Are perceivers happier?

[La Sagna]

It kind of seems that way to me. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Perceivers spend less time thinking about how things 'should be' and therefore get less disappointed about life and less disappointed with people not behaving the way they should. They also spend less time trying to do the 'right thing' and more time just enjoying life and what comes their way.

 

[sassafras]

Nope, I'd say everyone is pretty much equally miserable on the inside. What people 'appear like' on the outside is seldom what they truly feel. They might not work through their feelings the same way, but pain and unhappiness plagues everyone.

The only difference is, some types are more susceptible to indulging in their pain as a defense mechanism from what they truly fear and thus, may indulge in their unhappiness much longer.


Particularly if they have accepted it as part of their identity.

 

[Nixie]

Kinda rude to think that perceivers spend less time "doing the right thing". LOL I mean as a J type, if you look at that kind of statement, was that the "right thing" to say about people? The inference about the opposite of "right" being "wrong"?

I am very optimistic. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about stuff I can't control. I can agree on a certain level that J types tend to paint themselves into moral corners more often which creates dissonance within the subconscious which may cause a greater deal of shame/guilt/anxiety.

 

[DonTaushMe]

You're making yourself unhappy by thinking you'd be happier being a P than a J and all around not accepting yourself for who you are. And the 'right and wrong' thing and how things 'should be' is incredibly offensive. People who are happy are happy because they don't dwell on their short comings or live in the misery of 'what if's and 'if only's. They accept their life and go from there.

 

[La Sagna]

Nope, I'd say everyone is pretty much equally miserable on the inside. What people 'appear like' on the outside is seldom what they truly feel. They might not work through their feelings the same way, but pain and unhappiness plagues everyone.

The only difference is, some types are more susceptible to indulging in their pain as a defense mechanism from what they truly fear and thus, may indulge in their unhappiness much longer.


Particularly if they have accepted it as part of their identity.

I know people who have accepted 'being unhappy' as a part of their identity so I can what you mean about that.

For the perceivers, it just seems to me that if you don't have any expectations of things then there is less disappointment and if you are more flexible then there are more options that will make you happy.

 

[La Sagna]

Kinda rude to think that perceivers spend less time "doing the right thing". LOL I mean as a J type, if you look at that kind of statement, was that the "right thing" to say about people? The inference about the opposite of "right" being "wrong"?

I am very optimistic. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about stuff I can't control. I can agree on a certain level that J types tend to paint themselves into moral corners more often which creates dissonance within the subconscious which may cause a greater deal of shame/guilt/anxiety.

I didn't mean to be rude. I can see how it could have seemed that way. When I say that judgers are more concerned about doing the 'right thing' I just mean they spend time worrying about their version of what the right thing is, as to whether it is actually the right thing or not that is another matter. I didn't mean to imply that perceivers do the wrong thing, just that they spend less time worrying whether what they did was the wrong thing or not.

 

[LucyJr]

It kind of seems that way to me. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Perceivers spend less time thinking about how things 'should be' and therefore get less disappointed about life and less disappointed with people not behaving the way they should. They also spend less time trying to do the 'right thing' and more time just enjoying life and what comes their way.

INFJs ARE Perceivers.
Ni is a Pervceveing function, and Se is also a Perceiving function.

 

[La Sagna]

You're making yourself unhappy by thinking you'd be happier being a P than a J and all around not accepting yourself for who you are. And the 'right and wrong' thing and how things 'should be' is incredibly offensive. People who are happy are happy because they don't dwell on their short comings or live in the misery of 'what if's and 'if only's. They accept their life and go from there.

I just put out a simple question about an observation that I have made. You don't know that I'm making myself unhappy or that I don't accept who I am so you're judgement of me was uncalled for.

I didn't realize that my post was going to come off as if I was saying that perceivers do the wrong thing. You can read my previous post as for clarification on that.

 

[LucyJr]

Sensing and Intuition wether Introverted or Extroverted are Perceiving functions, aka Jung's "Irrational" functions.
Thinking and Feeling wether Introverted or Extroverted are Judging function, aka Jung's "Rational" functions.

This means, as Jung himself stated, Introverted Intuitives are perceivers and Irrational types. Go read Jung people, and leave pop MBTI!!!

 

[DonTaushMe]

[MENTION=9809]La Sagna[/MENTION] -You've posted a lot of 'what if' senerios since you've found divorce inevitable. "If I gave this guy the time of day I would be in love and happy" "If I were more selfish I'd be happy" "If I were a P instead of a J I would be happy" I'm just connecting the dots lady. This has nothing to do with if you were someone else you'd be happier. The grass is always greener on the other side; you need to get out of your own head.
[MENTION=9401]LucyJr[/MENTION] -Ni's are insanely irrational; thank you.

 

[sassafras]

I know people who have accepted 'being unhappy' as a part of their identity so I can what you mean about that.

For the perceivers, it just seems to me that if you don't have any expectations of things then there is less disappointment and if you are more flexible then there are more options that will make you happy.

It's really not that black and white.

All the J and P label identifies in MBTI is whether the first extraverted function in your function stack is a judging or perceiving function. That is it. I don't know who the hell came up with the idea stereotype that Perceivers were all go-with-the-flow relaxed dudebros and all Judgers are more like ruler-smacking school matrons, but neither of these assessments is remotely true. Mostly because these extreme ends of the judging and perceiving spectrum can only accurately describe EP's and EJ's. Everyone else is actually an inverted mix of these traits.

IP's, for example, very much do the 'should' thing because their inferior function is their extroverted judging function that is playing a tug-of-war with their dominant. While their outer-world appears a lot more easy going, their inner-world is rife with 'should's' and 'shouldn't's' .

IJ's, on the other hand, may appear judgier on the outside because they express their opinions and view-points in certain terms, but on the inside, they're a lot more accepting and have a less rigid processing system than their IP counter-parts. They're actually less likely to impose rules or controls on themselves and prefer a more easy going, perceptive approach (characterized by their dominant perceiving functions) that is more of a 'let's see what happens...' until external pressure is applied.

In essence, IJ's and IP's are not actually pure judgers/perceivers, hence, your hypothesis that 'perceivers don't spend time thinking about what 'should be' and there therefore happier' is incorrect.... because both judgers and perceivers of the introverted variety do this. Just they process it differently.

But in general, all types are capable of making themselves pretty damn miserable in their own way.

 

[La Sagna]

[MENTION=9809]La Sagna[/MENTION] -You've posted a lot of 'what if' senerios since you've found divorce inevitable. "If I gave this guy the time of day I would be in love and happy" "If I were more selfish I'd be happy" "If I were a P instead of a J I would be happy" I'm just connecting the dots lady. This has nothing to do with if you were someone else you'd be happier. The grass is always greener on the other side; you need to get out of your own head.
[MENTION=9401]LucyJr[/MENTION] -Ni's are insanely irrational; thank you.

I don't think it's unusual for people to have regrets or to wonder how things would have turned out if they had made a different choice. I happen to be going through a situation that I can't imagine would be easy on anybody. I for one do not sit in judgement of others personal experiences because I don't know what it's like to go through the exact same experience that they have. You can sit and judge me if you like but that is simply a reflection of yourself rather than a true observation about me.

 

[La Sagna]

It's really not that black and white.

All the J and P label identifies in MBTI is whether the first extraverted function in your function stack is a judging or perceiving function. That is it. I don't know who the hell came up with the idea stereotype that Perceivers were all go-with-the-flow relaxed dudebros and all Judgers are more like ruler-smacking school matrons, but neither of these assessments is remotely true. Mostly because these extreme ends of the judging and perceiving spectrum can only accurately describe EP's and EJ's. Everyone else is actually an inverted mix of these traits.

IP's, for example, very much do the 'should' thing because their inferior function is their extroverted judging function that is playing a tug-of-war with their dominant. While their outer-world appears a lot more easy going, their inner-world is rife with 'should's' and 'shouldn't's' .

IJ's, on the other hand, may appear judgier on the outside because they express their opinions and view-points in certain terms, but on the inside, they're a lot more accepting and have a less rigid processing system than their IP counter-parts. They're actually less likely to impose rules or controls on themselves and prefer a more easy going, perceptive approach (characterized by their dominant perceiving functions) that is more of a 'let's see what happens...' until external pressure is applied.

In essence, IJ's and IP's are not actually pure judgers/perceivers, hence, your hypothesis that 'perceivers don't spend time thinking about what 'should be' and there therefore happier' is incorrect.... because both judgers and perceivers of the introverted variety do this. Just they process it differently.

But in general, all types are capable of making themselves pretty damn miserable in their own way.

Thanks for the information. I stand corrected. Perhaps my experiences with certain types have made it seem that way.

 

[Nixie]

I didn't mean to be rude. I can see how it could have seemed that way. When I say that judgers are more concerned about doing the 'right thing' I just mean they spend time worrying about their version of what the right thing is, as to whether it is actually the right thing or not that is another matter. I didn't mean to imply that perceivers do the wrong thing, just that they spend less time worrying whether what they did was the wrong thing or not.

I know you weren't trying to be rude, I was just creating chaos and debate to create chaos and debate...

Actually, what I think you are trying to talk about is the idea that a strong J preference makes someone more likely to be rigid and conformist to ideals such as "right" or "wrong"...while a Pness makes one less likely to dwell on the meaning of the ideal and focus on the realism of the event. It's not "I did this and that's bad", it's more like "I did this".

I tend to think of functions and preferences in terms of simple and complex..those are only words and are not to ascribe any connotation of "better or worse".

Simple: I accept/recognize what is (P)
Complex: I make a judgment/assumption/conclusion about what I accept/recognize (J)

Simple: I understand what is (T)
Complex: I make a judgment/assumption/conclusion about what I understand (F)

Simple: I see what is (S)
Complex: I see what is and make inferences about what is not seen but may be likely (N)

But then, these are just my opinions/thoughts about the matter. I am not one of those people to go around spouting what the truth is and claiming to have a greater understanding of personality theory. LOL

Edit: And unlike @TheDaringHatTrick I do subscribe meaning to J/P dynamics but not as a function but as a preference in how one utilizes one's functions. If that makes sense.

 

[sassafras]

But then, these are just my opinions/thoughts about the matter. I am not one of those people to go around spouting what the truth is and claiming to have a greater understanding of personality theory. LOL

Good thing too. I wouldn't want to be outdone in that regard

 

[LucyJr]

[MENTION=9809]
[MENTION=9401]LucyJr[/MENTION] -Ni's are insanely irrational; thank you.

I have to disagree here
Jung didn't used the words "rational" and "irrational" in the classic understanding, but rather in a very specific psychological context.
It has to do with the style of how information is stored.

As for the "Ni", Jung believed Introverted Intuitives are "unappreciated genius". He explained that the pure information, the raw knowledge, belongs to the Ni's. But then of course, he could had been wrong
Socionics holds the same view: their hero is INTJ, "The Philosopher", which is one of the type that has Ni as a first function.

Edit: And I agree with Socionics.

 

[the]

Nope, I'd say everyone is pretty much equally miserable on the inside. What people 'appear like' on the outside is seldom what they truly feel. They might not work through their feelings the same way, but pain and unhappiness plagues everyone.

The only difference is, some types are more susceptible to indulging in their pain as a defense mechanism from what they truly fear and thus, may indulge in their unhappiness much longer.


Particularly if they have accepted it as part of their identity.

I feel like this is way off base. Everyone being equally miserable? Yeah right, that is pretty obviously untrue.

 

[sassafras]

I feel like this is way off base. Everyone being equally miserable? Yeah right, that is pretty obviously untrue.

All right, let me rephrase that.

I think that everyone has the equal capacity to make themselves miserable, irregardless of their internal make up. Shoulding yourself isn't the only pathway to misery.

 

[TinyBubbles]

It kind of seems that way to me. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Perceivers spend less time thinking about how things 'should be' and therefore get less disappointed about life and less disappointed with people not behaving the way they should. They also spend less time trying to do the 'right thing' and more time just enjoying life and what comes their way.

It could be true, percievers are a lot more go with the flow about everything, and that includes the flow of emotions both good and bad.

 

[aureliusandoinky]

I'm a J and I'm VERY happy. I don't think it has anything to do with it.