Safe use of Se? | Page 2 | INFJ Forum

Safe use of Se?

Go swimming, learn an instrument.
 
Isn't it also an assumption that they're actually using it safely, and that they're not just lucky, combined with quick reflexes and quick thinking that have probably protected them from the potential consequences of their actions countless times?

Perhaps Se isn't dangerous FOR THEM because they have quick reflexes and quick minds, but it might be for someone like me, because I have slow reflexes and can't think on my feet.

I'm not a S (I consider myself a INTJ, I believe you typed me as a INFJ/INFP in my thread), to begin with, but I partake in dangerous "Se" activities and non dangerous Se activities. I realize that there is a risk in doing the many actions that I do (I'm going to use the example of freerunning/parkour) and I try to mitigate the dangerous factors. I don't have the quickest reflexes nor do I think all that quick in non-crisis situations (and I'm not really sure that you can apply that to one sole MBTI type). I don't tend to think I'm lucky, I'm just aware of my abilities and try to challenge myself. I think a good way to look at it is I take challenges, not risks. For example, the first few weeks of me learning how to freerun didn't involve me actually running and vaulting over anything, it was just me, rolling on the floor, preparing myself for the landing just in case I needed it.

I don't think describing Se as dangerous is accurate. I also don't think having quick reflexes and a quick mind is needed either for the things that have been described in this thread. It helps. But there are many things we can do to mitigate risk factors. Also, the only way to improve on your reflexes and thinking on your feet is to improve.

Add on: My ESFP friend, by comparison, doesn't take near as much risks as I do. She feels very safe is "normal" Se activities such as experiencing places, being with people, singing, and dancing. And it's dangerous living in general. My computer's battery has the potential to set my whole house on fire.

My point, because my post actually seems somewhat useless and filler: Making the assumption that Se is or isn't dangerous isn't going to get anyone anywhere. You can mitigate risk factors but you can't get rid of them. It's also impossible to live a completely safe life. Some things are more dangerous for me to do, and some things are less, you have to take a little bit of a risk.
 
My point, because my post actually seems somewhat useless and filler: Making the assumption that Se is or isn't dangerous isn't going to get anyone anywhere. You can mitigate risk factors but you can't get rid of them. It's also impossible to live a completely safe life. Some things are more dangerous for me to do, and some things are less, you have to take a little bit of a risk.

I don't want to take a risk if I have a choice. I know you can't live a completely safe life, but I still want to live as safely as possible. There's no point in tempting fate.

I didn't mean to assume Se was dangerous, though I do have that habit. It seemed that IndigoSensor was asserting his friends were safe when doing what are typically perceived as dangerous activities. That is, the kind of thing mothers would typically tell their children not to do, or at least discourage them from doing.

Of course, from what you described of your ESFP friend, it sounds like Se and dangerous activities are not very closely linked after all. The things you described her doing probably wouldn't scare me. Maybe a little embarrassed because I'm not good at them, but not afraid.

I guess I'm just afraid of risk, not Se. I've been given the impression that they're supposed to be daredevils and risk-takers, though I know people who've tested SP who aren't. For all I know, there may be such a thing as a careful SP that worries about self-preservation on a regular basis. That's why I'm trying to learn about what "safe" Se is. So that I can understand the difference between what constitutes an Se activity, and a dangerous activity. For instance, testing nuclear weapons would be dangerous, but it wouldn't be an Se activity. I can gather that much, but I'm still working out the smaller nuances.
 
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It isn't that Se's always dangerous, only to the uninitiated, that desire to DO something and be...active is mistranslated towards 'dangerous' actions. I have that moments too.

Well, not that dangerous really. And not that safe either.

As for activities...Paint, draw something with meticulous details. Play a ball. Jump around! Clap your hands! Fold an origami! Open TVTropes and spend hours of your life clicking on links.

IMO, the key about Se (especially to us INFJs) is to do whatever our mind/heart told us; so if you find yourself saying "hmm, maybe doing it would be fun/good." THEN following it would be following Se.
 
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My question is. What are you afraid of in the sense of risks? Injury? Death? Failure? Something else?

Seriously you will die... thats a fact of life. failures come and go. Most injuries heal completely.

Of all the things I do the most dangerous I would say is drive a car. People are crazy on the roads. This is coming from someone who's hit four trees skiing.

Life too short to worry about it all the time.
 
Hmm...

Well, what's the goal here? All kinds of things use Se, but I assume you are trying to develop it. In that case, it seems like you would need to put yourself in situations that require you to 'act without thinking' or something of that nature, because active use of Se is handling things in real time to get the desired outcome.
 
As for activities...Paint, draw something with meticulous details. Play a ball. Jump around! Clap your hands! Fold an origami! Open TVTropes and spend hours of your life clicking on links.
Oh, I've done most of those. Actually, I got really bored while I was with some people, and we got one of those things in a restaurant for children to color, along with some crayons. The child didn't want to color, so I took it and started coloring with the crayons. I kept it after we left the restaurant, and spent the rest of the day coloring, as I found the place I was I was being taken to quite boring.

Was that Se?
IMO, the key about Se (especially to us INFJs) is to do whatever our mind/heart told us; so if you find yourself saying "hmm, maybe doing it would be fun/good." THEN following it would be following Se.
Well, most of the dangerous activities aren't things I think would be fun/good. Though I can now recognize that there are Se activities I like, none of them would be considered dangerous.
Hmm...

Well, what's the goal here? All kinds of things use Se, but I assume you are trying to develop it. In that case, it seems like you would need to put yourself in situations that require you to 'act without thinking' or something of that nature, because active use of Se is handling things in real time to get the desired outcome.

Yes, but I don't want to put myself in a situation where I could be injured or arrested if I fail to perform correctly. I would be willing to consider activities where I'll be embarrassed and look stupid if I fail to perform correctly.

Those are the kind of examples I've been looking for. Dancing would probably be a good example.
 
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Start working out at a gym. That is about as sterotypically Se as you can get.
 
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Oh, I've done most of those. Actually, I got really bored while I was with some people, and we got one of those things in a restaurant for children to color, along with some crayons. The child didn't want to color, so I took it and started coloring with the crayons. I kept it after we left the restaurant, and spent the rest of the day coloring, as I found the place I was I was being taken to quite boring.

Was that Se?
Depends on how you feel; I can say it's Se, only might not be very high / satisfying. Did you do that because you want to, or just because you've got nothing to do?
Well, most of the dangerous activities aren't things I think would be fun/good. Though I can now recognize that there are Se activities I like, none of them would be considered dangerous.
Ah, I understand having expectations and consideration; it's kinda okay, IMO, to have a certain level of carefulness. Then again, one of the ultimate Se activities is going with the flow, having no expectations / nothing in mind. Like, say, if someone's asking you to go to this party, then go. JUST GO. Don't think about how fun/boring/unsafe/safe it would be, just...go. Safety could talk after you see the party.
It's just me, though. Others might have a differing opinion.

Yes, but I don't want to put myself in a situation where I could be injured or arrested if I fail to perform correctly. I would be willing to consider activities where I'll be embarrassed and look stupid if I fail to perform correctly.

Those are the kind of examples I've been looking for. Dancing would probably be a good example.
how injured are we talking about here? broken bones, scrap on the knee? Heavy bleeding? slight bump on the head?
 
There were other things to do, but I found that much more interesting than my other options.

how injured are we talking about here? broken bones, scrap on the knee? Heavy bleeding? slight bump on the head?

A scrape on the knee wouldn't bother me, but all the other things here would. I know a bump on the head shouldn't be a big deal, but I'm especially concerned about my brain. I'm not as worried about the rest of my body, because it's more resilient than the brain.

I do get bumps on the head just in the course of normal activity, but I really don't want to get more brain damage than I may already have. I don't want to be retarded.
 
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There were other things to do, but I found that much more interesting than my other options.



A scrape on the knee wouldn't bother me, but all the other things here would. I know a bump on the head shouldn't be a big deal, but I'm especially concerned about my brain. I'm not as worried about the rest of my body, because it's more resilient than the brain.

I do get bumps on the head just in the course of normal activity, but I really don't want to get more brain damage than I may already have. I don't want to be retarded.

Don't have a lot of time to post but your body is designed to not be broken easily. I also doubt you'll become retarded from even a significant head injury unless some very specific things happen. Anyways. It's good you're trying to figure out how to use Se.
 
Although not purely Se, go take a walk and take unexpected turns and see what happens. Don't get too lost.
 
You know, it sounds like with all this talk of things being either dangerous or not Se (or not Se enough), that you're mostly trying to talk yourself out of a feeling of having to learn how to Se.
 
You know, it sounds like with all this talk of things being either dangerous or not Se (or not Se enough), that you're mostly trying to talk yourself out of a feeling of having to learn how to Se.

Not exactly.

Other people pushed me into a discussion based on that assumption, which made it look that way. If I agree, I confirm it. If I disagree, I look like I'm in denial.

If you read the details, you'll see that I'm trying to learn the difference between dangerous activities, and Se activities. I haven't said that anything here wasn't Se, just emphasized that I never thought of it as being Se before.

Incidentally, I've found that some activities I already like or want to learn do involve Se as a result of this thread, which is helping me get an idea of what it is.

It's because I know I have an impression that Se is dangerous, and it's causing me to mistype people.

Everyone is assuming that I have this desire to engage in Se activities, and while there might be one or two activities on this list that have piqued my interest... the main purpose is identifying Se use in people with cautious personalities. It's because too many people I thought were SJ turned out to be SP, and are clearly S and P while still being cautious, and (rarely) even paranoid about their physical well-being.
 
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Alright, but your own feelings about what an activity is or isn't seems to be a lot stronger than just seeing what facts you can use to type people with. Which is why it seemed so much like you were actually planning on doing some of these activities.
 
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Everyone is assuming that I have this desire to engage in Se activities, and while there might be one or two activities on this list that have piqued my interest... the main purpose is identifying Se use in people with cautious personalities. It's because too many people I thought were SJ turned out to be SP, and are clearly S and P while still being cautious, and (rarely) even paranoid about their physical well-being.

Typing people by stereo types is just, well, bad. They are just that, stereotypes, and do not lend to accurately typing a person. It is a very large misnomer to base someones type off of external interests likes and dislikes.
 
Doing Lady Gaga dances?

OMG I HAVE THE FUNNIEST STORY. I was playing jungle animal charades with these little kids, and some kid was pretending to be some animal with claws, and she started clawing at the air above, and I guessed "Lady Gaga?" :D:D:D

I was wondering... are there any "safe" activities that involve use of Se?

The stereotypical Se activities are usually quite dangerous, risky, or dirty.

Are there any overlooked activities that would be safer than things like skydiving, wild parties, and getting drunk?

It's very easy to come up with exaggerated activities that represent the functions, but not more "average" ones.

My goal is to identify Se use in people who don't do "crazy" things, or who might be unusually cautious.

OP OP OP. How is getting drunk a good way to exercise your Se? Haw haw haw. I get drunk sometimes, I am right now kinda. Wouldn't say it's all that great exercise for any cognitive function! And skydiving ain't that dangerous. Statistically only 1/100,000 jumps results in fatality. That's about 17 jumps per 10,000 miles of driving equivalent risk.

Most fatalities occur with a fully functional parachute deployed, but the person is an idiot and lands it into some power lines of a concrete wall or a truck or something stupid. If you do everything properly, your odds are much better.
 
Photography for sure, you are capturing a moment in time, so you need to be completely in the moment, fully engaged and aware of all of the sensation coming through the lense.
 
I was wondering... are there any "safe" activities that involve use of Se?

The stereotypical Se activities are usually quite dangerous, risky, or dirty.

Are there any overlooked activities that would be safer than things like skydiving, wild parties, and getting drunk?

It's very easy to come up with exaggerated activities that represent the functions, but not more "average" ones.

My goal is to identify Se use in people who don't do "crazy" things, or who might be unusually cautious.

May I just say that Se is apparently my most well developed function and I don't do anything dangerous, I rarely drink, and the only parties I go to are wedding parties.

Se is not about activities, it's about living in the moment.