Introverts and the flavours of inner space

[sciski]

Can you describe what you think about or do when you're introverting? Are you in an imaginary world, mentally/physically organising things, reading books, on the internet or are you enjoying a movie by yourself? Or is it more like a sort of mental fog that still recharges you? How does being alone help you?

Extroverts can respond as well - I'm kind of interested in seeing how Fi, Ni, Si and Ti manifest in terms of understandable examples of behaviour, and Aux functions are fine by me. :)

[spirilis]

In the car (daily commute), I'm usually listening to music or reflecting on social matters, funny enough. It's more like Si/Fe type stuff.

At work when I'm quiet I'm often working out technical stuff in my head and using the computer as an assistant (it's a tool, an extension of my mind, more or less).

That's all I can think of right now.

[entropie]

I am watching to movies and reading books often, when being introverted.

Sometimes posting in the forums gets one introverted, too. If I spent like 3 hours here, having posted 300 threads through speed posting, you really created one own special world by then.

[disregard]

Talking to myself. Out loud.

[sciski]

I realised I forgot to give my own examples!

When I am by myself, I tend to go on the internet and start randomly finding out as much as I can about a particular subject. This adds to my inner knowledge pool and helpes me orient myself in the world.

Or else I'll be on a forum, trying to help people or being silly. I count this as introverted because forums allow me to choose when/how to reply. I like the time that forums give me to frame a response. :)

Sometimes I am in a conversation with someone and phase out while they're talking because I'm thinking about something in my inner world (usually another task I need to do) - sometimes it takes some speedy detective work to figure out what they said! :D

If I'm really exhausted or stressed I'll bring out the incense and the massager and just turn off my mind because my mind can go in crazy circles. But wait a second - this one is Se isn't it? :-/

[miked277]

for me at least it's either a calm inner dialog or just a zoning out where there is no dialog at all.

when i'm in a conversation (actually talking, not typing) that calm inner dialog is replaced by frantic translation of thoughts to speech. maybe not frantic but it's certainly not a perfectly smooth transition. though speaking w/ finess, like other learned talents, can come w/ practice.

the best analogy i can think of is an etch-o-sketch. thoughts, in their complete and full form, are like some complex three dimensional structure and speaking is comparable in its limitation to only being able to use the simple etch-o-sketch line tool to render it all. sure you can get it all out there but i find myself having to do a lot of verbal retracing to reach that point. true verbal artists are able to hit all the major points and still make something beautiful.

[animenagai]

i always have some kind of internal dialogue going on. i cant blank myself out. when i'm by myself i'm on the internet, on forums of all sorts. i like to think about philosophy too of course, that is either what we learned in class or political theory/ethics etc. people based philosophy aiming for an objective truth.

[Dwigie]

I think about what happens around me, I get my daily "crank purgatory" and think about people, a lot of daydreaming too.I'm kind of always thinking "improve on this, I am "x" need to change that. How come this happens around me blabla...".
I watch and read things, mostly listen to music though. it gives me a "peace" moment that nothing else does for me.

[entropie]

it gives me a "peace" moment that nothing else does for me.

I dare to bet to differ xD

[Jack Flak]

This thread does indeed fail, because there is no such thing as introverting. But when I am alone (including at my PC), I contemplate.

[sciski]

What, you didn't see my air quotes? :D

[entropie]

This thread does indeed fail, because there is no such thing as introverting. But when I am alone (including at my PC), I contemplate.

you mean ejaculate xD

[Jack Flak]

you mean ejaculate xD
I prefer it when you're wrapped around my BUT SERIOUSLY THO I LOVE YOU GUYS

[Aimahn]

I can relate to going on information binges on the internet on a subject i'm interested in. I think its usually to settle some idea or clarify something I previously thought about.

I'm more of the internal dialogue/talk out loud variety, I always sort of have some sort of debate going on with different perspectives. I like to sort of simplify my ideas to a smaller more universal truth so I feel the need to constantly instigate an internal debate to clarify. Humor is handled in a similar way, in that I like to take a small grain of truth and just let my imagination run with it.

In terms of output, I think the etch a sketch analogy is apt. I need to invest in a better decoder.

[edcoaching]

This thread does indeed fail, because there is no such thing as introverting. But when I am alone (including at my PC), I contemplate.

Okay, I'll watch my grammar. When I'm using my dominant function, Introverted Intuition, I fall into two main activities. One is total fantasy--think Ralphie in A Christmas Story dreaming of his parents guilt when he goes blind from having his mouth washed out with soap. Or taking out the burglars with his Red Rider BB Gun with teh compass in the stock...Often my personal reveries aren't a whole lot more mature or realistic :huh:

The other is working through an idea--for teaching, for dealing with a relationship, for writing, for anything where I can consider possibilities and how others might react, tempering the choices with Extraverted Feeling analysis as I try to choose among them.

[will5250]

I've been away from this place for a while, and I've been lurking here the last couple of days, trying to get a feel of the place. This thread grabbed my attention because people are actually talking about experiencing inner dialogue. That's one of three things that most folks seem to think there is something wrong with me, when I try to explain it to them. The other two are that music really does play in my head, by itself, non-stop, almost all the time, and I have no idea what mental silence is like, except when I am very exhausted.

And I'm curious. When I go inside myself to feel other's feelings, or to send feelings to other people, would you say am I introverting or extraverting?

[Gen]

Very often I have dialog in my head that, once I'm done, doesn't need to happen in real life because I'm over it. Or, if it does, at least I'm more prepared for the confrontation. Sometimes its just random threads of nothing important though.

[will5250]

Very often I have dialog in my head that, once I'm done, doesn't need to happen in real life because I'm over it. Or, if it does, at least I'm more prepared for the confrontation. Sometimes its just random threads of nothing important though.
Mine is like the two hemispheres of my brain are communicating or something. One member is verbal, logical, and sequential, and the other communicates in image, and is intuitive. And you're right, it's mostly inconsequential stuff like, one says, "Did you turn off the stove" and the other answers with an image of my hand turning the knob to off. Stuff like that.

[welshlass]

My inner world is active 24/7, & i'm including when i'm asleep:-dreaming! I wonder if this explains my almost inactive outer world life? Anyway, i tend to mentally act out possible case scenarios of events that may or may not be taking place in the near future. I also find myself thinking about certain things & having theories which i either keep to myself or go on the internet & look it up. Sometimes, if i want others' imput i'll go on one of the MBTI related forums. Very rarely do i put my thoughts out to people in the outside world. Unless i'm slightly intoxicated. Sober, i find it difficult to articulate, orally, the well-ordered & perfectly structured idea/s that are in my head. For instance, i remember telling 2 of my work colleagues one of my theories but although it was making perfect sense in my head, it wasnt coming out that way. Suffice to say i got gently teased & wotnot. I had nothing to back it up with, incidentally, just my trying to insist that i knew what i meant! I couldnt understand why they just couldnt accept what i was saying but there you go.

[Haphazard]

My introversion is orange flavor.


The other is working through an idea--for teaching, for dealing with a relationship, for writing, for anything where I can consider possibilities and how others might react, tempering the choices with Extraverted Feeling analysis as I try to choose among them.

I mean this.

[Ilah]

Reading, day dreaming, journal writing, creating art, looking at art, thinking about things I have read, going for walks, planning things, thinking about future art projects, affirmations, guided relaxation

Ilah

[will5250]

Sometimes I am in a conversation with someone and phase out while they're talking because I'm thinking about something in my inner world (usually another task I need to do) - sometimes it takes some speedy detective work to figure out what they said! :D
Forgot to mention. I do this too.

[substitute]

Going for a drive. A long, long drive to a place I've never been before, alone. Whilst I'm going along I just relax my mind and let things take shape, see what gets washed up on the beach so to speak. Usually i go somewhere rural and park the car near a footpath through a field or wood or something, and just as I walk and hike along just sing to myself or whatever as thoughts begin to take shape. Then I'll find a fallen tree or something to sit on and just do a Huck Finn impression, chew on a stalk of hay or something and look up at the sky, treetops, enjoy the natural sounds as I gradually let Ti sort out the chaotic pile of documents into alphabetized and cross-referenced folders.

Or sometimes I do the same thing just by meditation. If I can find a really isolated old church where I won't be disturbed (again, entails driving out to very rural places), I might take my own incense and a candle or two (they just help me focus) and just sit on the floor on one of those kneeler cushions with my eyes closed and feel the atmosphere around me, let my conscious mind tune into that whilst the subconscious, again, beachcombs. After three hours or so I feel more awake and alive than ever and totally like, well not like I've got everything figured out but like I've got everything I know so far properly indexed and put into perspective, so i'm ready to meet more new stuff more confident that I'll know what to do with it.

I do a lesser version of the second one at home at least 3 evenings out of 7, but I can't go as 'deep' into myself at home because the kids are liable to disturb me at any minute and if not them, then the neighbours lol