer777_ to clarify, one answer as to why he might've tied dominant type to psychological issues is Jung was a psychiatrist who wanted to treat patients in whom he noticed various psychological problems, and a lot of his types if one looks closer were not exactly how you see common manifestations of that dominant type --- usually they were portrayed exaggerated (e.g. a perceiving dominant who is such a perceiver that they barely exercise rational judgment).

So I don't think Jung believed hard and fast that your dominant type is detrimental in the sense of having a dominant type as something to be avoided, more like a necessary phase of life and development, but much of life one has to attain some level of unity with the opposite type that's been repressed. 


I'd say if one barely uses the auxiliary, and one is essentially overidentified with a single function, then developing an auxiliary will help, though the other inferior functions will make their appearance ultimately.


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

bearotter said:


> @_Dreamer777_ to clarify, one answer as to why he might've tied dominant type to psychological issues is Jung was a psychiatrist who wanted to treat patients in whom he noticed various psychological problems, and a lot of his types if one looks closer were not exactly how you see common manifestations of that dominant type --- usually they were portrayed exaggerated (e.g. a perceiving dominant who is such a perceiver that they barely exercise rational judgment).
> 
> So I don't think Jung believed hard and fast that your dominant type is detrimental in the sense of having a dominant type as something to be avoided, more like a necessary phase of life and development, but much of life one has to attain some level of unity with the opposite type that's been repressed.
> 
> ...


i don't think people change from their stacking order of functions and how they use them, they will be the same dom and inferior function til death, there will not be any balance of those 2, not happening. it would be good to ask 70+ yr olds who are familiar with typology what their views are on that? My Dad an ESTJ is the same ESTJ now as before, and my Mom an ESFP is the same ESFP now as before, and they are both now in the 70's. 

a question: if ur feeling down/stressed, doing what things makes you perk up and feel better?


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## bearotter (Aug 10, 2012)

@Dreamer777 if you mean they don't suddenly become a new type, sure. What can change is development of the repressed functions.

That doesn't happen in everyone, because only so much happens automatically without effort, and indeed growing past the limitations of type is generally a life-long struggle. 

What this struggle means is generally specific to the individual.


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

bearotter said:


> @Dreamer777 if you mean they don't suddenly become a new type, sure. What can change is development of the repressed functions.
> 
> That doesn't happen in everyone, because only so much happens automatically without effort, and indeed growing past the limitations of type is generally a life-long struggle.
> 
> What this struggle means is generally specific to the individual.


ya didn't answer my ? what things perks you up when you are feeling down/stressed?

and i have another question?

do you think that personality types have certain skill sets?


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## bearotter (Aug 10, 2012)

In stress, I usually want an explanation of the cause of stress to the fullest extent possible. 

As to skill sets, there can be a connection, but it's loose ultimately. I think actually a fair amount of mistype happens because of over-correlating type with skill set.


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

bearotter said:


> In stress, I usually want an explanation of the cause of stress to the fullest extent possible.


Ha! sounds like Te aux to me!! :happy:



> As to skill sets, there can be a connection, but it's loose ultimately. I think actually a fair amount of mistype happens because of over-correlating type with skill set.


can an ESTP be a nurse?


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## bearotter (Aug 10, 2012)

Well as to the question of can, I can only say yes. The question of likelihood involves collecting data I don't have, and I'd be skeptical of data fed to me because I'd have to know the framework being employed to type someone.


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## Sun Lips (Jan 28, 2013)

Dreamer777 said:


> well, i have an idea... next time you feel depressed try to find an activity to activate your Fe on, like deliberately try to find an activity, and see what happens and let us know, yeah? Thanks for your input!


I think that's a very good idea. I'll try experimenting with purposely engaging my Fe when I feel stressed or down, instead of neglecting it as I tend to do. I will report back.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

Dreamer777 said:


> i don't think people change from their stacking order of functions and how they use them, they will be the same dom and inferior function til death, there will not be any balance of those 2, not happening. it would be good to ask 70+ yr olds who are familiar with typology what their views are on that? My Dad an ESTJ is the same ESTJ now as before, and my Mom an ESFP is the same ESFP now as before, and they are both now in the 70's.
> 
> a question: if ur feeling down/stressed, doing what things makes you perk up and feel better?


If you want to know, what helps the most is engaging healthily in Se. And no, I'm not Se auxiliary just like wanting to understand a cause is not Te. Te doesn't look backwards like that exactly. 

When I am stressed, what happens is that I get too stuck in mental content as an escape mechanism. I don't act and I don't do. Acting on the source of stress is helping me leave its state as opposed to the analysis paralysis that occurs when I don't. Te is a part of that analysis paralysis because it helps me analyze in the first place, and Te being egoic is also a neurosis and thus part of the problem. I might explain why the dominant is a neurosis some other time when I'm not on the phone. The idea is similar to enneatype. Type is more or less mature. This is not type itself.


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## dulcinea (Aug 22, 2011)

I find as an Ni-dom, overstimulation is a huge issue at the work place, but, I do find that when I'm helping people and focusing on how I'm helping people, I can tolerate a lot more of it.


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

ephemereality said:


> If you want to know, what helps the most is engaging healthily in Se. And no, I'm not Se auxiliary just like wanting to understand a cause is not Te. Te doesn't look backwards like that exactly.
> 
> When I am stressed, what happens is that I get too stuck in mental content as an escape mechanism. I don't act and I don't do. Acting on the source of stress is helping me leave its state as opposed to the analysis paralysis that occurs when I don't. Te is a part of that analysis paralysis because it helps me analyze in the first place, and Te being egoic is also a neurosis and thus part of the problem. I might explain why the dominant is a neurosis some other time when I'm not on the phone. The idea is similar to enneatype. Type is more or less mature. This is not type itself.


here is what MisterDantes an INTJ posted in reply on page one of this thread:


> I'm a very balanced S/N person. I am very sensitive to moods and emotions in my surroundings (probably trained and stimulated alot in childhood) while at the same time constanly being thinking of other deeper stuff. This means that i can get very stressed out, both mentaly and emotionally, quite easily.
> 
> My rational and practical Te function is a great help sorting out the flood of both Ne and Se information, taking me out of an emotional storm while at the same time anchor my mind to the present in a practical manor.
> So i can totally see auxillary functions helping out.


What do you make of that?


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

dulcinea said:


> I find as an Ni-dom, overstimulation is a huge issue at the work place, but, I do find that when I'm helping people and focusing on how I'm helping people, I can tolerate a lot more of it.


So you as an INFJ aux Fe helps you when stressed from Ni overlaod?

That's awesome to hear! Thanks for sharing! 

makes perfect sense, because it's Fi overstimulation that stresses me out too, and when i deliberately find ways to engage my aux Ne i feel happy! lol  

i know there is more complexity to it with how all our functions work together, but the basic gist of it is that our depression/stress/anxiety comes from our dom function being overstimulated and our aux function if deliberately applied to activities that engage it will lift the stress/depression/anxiety off of dom function, wow, this is soooooooo cool!!!


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

Dreamer777 said:


> here is what MisterDantes an INTJ posted in reply on page one of this thread:
> 
> 
> > I'm a very balanced S/N person. I am very sensitive to moods and emotions in my surroundings


Depending on what is meant here, this is either Fe or Si or possibly both. I lean towards the latter. Just because people type as INTJ doesn't mean they are necessarily INTJs, imo. I tend to view people's types with a grain of salt. What is being described here is quite uncharacteristic for an INTJ anyway, possessing such awareness. 



> (probably trained and stimulated alot in childhood)


The way I see how cognitive functions lend themselves a specific worldview and awareness is that it cannot be trained by other people in childhood and later life. Attempting to engage in a function outside of one's egoic stack will for most of the part appear extremely unhealthy, unless it is an attempt to integrate the inferior.



> while at the same time constanly being thinking of other deeper stuff.


Doesn't say anything. Seems Ti-Fe that is being described as a whole, though, to be honest. 



> This means that i can get very stressed out, both mentaly and emotionally, quite easily.


I don't relate at all. This seems to fit the description of the emotivist quite well in socionics though, where the LII which is equivalent to the MBTI type of INTP, is an example of.

When I get mentally stressed out, it means I cannot understand something, which results in me overthinking about it. That's about the only time when I get mentally exhausted. Even so, the exhaustion is more like over-exertion, in that I keep thinking about it no end even though I know I should do something else. This is enneagram-related mostly being a head type. Mental exhaustion overall however, is not something I relate to. I could never think too much in a sense. The very idea actually baffles me a little. I don't understand the concept? How can you _not_ be thinking all the time? 



> My rational and practical Te function is a great help sorting out the flood of both Ne and Se information,


Te doesn't do internal sorting based on value of what seems to be described here. I don't relate. Te can help me to lend itself structure to my thinking but only when I express it externally. Why? Because Te is an extroverted function. It does not however, lend itself much towards internal organization. For that I must utilize Fi where I weigh each concept or idea based on their perceived internal value. 



> taking me out of an emotional storm while at the same time anchor my mind to the present in a practical manor.


Don't relate. When I am emotional I am also sensate because feeling is a part of my inferior, being SeFi. This results in me throwing emotional tantrums and the sorts when I'm upset. I yell, scream, want to break things apart etc. 



> What do you make of that?


Likely not INTJ, honestly. Not cognitively, anyway.


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## Carmine Ermine (Mar 11, 2012)

Dreamer777 said:


> so are you saying for you personally that using Ne is only a temporary fix that you enjoy when using, but the aftermath is destruction, like drug use? i'm not saying ur saying this, i'm asking if this is kind of like what you mean?


My Ti keeps my hopes up by indulging in research to find out new explanations of what's going on. Se is like taking in the chaotic energy from the world and Ti is trying to analyse it to increase understanding and effectiveness. The danger is of "over-analysis", but Ti can be like a drug because often it can find really creative ways to channel the energy received from Se.

Overall I think it's good. Ti never gives up hope.


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## deftonePassenger (Jun 18, 2012)

Dreamer777 said:


> EDIT: @_deftonePassenger_
> 
> so, do you think it gets us out of depression without a bad effect, like think a bit about it and ponder with Si lol ??


When used right, yeah, it can put me in a much better mood! Ne paired with Fe when I'm wasted is pretty awesome


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## Quernus (Dec 8, 2011)

deftonePassenger said:


> I'm sure that what you're saying could hold true for many. For me, however, it's my auxiliary function (Ne) that gets me into stressful and depressing scenarios. Ex: the more I use Ne (and, therefore, less Si), the more I lose realistic sight of a situation and let them get out of hand.


That is a fascinating perspective and upon reflection I believe I can relate. My auxiliary is also Ne and I definitely tend to end up more stressed out/depressed after I crash down from my world of fantasy and improvisation, realizing I don't actually have a plan in place and that things aren't nearly what I wanted them to be/fantasized them to be/hoped them to be.

On the other hand it does help me think of or notice new possibilities, and I'm able to once again distract myself or get out of my funk (after spending some time freaking out in despair and hopelessness over the state of reality). I use it to freshen my perspective and get lost in the magnificence of twisted, quirky, funny, artistic opportunity. But looking at it this way, it's a temporary fix, fitting in with the drug analogy someone posted. Hmmm. Interesting.


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

MisterDantes said:


> I'm a very balanced S/N person. I am very sensitive to moods and emotions in my surroundings (probably trained and stimulated alot in childhood) while at the same time constanly being thinking of other deeper stuff. This means that i can get very stressed out, both mentaly and emotionally, quite easily.
> 
> My rational and practical Te function is a great help sorting out the flood of both Ne and Se information, taking me out of an emotional storm while at the same time anchor my mind to the present in a practical manor.
> So i can totally see auxillary functions helping out.


MisterDantes, the topic has come up about your post as to whether you are an INTJ or not? are you sure you're an INTJ and do you mean Ni and Se rather than Ne and Se?


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## MisterDantes (Nov 24, 2013)

> MisterDantes, the topic has come up about your post as to whether you are an INTJ or not


Oops, well crap, that's really unrelated to the thread but i guess that shows how important it is to be correct about your spelling and stuff



> are you sure you're an INTJ and do you mean Ni and Se rather than Ne and Se?


I'm very sure that I'm an INTJ, as I've been taking different MBTI tests spread out over 3 months and all have said the same thing.
and I did a mistake; it's supposed to be Ni and Se. To make things clear, my functions are in the following hierarchy: 
Te>Ti>Ni>Fi>Si>Ne>Fe>Se
So i'm pretty sure that I'm that I'm Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and (considering my need for structures and plans for everything) , also J
Thus INTJ
@ephemereality


> What is being described here is quite uncharacteristic for an INTJ anyway, possessing such awareness


Everyone is different I guess.

All that is needed to know for this thread is the fact that I use T to solve my problems, regardless if it's practical or personal problems.
Sry for causing such ruckus on this thread :/ never thought a typo would cause this much problems.


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## Recede (Nov 23, 2011)

Dreamer777 said:


> In your own words, could you describe to me what you ENFP's do when you are in a dom ter loop? That would be Ne/Te loop.


Hmm. I read the description of it but I've never experienced anything like that. Actually, I wonder if it could have something to do with the way I approached trying to type myself for a while. Basically I'd get a what-if-I'm-actually-this-type idea and then I'd go research, reading descriptions and forum posts. And then I'd make yet another type me thread to get more input. I never felt like I had enough information to type myself. Eventually I began observing my feelings and reactions to all my experiences, which has helped me a lot. I'm learning what perspectives I like and dislike.

I really can't guarantee I'm actually an ENFP though.


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

Silveresque said:


> Hmm. I read the description of it but I've never experienced anything like that. Actually, I wonder if it could have something to do with the way I approached trying to type myself for a while. Basically I'd get a what-if-I'm-actually-this-type idea and then I'd go research, reading descriptions and forum posts. And then I'd make yet another type me thread to get more input. I never felt like I had enough information to type myself. Eventually I began observing my feelings and reactions to all my experiences, which has helped me a lot. I'm learning what perspectives I like and dislike.
> 
> I really can't guarantee I'm actually an ENFP though.


Well, a dom ter loop in my own definition, means that you get locked in with your dom function and ter function, and your ter function overstimulates your dom function in a negative irrational unhealthy way, it is very painful in the psyche to go through it. I believe it is what causes eruption of the inferior function imo. And then deliberately forcing and engaging the aux function in an activity will bring us out of this dom ter loop and inferior function eruption which the symptoms of these loops are things like depression, stress, irrational assumptions, anxiety, panic, fears, etc, all that negative painful stuff in the psyche.

Did you ever read any of the articles by Naomi Quenk on eruption of inferior functions of the different types to try to help determine which type you are?


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## nonnaci (Sep 25, 2011)

Dreamer777 said:


> so nonnaci, i notice you don't have a type listed in your avatar, is what you're saying here that you are an ISxP?


I consider my functions, from most to least differentiated ordered, to be Ti, Ni, Se, Fe, which is closest to ISTP. For stress relief, I will direct my attention to processes that favor either Ni (often as a way of re-framing circumstances), or to Se (as a way to remove excess energy/toxins from the body/mental system).


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## Recede (Nov 23, 2011)

Dreamer777 said:


> Did you ever read any of the articles by Naomi Quenk on eruption of inferior functions of the different types to try to help determine which type you are?


I've read them multiple times over the last few years and found them unhelpful. 

I haven't asked for help determining my type and I'm not looking for any at the moment. I've already settled on ENFP for now.


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## Dreamer777 (Jan 15, 2011)

Silveresque said:


> I've read them multiple times over the last few years and found them unhelpful.
> 
> I haven't asked for help determining my type and I'm not looking for any at the moment. I've already settled on ENFP for now.


well, to understand how your aux function gets you out of stress/anxiety/depression etc, you would have to know your type to know what your aux function is? so that's why i was wondering what type you are? however that could be a way of helping to determine your type by looking at what activities if you engage in helps to free you from your stress/depression etc, as it would show what cognitive function is being used for those activities?


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## MightyLizardKing (Jun 7, 2014)

Yep, 100% true for me. I always use Ti to really assess a situation, and once I do I usually find I've been blowing it out of proportion (talking about stressful situations here of course).


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## lawof23 (Jul 25, 2014)

Sorry for being late to this party, but I pretty much *had* to read this thread because this particular idea 'occurred' [Ni] to me, and then when I tried and (internally) systematise it [Ti] with a sheet of the functions and types in front of me it started to look more and more obvious.

To directly answer your question: personally, yes, I strongly agree that this seems to be true. Admittedly only one, but I asked an ENFJ about it and their answer showed reliance on the same thing. I was explaining that for me Fe is what I need to engage with to really 'perk me up' when I'm feeling negative and/or 'lost in the head' [Ni-Ti]. The ENFJ's reply showed that what they found helpful was engaging their Ni to 'perk them up'. 

2 further 'observations', if I may venture them, which I wonder about spreading more generally:

(i) all the types have a different "negative loop" between dominant and tertiary. "Mine" is Ni-Ti, but the ENFJ's loop is Fe-Se. From INFPs I have come across, I think they might find unhappiness in a Fi-Si loop.

Is there any danger of this idea being "true" in anyone else's experience?

(ii) when I *am* actually in a grumpy/negative mood, being an "I" (ie: INFJ) getting the energy together to "get out there and Fe" can be hard because ultimately I can only 'tolerate' so much social contact before I need to recharge. The ENFJ I was speaking to reported finding it hard to "get in there and Ni" because - similarly, though of course also differently - as an "E" they were most concerned about feeling drained by focussing internally too much.

This just struck me as an annoying "irony" (well, annoying perhaps is the better word) of type - to be a "happy" INFJ it's necessary to engage in things which "drain" my energy. Just so: at least the particular ENFJ I was talking to could recognise it as being "ironic" that keeping their happiness topped up involved engaging in "draining" behaviour.

Does this 'sparkle' with any other types, or at least - let's start small! - with any other INFJs about?

Just noodling, hope this hasn't arrived entirely too late to be useful to the thread overall.


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

Not always.
It really depends on other factors.
If you are in a bad place, filtering the world trough the object won't help you more than subjective rumination.
I think people give the functions too much credit.
I can use any of the functions to deal with the concept of slitting my wrists.
It is still destructive no matter how you approach it.


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## melogna (Jul 26, 2014)

When I use Ti, I feel less stressed and more energized and excited, so I see how that could work. Specifically, reading up on scientific/philosophical theories and the like helps me take the focus off myself.


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## olias (Jul 19, 2014)

Or, perhaps here's a further take on this idea:

For responding to Dom/tertiary loops, getting the person to exercise their auxiliary is ideal.

For responding to inferior function grip experiences, getting the person to exercise their tertiary first for a time, THEN once they seem to have drained some of the energy from the inferior function, encouraging them to exercise their auxiliary until the dominant function is once again primary.


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## malachi.holden.3 (Jul 2, 2014)

I think stress often comes out of over-use of the auxiliary function. Because the auxiliary has the opposite introvert/extrovert polarity as your dominant, you will get tired and stressed by using it. For instance, one of my favorite things to do is design 3D models on Sketchup, which is a great use of Te. However, if I do it for to long, I get tired and want to play video games or read a book, which is much more introverted.


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## olias (Jul 19, 2014)

malachi.holden.3 said:


> I think stress often comes out of over-use of the auxiliary function. Because the auxiliary has the opposite introvert/extrovert polarity as your dominant, you will get tired and stressed by using it. For instance, one of my favorite things to do is design 3D models on Sketchup, which is a great use of Te. However, if I do it for to long, I get tired and want to play video games or read a book, which is much more introverted.


I think that kind of 3D modeling might be better understood as utilizing Ti. Which would explain why you find it taxing. Maybe a bit of Si too? But Si might be a stretch.


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## malachi.holden.3 (Jul 2, 2014)

olias said:


> I think that kind of 3D modeling might be better understood as utilizing Ti. Which would explain why you find it taxing. Maybe a bit of Si too? But Si might be a stretch.


Could be. But it seems to be more exterior than interior, if you know what I mean. Like I'm pouring energy out of myself onto the project.


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## olias (Jul 19, 2014)

That I do.


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