# Beginning to doubt my cognitive functions...



## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

I have observed that the very concept of cognitive functions has undergone an enlightening renovation of sorts (thanks to @_arkigos_ and @_ephemereality_ and many others [one could say that this is a ploy to get them to reply to my post but I assure you, invisible skeptic, this is genuine!]) since the last time I was active here... which is great! This is definitely a good time to get interested in typology. However, now I'm starting to doubt whether I have a different set of cognitive functions at my disposal altogether. Obviously, the cognitive functions I had been acquainted with as of yet are much different in terms of definition. I guess you could even say that in the arena of typology, my whole life has been a lie!

Anyway, I'm not sure what I should do now. Attempt yet another questionnaire (I must have done hundreds by now... including the ones that get stuck in my mind because I'm too lazy to write them)? Write a description? I think the best and most convenient action would be to answer a variety of independent questions...


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

How about describing your life, how you see yourself and who you think you are?


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

Hmmmm... sounds intimidating but I'll oblige.

First of all, what should I talk about? My present life? Or a summary of how my life has been? 
For some reason, I'm finding it difficult to determine how to write in such a way that everything about myself is encompassed efficiently. How I see myself? I'm already beginning to think how I see myself in my mind... and yet, for some reason, I cannot seem to translate those thoughts into words.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

ScarrDragon said:


> Hmmmm... sounds intimidating but I'll oblige.
> 
> First of all, what should I talk about? My present life? Or a summary of how my life has been?


Whatever you feel like talking about.


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## Octavian (Nov 24, 2013)

ScarrDragon said:


> Hmmmm... sounds intimidating but I'll oblige.
> 
> First of all, what should I talk about? My present life? Or a summary of how my life has been?


Either is fine just keep in mind that functional preference has to do processing, not behavior, feelings, and thoughts. Don't sequentially list events or state things that have happened to you. Explain major changes and how you've reacted, major decisions and the thoughts that triggered them. I've the hunch that you lead with an extroverted function and introspection is not something you're accustomed to....


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## Mutant Hive Queen (Oct 29, 2013)

ephemereality said:


> Whatever you feel like talking about.


...can I port over my Socionics discussion of myself and get _it_ analyzed too? :tongue:

I'm fairly certain of my type, I just find people's analyses of me interesting. XD


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

Octavian said:


> Either is fine just keep in mind that functional preference has to do processing, not behavior, feelings, and thoughts. Don't sequentially list events or state things that have happened to you. Explain major changes and how you've reacted, major decisions and the thoughts that triggered them. I've the hunch that you lead with an extroverted function and introspection is not something you're accustomed to....


I actually introspect a lot. It is often even stimulating. And yet, for some reason, I find myself at a loss for words when I'm asked to do it or introspect in writing. Introspection is something I excel at when I do it mentally, but terrible otherwise.


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## Octavian (Nov 24, 2013)

ScarrDragon said:


> I actually introspect a lot. It is often even stimulating. And yet, for some reason, I find myself at a loss for words when I'm asked to do it.


Could you link me to one of the questionairres you've done?


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

Octavian said:


> Could you link me to one of the questionairres you've done?


Sure. 
http://personalitycafe.com/entp-forum-visionaries/164459-banality-restored-entp-intp.html
http://personalitycafe.com/whats-my-socionics-type/177916-route-2-0-new-adventure.html
http://personalitycafe.com/whats-my-personality-type/174034-retrogression-back-square-one-again.html

Although, I'm not sure whether these will work... they seem rather superficial now.

I recommend the first one. I must have been my obnoxious self during the second one. Now that I think about it, I was suffering numerous adversities at that time. The third one is pretty decent. It contains two questionnaires.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

ScarrDragon said:


> I actually introspect a lot. It is often even stimulating. And yet, for some reason, I find myself at a loss for words when I'm asked to do it or introspect in writing. Introspection is something I excel at when I do it mentally, but terrible otherwise.


Why is that exactly? Alternatively, could a video recording work if you are comfortable with that? Or just a voice over recording? I find that questionnaire answers aren't always meaningful because the questions are dichotomized or such. People don't tend to always reflect on the question itself and produce short and meaningless answers which no real way to tell what was involved as a cognitive process.

I mean really, it could be such a simple thing as describing what you did during your day if you are comfortable with that. I am not as interested in what kind of information you are conveying as much as how you convey that information which is to say, avoid "I'm such and such person like I'm more J than I am P" or "I am more structured than I am organized" but you probably know this already, but just saying. 

If you want to describe how good your breakfast was go ahead.


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

ephemereality said:


> Why is that exactly? Alternatively, could a video recording work if you are comfortable with that? Or just a voice over recording? I find that questionnaire answers aren't always meaningful because the questions are dichotomized or such. People don't tend to always reflect on the question itself and produce short and meaningless answers which no real way to tell what was involved as a cognitive process.


That wouldn't help much, I'm afraid. 
I used to believe it was merely a problem of inadequate vocabulary. I think that's one of the principal reasons why I assiduously began to develop my vocabulary a few years ago, but that's irrelevant. Hmmmm... it's a strange phenomenon. And it's frustrating. I can be exceptionally articulate when I'm thinking of something but somehow I'm awful at verbalizing what I'm thinking. This also infuriates me whenever I try to write a novel.

I just thought this would be interesting to consider. I had been suffering from a barrage of depression over the past month and I sent this message to a friend. Come to think of it, maybe I should talk about my depression! 

* *




"Life is so boring and dull. It doesn't even have a meaning anymore. All I do nowadays is wake up, browse the internet, eat, silently whine and go back to sleep. The fact that I'm sending you this message for no reason speaks volumes about my situation. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. I'm just wasting my time, my body and my mind. Seriously, I thought April would be a fun month after the conclusion of high school. But I still feel as if I'm stuck in rut, imprisoned in the prison of monotony. The world is constantly changing and here I am, the passive personification of boredom. I'm sure that's what I would keep doing in the following weeks too, maybe for all eternity until I finally decompose. Wake up, internet, TV, bed. Rinse and repeat. Existential depression sucks."




* *







* *




"It's a vicious paradox. Facebook depresses me. And yet, it's also essential for me in some ways. Would you have known me if not for Facebook? Probably not. Not many would have.
To be honest, I could upload the entirety of my existence and my consciousness into the internet and nothing much would change in the real world.
People recognize me on the internet but I might as well be invisible in the real world. Not really, unless I'm putting on my artificial persona. Of course, all of it is my fault, for ignoring certain things when I was young. Essentially, I'm appreciated as an idea, not as a person.I understand I'm probably annoying you with my melancholic monologues but I can't control them. They had remained imprisoned in my mind for far too long because I could not find anyone who would care about them."


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

I see ENTP or INTP in this.


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

ephemereality said:


> I see ENTP or INTP in this.


Well, so the cognitive functions are the same, after all!
Can you please explain why you think so? I like having my posts analyzed.


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## Entropic (Jun 15, 2012)

ScarrDragon said:


> Well, so the cognitive functions are the same, after all!
> Can you please explain why you think so? I like having my posts analyzed.





> That wouldn't help much, I'm afraid.
> I used to believe it was merely a problem of inadequate vocabulary. I think that's one of the principal reasons why I assiduously began to develop my vocabulary a few years ago, but that's irrelevant. Hmmmm... it's a strange phenomenon. And it's frustrating. I can be exceptionally articulate when I'm thinking of something but somehow I'm awful at verbalizing what I'm thinking. This also infuriates me whenever I try to write a novel.


This here seems to be that you are leading with perception and the logic that underlies your reasoning is decidedly Ti. You seem frustrated mostly because perception takes preference over judgement, hence the difficulty at verbalizing thoughts. I relate, by the way. 



> "Life is so boring and dull. It doesn't even have a meaning anymore. All I do nowadays is wake up, browse the internet, eat, silently whine and go back to sleep. The fact that I'm sending you this message for no reason speaks volumes about my situation. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do. I'm just wasting my time, my body and my mind. Seriously, I thought April would be a fun month after the conclusion of high school. But I still feel as if I'm stuck in rut, imprisoned in the prison of monotony. The world is constantly changing and here I am, the passive personification of boredom. I'm sure that's what I would keep doing in the following weeks too, maybe for all eternity until I finally decompose. Wake up, internet, TV, bed. Rinse and repeat. Existential depression sucks."


My impression here seems to be Pe dominant, Pi inferior. You are describing the world as if it's full of novelty ready to be explored and you have a desire to explore it but cannot because your depression makes your inferior Pi influence your psyche negatively. This is typical of Pe doms. The monotony in which you describe your life and how you focus on your daily maintenance is what ultimately suggests inferior Si, not inferior Ni. Si dominance relishes in the monotone like this, because repetition of events help them to deepen their sensory experience. Hence they can be very ritualistic.



> "It's a vicious paradox. Facebook depresses me. And yet, it's also essential for me in some ways. Would you have known me if not for Facebook? Probably not. Not many would have.
> To be honest, I could upload the entirety of my existence and my consciousness into the internet and nothing much would change in the real world.
> People recognize me on the internet but I might as well be invisible in the real world. Not really, unless I'm putting on my artificial persona. Of course, all of it is my fault, for ignoring certain things when I was young. Essentially, I'm appreciated as an idea, not as a person.I understand I'm probably annoying you with my melancholic monologues but I can't control them. They had remained imprisoned in my mind for far too long because I could not find anyone who would care about them."


This seems more like a complaint with Fe, seeking emotional impact in a larger objective and collective sense, but also seeking recognition. It also seems to be coupled with sensation because you speak of yourself as being of something quite unreal, that you are fake. You as an actual person lacks a certain grounding in reality. Goes in line with the previous paragraph about egoic intuition.


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

ephemereality said:


> This here seems to be that you are leading with perception and the logic that underlies your reasoning is decidedly Ti. You seem frustrated mostly because perception takes preference over judgement, hence the difficulty at verbalizing thoughts. I relate, by the way.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That was a great and informative analysis, thank you. In a weird way, it was stimulating.


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## Psychopomp (Oct 3, 2012)

(E)NTP

I refuse to analyze you because I have reason to believe that my efforts in this regard are being actively erased from time by some presumably malevolent force. I must find another way to get through to you.

I'm sorry. 

I can ask, though, why the constant confusion? The functions stand before you. Putting this on us seems peculiar. You tell US what you are. If you cannot, then I must ask .... why?


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

arkigos said:


> (E)NTP
> 
> I refuse to analyze you because I have reason to believe that my efforts in this regard are being actively erased from time by some presumably malevolent force. I must find another way to get through to you.
> 
> ...


I think, inherently, I just like being analyzed. Sure, I was also overcome by another burst of confusion after realizing that my current (now former) understanding of cognitive functions was flawed which instigated me to have another attempt at discovering my personality type. However, I've come to the conclusion that it's all a matter of self-analysis. I love understanding myself (I just realized how that could be interpreted as narcissism by some, haha). Of course, my good ol' indecisiveness and dubiousness are also factors.
Hmmmm... I'm still on the road to discover who am I, or at least know how to describe myself, I guess.


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## Cellar Door (Jun 3, 2012)

ScarrDragon said:


> I think, inherently, I just like being analyzed. Sure, I was also overcome by another burst of confusion after realizing that my current (now former) understanding of cognitive functions was flawed which instigated me to have another attempt at discovering my personality type. However, I've come to the conclusion that it's all a matter of self-analysis. I love understanding myself (I just realized how that could be interpreted as narcissism by some, haha). Of course, my good ol' indecisiveness and dubiousness are also factors.
> Hmmmm... I'm still on the road to discover who am I, or at least know how to describe myself, I guess.


You're not alone, I love being analyzed too. After reading your depression description in your spoilers it reminded me a lot of my younger self. I don't know your motivations for being interested in typology, but this stuff will do you more harm than good if you're in an endless cycle of routine that involves eating, sleeping, TV, and internet.

My summer before college was kind of like that, except there were video games mixed in there. Adding "having sex, getting drunk with friends, smoking weed, working out/getting jacked, and making money" to your routine will bring you more happiness than typology ever will.


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## Psychopomp (Oct 3, 2012)

ScarrDragon said:


> I think, inherently, I just like being analyzed. Sure, I was also overcome by another burst of confusion after realizing that my current (now former) understanding of cognitive functions was flawed which instigated me to have another attempt at discovering my personality type. However, I've come to the conclusion that it's all a matter of self-analysis. I love understanding myself (I just realized how that could be interpreted as narcissism by some, haha). Of course, my good ol' indecisiveness and dubiousness are also factors.
> Hmmmm... I'm still on the road to discover who am I, or at least know how to describe myself, I guess.


What is that understanding? Why do YOU think you are an Ne-dom?

I am pretty uncomfortable with the idea of pronouncing ENTP on someone who is confused by and not inclined to engage the functions themselves.... as I'd expect an Ne dom to engage them quite directly. Capturing the essence of things, especially logically parse-able ones, is unquestionably the core strength of an ENTP. 



Cellar Door said:


> You're not alone, I love being analyzed too. After reading your depression description in your spoilers it reminded me a lot of my younger self. I don't know your motivations for being interested in typology, but this stuff will do you more harm than good if you're in an endless cycle of routine that involves eating, sleeping, TV, and internet.
> 
> My summer before college was kind of like that, except there were video games mixed in there. Adding "having sex, getting drunk with friends, smoking weed, working out/getting jacked, and making money" to your routine will bring you more happiness than typology ever will.


!? haha! Getting ... jacked? I had to look up what that even meant.


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## Serpent (Aug 6, 2015)

arkigos said:


> What is that understanding? Why do YOU think you are an Ne-dom?
> 
> I am pretty uncomfortable with the idea of pronouncing ENTP on someone who is confused by and not inclined to engage the functions themselves.... as I'd expect an Ne dom to engage them quite directly. Capturing the essence of things, especially logically parse-able ones, is unquestionably the core strength of an ENTP.


I suppose I just have an ethereal understanding of the concept such that I'm incapable of translating my comprehension into words... or maybe I just get overwhelmed. Maybe I'm just bad at explaining myself. I've often remarked how I'm quite good at explaining whatever goes outside my head but terrible at explaining what goes inside my head. Even now, I'm thinking of so many things I can write... and yet, I cannot write them. I think I can do it, but I cannot, dunno if it's inadequacy or indolence. And it happened again... the first time I read your post, I started introspecting and contemplating for a while, mentally answering the question posed in your post. At that time, it sounded great. But now, I don't even know how to begin. I have so much to tell... but I don't know how to tell. Or rather, I can't seem to tell. It's as if my mental faculties have suddenly given up on me, perhaps preventing me from divulging whatever takes place inside my head, like an envious partner who doesn't want our secrets to be shared by anyone else. 

Okay, maybe I became a little too theatrical there. Which reminds me, I often tend to do this. Whenever I have to explain something which is not clear to me, I somehow come up with an outlandish and exaggerated justification to avoid the awkward moment. Once, in high school, I was bored and tired as usual. The person sitting next to me told me to move my seat back, apparently because that was the procedure. I was too lazy. So, I just turned to him and said, "Why retreat when you can remain in the front? In life, we should always either move forward or hold our ground. Retrogression is for cowards." It's amusing how I transitory became philosophical just because I was too lazy to move furniture.

Another one. A long time ago, my father was once scolding me for messing up in a Math test by putting the positive sign instead of the negative one. At the end of his lecture, I calmly said, "Well, at least I have a positive outlook on life. Isn't that great? Maybe it's a sign that I'm an optimist."

Now that I think about it, I wrote much more than I had expected to write. Incredible. I also just realized again that I have a penchant for getting distracted. I just switched tabs and I was ephemerally surprised to see The Fellowship Of The Ring playing in mute, already about 45 minutes in. I'd forgotten all about it. It's remarkable how I keep adding to this post from time to time. I'm grateful for the Edit function.


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