Doubt | INFJ Forum

Doubt

Chopsifer

Chopsifer

Regular Poster
May 7, 2009
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MBTI
INFJ
I often find myself doubting, not only the convictions of others, but my very own beliefs that drive and inspire me to act in a certain way.

Although this self-doubt really leads me to have a lot of existential angst and frustration concerning truth and progress, I do think it might be healthy to doubt one's self every once and awhile. Or at least, cognitive dissonance fools me into believing such (ah, look what I did there).

Anywho! Doubt. Does it permeate your life? Do you look upon it as a blessing or a curse? And how do we know when we have gone too far in doubting something? Has doubt arisen as some sort of a survival mechanism to keep ourselves in check from oversensationalism?
 
I have a lot of self-doubt and doubt about the world in general too. I find it leads to severe feelings of guilt, being unsure of myself, whereas doubting the world leads to pessimism or fatalistic thoughts.
I've gotten a lot better at not doubting things by backing myself up with facts, but it's still kind of always there.
I don't think anyone's sure of themselves or others all the time.
 
It comes and goes. It's necessary to shake you out of complacency.
 
I doubt myself often, but only about a fourth of the time is it a destructive doubt. Most of the time, it's more of a re-evaluation, and it helps me to make sure that my beliefs and thoughts and attitudes are still relevant and applicable...I believe it's important to question yourself at times, or else you may get stuck in an out-dated idealism or prejudice
 
I doubt everything. even myself.
When I put something in my bag, i will close it. 5 mins later, I will open it to check if its still there or if i forgot to put it in:bounce:
 
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Grey Wolf said:
I doubt everything. even myself.
When I put something in my bag, i will close it. 5 mins later, I will open it to check if its still there or if i forgot to put it in:bounce:
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Awww. Wish I could sneak something funny into your bag inbetween times. Like a helium balloon or cuddly toy.
 
Yup, I always check what I think 43 times before stopping to check it again.
 
I don't really like doubting things. I like to accept possibilities.

I second what Grey Wolf said though! I'm always rechecking if I've done something like putting an object in a bag, even if I know it's in there.
 
Does anyone think that people might justify negative emotions experienced from doubt by hold a kind of... almost holier than thou attitude?

Like saying.. "Yeah, I am depressed and I have drug problems. But hot damn, I doubt myself often so it is okay!"
 
I'm more likely to do it the other way around. "I doubt myself, but that's because I'm depressed"
 
Innnteresting! I wonder which tends to be more causal.
 
When I'm at my best, I don't tend to doubt myself as much. So I think my doubt is caused when I'm in a lesser state of mind...or maybe they happen in conjuncture with each other.

Hard to tell.
 
I can't help but doubt. I acquire new information and it challenges preconceived notions. My beliefs shift, values change; I change--to the point where I am unrecognizable to even myself. And it's scary. I realized recently that I have no idea who I am, and it really grieved me, because it felt as if someone (me) was dead.

I think of a wall plastered with different pasted articles and advertisements and bulletins of ideologies and values and expectations--things that are subjectively true to an individual as forming an identity. Like a collage, and things just keep getting posted on there. Some of the stuff accumulated is contradictory to the other stuff and this breeds cognitive dissonance.

I've been wondering what I look like underneath all of that. I've been picking at the layers trying to peek at what is beneath.

I've only just realized that I am not my thoughts or beliefs or interests. Well then, who am I? Or what.
 
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I do not doubt my beliefs, albit I am still uncertain about minor details and well some larger details.
 
Chopsifer said:
Anywho! Doubt. Does it permeate your life? Do you look upon it as a blessing or a curse? And how do we know when we have gone too far in doubting something? Has doubt arisen as some sort of a survival mechanism to keep ourselves in check from oversensationalism?
Click to expand...
-Yes, a lot
-I see it as mostly a curse because I shouldn't doubt the people I love
-I guess the only way to know is if you feel like you've gone too far
-I'm taking it that our ancestors from long ago needed it in the wild so they wouldn't be tricked out of food or something like that.
 
I also doubt everything...

its really something I need to work on!

I dont have a god complex because of it either...In fact my doubt makes me feel completely flawed...those my intuition is always right...I doubt myself constantly...

Its like having the ability to fly but doubting that you can really fly...its quite dizzying!
 
Helpful Elf said:
Awww. Wish I could sneak something funny into your bag inbetween times. Like a helium balloon or cuddly toy.
Click to expand...

that would be interesting though ;)

minority funk said:
I don't really like doubting things. I like to accept possibilities.

I second what Grey Wolf said though! I'm always rechecking if I've done something like putting an object in a bag, even if I know it's in there.
Click to expand...

it can get really annoying sometimes eh?
really really annoying especially when you have so much more things to do haha
 
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