Developing Functions | INFJ Forum

Developing Functions

Trifoilum

find wisdom, build hope.
Dec 27, 2009
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Just because I got a point of inspiration. I hope I'm not too random in this. :)

Got any tips for developing any of the 8 functions? It can be anything. There are quite a lot of tips for growth, but most of these are Type-based and not specifically function based.

Function-wise, There's a lot of topics and pages here and there, made for describing functions, how they work, how to deal with them and telling stories about them, how good and bad, how they ruined, saved, helped, wrecked our lives..... but there are always rooms for improvement, aren't there? And with improvement, hopefully a greater understanding also comes..

I think we have old topics made for these purpose, and an outside page for this,but...there aren't so much in the Lenore Exegesis Wiki, and most of the topic here is somewhat specified towards a function.

So.... Why not make a general topic for everyone?

I hope this can help everyone towards bettering themselves, one function at a time.
(And in fact, @VH: had made a similar topic about Feeding Functions and a very good topic I have no justice to describe it)
 
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I'll...begin. With (basic) personal questions, no less.

How To Develop Fi
Ask to yourself first, "Who are you?"
Ask to yourself then, "What do you want?"
Ask to yourself about your life, "Are you happy?"
Ask to yourself when thinking about people, "What do I feel of them? What do I want from them, and what can I give to them?"

How To Develop Ni
"Where are you going in your life and do you know it?"

How To Develop Si
"Where are you going in your life and do you know it?"
"Is there something else you forget?"
"What happened last time? Where can I improve?"

How To Develop Fe
"Is there any better way to say this?"

How To Develop Ne
when thinking, "Is there anything else?"

How To Develop Se (...a...bit.)
"What should I do today?"

How To Develop Te
"How to achieve this?"

How To Develop Ti
"Why this, and not that?"
 
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I'll...begin. With (basic) personal questions, no less.

We collectively develop a 12 step course to success...

What about clusters?
Activities that utilize several functions.
 
Anything! XD Anything that you feel might work, would work, and should work.

I would think that multiple-functions activities have the chance to involve other functions for different people, but that's.....not something I'd have any proof to say.
So it's alright :D
 
How To Develop Fi
Ask to yourself first, "Who are you?"
Ask to yourself then, "What do you want?"
Oh lol, when I saw this I immediately thought of Babylon 5, as these are the questions asked by the 2 "big baddie" races in it.

For Se:
1. Play "where's Waldo/Wally". You can get a few online but one is interactive and you accidentally "find" things as you try and move the page around to see more.
2. Obstacle courses, or anything where you have to move and think fast in the real world, with lots of things to manoeuvre around and note as you go.
3. Scavenger hunts. It could be something as simple as just finding all the pens in your house, but you have to find them all in a set amount of time (like 15 minutes) so you have to work on noticing things quick. After the 15 minutes, you have the whole day to see if you found them all for sure, or if you run into more. Its a good casual way of evaluating where you are in Se so far.
4. Sushi bars with conveyors. You have to spot the things you like fast, identify all things fast, and then grab it fast!
5. Have an Se follow you around for 3 weeks commenting on your spelling mistakes and noting every-time to bump into something. Really opens your eyes as to how much you're doing it ;). I still can't explain all the bruises on my legs though.
 
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Hmm like a Yo' mama joke rally?

I'm not expert, but I'm sure that exersizes Ne (so long as didn't memorize a list of em online and if you did si) Fe (how do I say this in the most offensive way possible)

And anything else that is does... exersize... that I didn't mention
 
Hmm like a Yo' mama joke rally?

I'm not expert, but I'm sure that exersizes Ne (so long as didn't memorize a list of em online and if you did si) Fe (how do I say this in the most offensive way possible)

And anything else that is does... exersize... that I didn't mention
You mean exercise, sir! ;D

Being a grammar Nazi is also good for Se... I think. Si and Se.
 
Okay, I'll do a few that INFJs sometimes have trouble with:

Ne - Think of what you can do with one item. All the possibilities.
Ask a lot of "what if?" scenario questions with friends (preferably extroverts). "What if that thing over there just EXPLODED?"
Learn something new -- and then try to find ways to apply that knowledge. Get excited about it! YOU JUST F*CK*NG LEARNED SOMETHING! RAAAAAAH!!

Ti - Puzzles. Lots of puzzles.
Put something together WITHOUT the manual. Try to figure it out yourself. This will probably also pull some Se out of you, too.
Take a look into some different sciences. Ask yourself, "Why is that?" to just about everything you stumble across.

Se - Sit wherever you are and just note physical characteristics of things. What's interesting? What's not? Let yourself be drawn into the physical world, but let your mind jump with your senses -- don't QUESTION or ANALYZE what you're looking at, but NOTE it and APPRECIATE it.
Rock climb. Or do any physical activity that you enjoy and that pulls out some adrenaline.
Try to find your way through a city with no destination in mind. Enjoy yourself. Take in the sites. Let yourself be drawn to what's interesting and novel -- a cool store, an interesting monument, etc. But, again, don't analyze it too much; just let it take you in.

Te - Plan out your entire freakin' life (j/k, but not totally)
Think about how you would make decisions if you were an executive or a military officer -- don't think in terms of "will I hurt someone?" but think in terms of "how do I maximize efficiency, profit (in any sense -- not just monetary), and results while minimizing losses and conflict?"
Similar to above, act like you are a ruler and you must make the best choices for your people (across all classes and walks of life), your economy, your political alliances, etc.
 
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Te -
Similar to above, act like you are a ruler and you must make the best choices for your people (across all classes and walks of life), your economy, your political alliances, etc.
OOOOOOOOOOO
That sounds like a fun fun game. Pretty much the in-depth version of any city building game but your people actually can think. Though, I think when you think of your *people*, where is it T and where is it F? F is usually the people oriented function, but you can't escape people so when is it just Te?
//confused
 
OOOOOOOOOOO
That sounds like a fun fun game. Pretty much the in-depth version of any city building game but your people actually can think. Though, I think when you think of your *people*, where is it T and where is it F? F is usually the people oriented function, but you can't escape people so when is it just Te?
//confused

Te seeks efficiency and I think Fe tends to focus on how things should be and personal relationships (In the sense that I think examines how people relate to each other). Depending on the values of the person, Te can very well include other people and individuals but it can also ignore people as well. Te, because it is usually paired with Fi, tends to focus on individuals and that particular person's cause rather than trying to fight for the group. It seems similar from a distance, but I don't really think it is. I think the best way to train it is simply making a plan, looking at everything you need to do to get there, and then take the information and do it in a way that makes the progression impressively simple. Like, for example, if you want to paint a drawing and you know that you need a specific color, you can choose to make a large batch of that color before hand or you can make the color as you need it. Personally, I would approximate the amount of the specific color I need and choose which option is better; I don't like waste either so I'd be very specific with the quantities that I would use.

The easier way would be to play a strategy game such as Civilization. You have to play a game where you have to keep a track of EVERYTHING, micro-managing usually isn't Te
 
OOOOOOOOOOO
That sounds like a fun fun game. Pretty much the in-depth version of any city building game but your people actually can think. Though, I think when you think of your *people*, where is it T and where is it F? F is usually the people oriented function, but you can't escape people so when is it just Te?
//confused

Te does deal with people -- just not in a "comfort level" way. For instance, if you're managing a group of people, Fe might want encourage them and make sure everyone is comfortable in their position. It would look at the group dynamic and "take care" of everyone.

Te, on the other hand, is much more impersonal. It would be about "the whole" -- if someone's uncomfortable, tough shit. For instance, as a ruler (and think about this in feudal, medieval times when survival was more of a big deal), you wouldn't be worried really about how "happy" your people are. You'd be worried about whether they have food, whether they're doing their jobs, and whether they're fighting. That'd be first priority. Some people won't be happy. Oh well. The system has to work first because if it doesn't, then nobody's happy. So yeah, it's not that Te necessarily doesn't care about or doesn't deal with people -- it just thinks about what's "best" for people in a different way. For Fe, what's best is what makes people happy. For Fi, what's best is what lets people be true to themselves. For Ti, what's best is what makes sense in theory (I think). For Te, what's best is what works in practice for everything as a whole, and people are just part of the puzzle, like economics and politics. People are like game pieces or numbers that have to be balanced, except a little more difficult and complex. It's objective and impersonal.

Disclaimer: Obviously, people who use Te don't necessarily think of people this way. I mean, most of them are feeling, caring individuals that can be very passionate about the well-being of those they love. However, the function itself is rather...uncompassionate.
 
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Te seeks efficiency and I think Fe tends to focus on how things should be and personal relationships (In the sense that I think examines how people relate to each other). Depending on the values of the person, Te can very well include other people and individuals but it can also ignore people as well. Te, because it is usually paired with Fi, tends to focus on individuals and that particular person's cause rather than trying to fight for the group. It seems similar from a distance, but I don't really think it is. I think the best way to train it is simply making a plan, looking at everything you need to do to get there, and then take the information and do it in a way that makes the progression impressively simple. Like, for example, if you want to paint a drawing and you know that you need a specific color, you can choose to make a large batch of that color before hand or you can make the color as you need it. Personally, I would approximate the amount of the specific color I need and choose which option is better; I don't like waste either so I'd be very specific with the quantities that I would use.

The easier way would be to play a strategy game such as Civilization. You have to play a game where you have to keep a track of EVERYTHING, micro-managing usually isn't Te
Whooooa, neat. I see it.
Te does deal with people -- just not in a "comfort level" way. For instance, if you're managing a group of people, Fe might want encourage them and make sure everyone is comfortable in their position. It would look at the group dynamic and "take care" of everyone.

Te, on the other hand, is much more impersonal. It would be about "the whole" -- if someone's uncomfortable, tough shit. For instance, as a ruler (and think about this in feudal, medieval times when survival was more of a big deal), you wouldn't be worried really about how "happy" your people are. You'd be worried about whether they have food, whether they're doing their jobs, and whether they're fighting. That'd be first priority. Some people won't be happy. Oh well. The system has to work first because if it doesn't, then nobody's happy. So yeah, it's not that Te necessarily doesn't care about or doesn't deal with people -- it just thinks about what's "best" for people in a different way. For Fe, what's best is what makes people happy. For Fi, what's best is what lets people be true to themselves. For Ti, what's best is what makes sense in theory (I think). For Te, what's best is what works in practice for everything as a whole, and people are just part of the puzzle, like economics and politics. People are like game pieces or numbers that have to be balanced, except a little more difficult and complex. It's objective and impersonal.

Disclaimer: Obviously, people who use Te don't necessarily think of people this way. I mean, most of them are feeling, caring individuals that can be very passionate about the well-being of those they love. However, the function itself is rather...uncompassionate.
Whoooooaaaaaaaa
I see it very well now.

Also, I played alpha centauri (a civ type game made by the same guy, but more complex) and I did micro manage it some. Does that then hurt Te and favour Ti, or is that really just being a nitpick with no impact either way? Its just that knowing all the parts is very important to me, I have to know how its all working... and I just answered my own question (I help Ti, micromanaging)
 
Okay, I'll do a few that INFJs sometimes have trouble with:

Ne - Think of what you can do with one item. All the possibilities.
Ask a lot of "what if?" scenario questions with friends (preferably extroverts). "What if that thing over there just EXPLODED?"
Learn something new -- and then try to find ways to apply that knowledge. Get excited about it! YOU JUST F*CK*NG LEARNED SOMETHING! RAAAAAAH!!
.

My favorite scenario is...Level 5 zombie infection/invasion/outbreak plans of action and such.

Then my Ti kicks in which is when you fabricate these plans that rely on so many uncontrolable factors that they probably aren't of use in a serious zombie outbreak. upon realizing the low success of all 8 of your different scenarios, you decide if none of them work, the zombies can just eat you.

I mean BP already destroyed my off shore oil rig plan.
 
Whooooa, neat. I see it.

Whoooooaaaaaaaa
I see it very well now.

Also, I played alpha centauri (a civ type game made by the same guy, but more complex) and I did micro manage it some. Does that then hurt Te and favour Ti, or is that really just being a nitpick with no impact either way? Its just that knowing all the parts is very important to me, I have to know how its all working... and I just answered my own question (I help Ti, micromanaging)

Micro-managing is more of a Ti trait than a Te trait. Te focuses on the end goal and how to make things more efficient, which does mean micro-managing to an extent. Te focuses on efficiency and hopes for perfection while I think Ti seeks perfection and gets efficiency as a by product (I don't have Ti so perhaps you could explain it to me) I have a lot of INTP/ISTP friends who play fighting games with me and I notice a particular difference in the way we play. I focus on knowing every particular move a character has (I enjoy characters with a large moveset) because it offers me a lot of variety and I can quickly switch up my skills and strategy depending on how I'm playing and how my opponent is playing me. My INTP/ISTP friends tend to focus on finding the perfect character they like, they'll hit up the practice room and they will passionately figure out every just frames a character has, how much defense the character has, how much damage the character does on average,how much reach the character has, how many hit boxes the character has and then they will focus on finding a particular skill that is hands down the best in that character's arsenal, and then they will build a strategy around it. When they realize that that particular way of playing the game is fairly routine, they find another skill to make a system around and will constantly switch off to vary up their game play.
 
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My favorite scenario is...Level 5 zombie infection/invasion/outbreak plans of action and such.

Then my Ti kicks in which is when you fabricate these plans that rely on so many uncontrolable factors that they probably aren't of use in a serious zombie outbreak. upon realizing the low success of all 8 of your different scenarios, you decide if none of them work, the zombies can just eat you.

I mean BP already destroyed my off shore oil rig plan.
Hahaha, I do that too. I even bookmarked a site where they advertise Stilt and Piling homes (the perfectly zombie-proof dwelling)
Topsider%20Islamorada.jpg


but then my N's get out of control and I start thinking about magic and then Ti comes back in to reinforce my desire to have magic by applying GURPS rules to the magic in order to make it more "realistic" but then I go back into cinematic cause its just too fun not to think about it.

WEEEEEE
 
Hahaha, I do that too. I even bookmarked a site where they advertise Stilt and Piling homes (the perfectly zombie-proof dwelling)
Topsider%20Islamorada.jpg


but then my N's get out of control and I start thinking about magic and then Ti comes back in to reinforce my desire to have magic by applying GURPS rules to the magic in order to make it more "realistic" but then I go back into cinematic cause its just too fun not to think about it.

WEEEEEE


You're assuming they can't climb.... that's why the off shore oil rig was gold. high place + water. If they're swiming climbing zombies, then good god we're screwed.
 
You're assuming they can't climb.... that's why the off shore oil rig was gold. high place + water. If they're swiming climbing zombies, then good god we're screwed.
I tend to focus on Max Brooks type Zombies, as they are the most "probable". Also, they are bad enough being virus started zombies.
 
Te - question the objective behind every single thing you do.
Se - sports that require some coordination! Like basketball, and hiking down a mountain really fast!
Fe - try to imagine the world from seeing out of someone else's eyes
Ne - brainstorm possibilities?
 
oh wow, lots of replies :3 thank you~

also; oh, yes, good ol Zombie Survival. Been that, done that. Good exercise of Ne, then Ti by analyzing which could work and which couldn't, and Te. And then of course, reading World War Z with its first person PoV had brought it into the realm of Fe (a.k.a empathy of what would 'happen' during the outbreak)

I also get what @Reon: had said about Te and Ti(in videogames), and @gloomy-optimist: had said about Te in ruling. Perhaps other similar things would be playing Warcraft / RTSes? I think Ti in videogame would be...strangely enough, The Sims. Micromanage AHOY. Do this, do that, stop doing this, stop abusing them, stop doing this and study, start eating, lalalalaaaa~

Also, I'm reminded of what a friend had said, (not exact quote) "I develop Ni by reading books. Lots of them. Then they rise up to the surface when I want them."
So..... maybe do a IELTS / TOEFL verbal test, like; 30 seconds after now, you have 2 minutes telling whatever about monkeys now.
 
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Thanks for the mention. I think this is what you were referring to, so I'll just post it here, as recharging functions of course helps develop them.

How to Recharge Each Function...

Ni - I've found that almost nothing works better than laying on my bed and staring at the ceiling. However, anything that allows my brain to go on autopilot also works, like highway driving alone, going for long walks at night, taking a long shower. Ni will process at any point you allow it to.

Fe - Caring about people, talking to them, helping them, listening to them, but also focusing on how things should be, developing a core group of friends and running with them like pack mates. Do things to engage your sympathies, like volunteering at places that help people.

Ti - Puzzles, logic problems, and tinkering with just about anything, whether mechanical or intellectual. Give yourself problems to solve that require intricate focus and lots of steps. A really good source for this is instruction manuals that have step by step guides that require you to do things to follow along.

Se - Go out and take in the beauty of the world around you. Engage it. Be part of it in real time. Follow your instincts and ride the wave that transpires. Physical activities, especially competitive sports are amazing for recharging Se. Put yourself in positions where you have to react to an unpredictable environment.

Fi - Engage in right brained artistic activities like drawing, cooking, music, scrapbooking, etc. Focus on your feelings. Focus on what is good, and being a good person.

Ne - Brainstorm with other people. Springboard off of each others' creativity, and let your mind run wild. Try to keep the creative tangents going as long as possible.

Si - Memory games, but most importantly routine activities.

Te - Focus on the big picture and how things relate, and find people to talk about them. Keep yourself open to changing your rationale to adapt to changes, and focus on where things have changed and what that means for everything else, and then talk it out with others.