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Personifying Inanimate Objects Stories

[INFP]
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brightflashes

· Plague Doctor
INTJ, 5w4, Ni-T type
Joined
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6,654 Posts
Discussion starter · #1 ·
One trait of INFPs that I've noticed is that they tend to personify inanimate objects (especially as kids). I thought it would be fun to start a thread where we can all share about the ways we have done this.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

When my mom took me shopping as a kid, I used to feel sorry for all the clothes that I didn't take home with me. I worried they'd think I didn't like them.
 
#2 ·
I do this:tongue:
There are so many stories that it's hard to choose!

Well when I would pick flowers, I felt bad if I picked one instead of another. I thought I was hurting their feelings and neglecting them. So I'd either pick all of them all or none of them. If I did the latter, I would tell the flowers of my dilemma so they understand:)
 
#3 ·
My friend was walking in front of me one time and his shoes were untied. I found myself thinking in depth about shoelaces and how they dreamed of being free from their knots all day. They'd wish and wish to come untied and look longingly at their friends flying freely in the wind. So they'd wiggle themselves a bit here and there. Eventually they'd slip out of their knots as their daydreams were actualized. They'd flap in the wind ever so gracefully, appreciating every second of the freedom until their devastation came in the form of mud. They'd fall and land on the ground. They'd be dragged through the mud, or worse - rocks! See the rocks were torturous pulling at every thread of their being. Then they'd get stepped on. Getting stepped on was just the worst. They'd come out looking like something out of a horror story - one filled with dog poop and gum stuck to the floor! They thank their lucky stars they didn't land in either of those. And at this point in their lives they would realize how much better life was tied with your buddy in a knot. Not only were you protected from the likes of rocks and mud, but you would also be protecting your friend. Better to be tied together than alone and stepped on, they'd sigh.

I of course told my friend this story and he looked at me, tied his shoes and told me he'd never be able to throw away his shoelaces.
 
#7 ·
LMAO, so this is an INFP trait? I never know it.

I still and always do this to any side dish that my mom served on the dinning table, usually my mom only cook side dish for lunch and use it again for dinner later and warm them if necessary. I always add all of them whenever I want to have lunch or dinner because I don't want anything that inside that food (animals and vegetables) died in vain. Sometimes if I'm too stuffed too eat more side dish, I only add the broth or sauce of the side dish, I already feel relieved by doing that.
 
#8 ·
Plants sometimes, especially new ones, if I am in the a garden weeding or similar, and have to remove/murder ones that haven't even gotten the chance to reach their potential yet, it feels so excessively mean somehow, they have been saving up energy all winter, and now just as they are sprouting (imagine the enthusiasm those days for a plant!), you kill them...

Sometimes also the picking one over another-things. I still do usually, but then I might use a not-favourite pen or fork or something out of pitty once in a while.

Certain stones, some of them just feel more like beings than other ones, I might just notice and feel a bit of symapthetic feeling with them, or sometimes stroke them when passing, I don't imagine up stories, it is just a breif feeling of liking them.
 
#10 ·
I have a little pillow that I called Baby Pillow, and he has a family. :kitteh:

He appears in my ideas and stories (usually with Cloudy and Jet). :kitteh: And this allowed me to come up with an awesome pillow race. :cool:

He is getting old though after all these years. :sad: It is kinda sad watching him slowly fall apart. :crying:
I think... if he were to "die" one day... I would honor him in my stories. And I still do. :happy:

...hah hah hah... me just talking to the stars after his passing, "Hey Baby Pillow! You up there! Did you know that, despite being a regular pillow in the waking life... You're in all of these wondrous and exciting stories of fantasy and adventure, where you're actually alive and full of life!"

...and of course... ...I feel pity for those stuffed animals in the store... :unsure:

heh heh heh... :kitteh:
 
#12 ·
brightflashes said:
One trait of INFPs that I've noticed is that they tend to personify inanimate objects (especially as kids). I thought it would be fun to start a thread where we can all share about the ways we have done this.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

When my mom took me shopping as a kid, I used to feel sorry for all the clothes that I didn't take home with me. I worried they'd think I didn't like them.
Click to expand...
:hugs:
 
#14 ·
I’ve always done this. As a kid I personified clothes and items to a point where I had a lot of trouble getting rid of anything.

I was always devastated by the loss of any balloon, to a point where I lost all balloon privileges for a while. :unsure:

I remember having several balloons and giving them all their own personalities and backstories. (There was always the one tough balloon and the goofy balloon)

I always had pretty long ongoing plots with action figures and would get frustrated when other kids weren’t interested in following them but just wanted to hurl them into each other.

I still do this now, in new environments especially. I do this a lot with furniture, where I’ll see a rug with a corner turned upward, and imagine that it’s beckoning the other flat reluctant rug to attack the coffee table and I'll start to admire the flat rug's ability to think things through and start to wonder what the coffee table did to that one rug. :crazy:

I get low on groceries a lot and can start to feel bad for the lone bottle of ketchup having to “I am Legend” his way through the fridge until I get more mustard.
 
#15 · (Edited)
brightflashes said:
One trait of INFPs that I've noticed is that they tend to personify inanimate objects (especially as kids). I thought it would be fun to start a thread where we can all share about the ways we have done this.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

When my mom took me shopping as a kid, I used to feel sorry for all the clothes that I didn't take home with me. I worried they'd think I didn't like them.
Click to expand...
Not INFP but I do indeed do that. Mainly with vehicles, Such as cars & big trucks, ships, and airplanes. I think it's part of the reason I am so passionate about vehicles.


Musical instruments too...


I do get bothered when things aren't used they way they are supposed to.
 
#16 ·
I hand wash my favorite mugs since dishwasher is quite rough and they are very "friendly" when serving my coffee, so they deserve better. If a vehicle or computer has a problem, I think about it like "she" got sick and I have to take care of her until the problem is resolved. It's nice to also pet vehicles and machines when they are doing their job well, as I want my work to be noticed too, so why not give them a bit of a praise? When I crashed my motorbike a few years back, I ran to the wreck and gave it a hug crying as it was my fault she was hurt and in pieces. Feels like I can almost sense a soul in a machine that I know well, and become good friends with it. :)
 
#17 · (Edited)
Is it always because we feel bad for an object that we personify it? I am going to have to think about this.
Click to expand...
Good question. I do tend to personify objects more when I'm feeling bad about them, or trying to consider my impact on them. But perhaps there's also a greater sense of responsibility over an object's fate, since they are usually passive and sometimes we own them.

I am honestly not the best caretaker for objects though--but I'm not purposefully disorganized. But it does bother me when they can't fulfill their purpose.

Sometimes I personify objects more consciously or for fun now. Like when I got my new sheets, I made up this mythology about how they imbue the sleeper with restful sleep, how they are made from imaginary materials, and magical. But that was mostly conscious effort.

But yeah, I go into a dumpster or a goodwill warehouse, and I tend to feel bad for the objects because they seem so unloved and they lack a purpose to others, and they just 'want' to be able to do what they were intended.

Especially sad is when an object has sentimental meaning for one individual, and that individual dies and the object remains. Like once I found a photo album of cats in an estate sale, and I just felt sort of angry and sad like that the family should have taken it (if she had family) because it was obviously really meaningful to her and now it would be sort of 'homeless' and no one would understand how wonderful it was...they would just think they are random pictures of cats, when clearly they were not.

But that's also just...some kind of existential line of thinking though--what gives things meaning, what is 'purpose' in this world. It's probably love or something. I mean, it made me happy that she could take pleasure in her photo album of cats, and probably in her cat. Really, that is a good thing. She loved and her cat was probably well loved, and that is just a little reminder/memory of that snippet in time.

Kind of reminds me of stories like The Velveteen Rabbit or Pinocchio, in which objects desire to be 'real.' But...it makes sense to me that they should be appreciated and loved, or else reformed.

The technique of kintsugi or 'golden repair' is also kind of cool. I do think it's a good idea to be concerned with the future of objects made, their durability, and their purpose. And an understanding of resources.
 
#18 ·
I'm not an INFP but I've always been a huge personifier. Even as an adult, I am always doing it with object at work. When I worked at a grocery store in my early 20's, I used to straighten the shelves, and pretend like all the food were little soldiers, and when one would get out of line, I would have to straighten it. They would then have to come up with a good excuse for why they were out of line. When I'm doing dishes at home, I sometimes pretend they are arguing with each other about who got washed better, who is sturdier, etc. This has always happened automatically in my mind, and it allows me to have a great memory for numbers because I envision them all with a specific personality, gender, and color.
 
#19 ·
I think it's incredible how INTPs judge the world so much differently than INFPs. To me, the external world is very dead and the practicality of each item is what matters most. I guess this is the difference between Ti and Fi. Even now, I'm trying to use Ti to understand Fi. To make something that's alive and beautiful.. dead, through analysis. How is it possible that we perceive the world the same way but judge it so differently? You, giving names to each flower, while I, seeing different kinds of flowers yet only calling them "plants". I want to see the world through your eyes, or at least meet Ti and Fi half way, if that's possible.
 
#20 ·
SouDesuNyan said:
I think it's incredible how INTPs judge the world so much differently than INFPs. To me, the external world is very dead and the practicality of each item is what matters most. I guess this is the difference between Ti and Fi. Even now, I'm trying to use Ti to understand Fi. To make something that's alive and beautiful.. dead, through analysis. How is it possible that we perceive the world the same way but judge it so differently? You, giving names to each flower, while I, seeing different kinds of flowers yet only calling them "plants". I want to see the world through your eyes, or at least meet Ti and Fi half way, if that's possible.
Click to expand...
I admire you for wanting to see and understand our way of thinking rather than being annoyed by how illogical it is. Maybe the best way you could see the Fi world is through our eyes - through our stories.

It's a colorful world where each color holds meaning. The flowers and stars, they all have names. Beauty is only part of their purpose. They grow old and die just like we do. The flowers fade faster but the stars take ages to fade. Maybe that's because light is stronger than darkness. The flowers tell stories just like we do. Their irritation with the world shows up in imperfections. But those imperfections add to their beauty. Sometimes disillusionment is beautiful. They struggle and toil to grow. They cannot stand the cold. It takes a while for them to bloom but when they do it's worth the wait. They are the color of the world. They add to it's meaning. This pink tulip that waited for it's spring brings joy to those who see it. The red rose that built up a thorny system to stay connected to it's home was cut from it's bush to bring love to someone else. His purpose was served in such an uncomfortable way, but aren't ours too? Isn't there pain in our purpose? The bluebells wave and whisper in the wind cheerfully greeting the morning sun. They're quiet, gentle and happy. The orange poppy dances in the wind. He has his own kind of freedom. His connection to the earth gives him comfort. The yellow sunflower raises her pretty face towards the sky. She's fallen in love with it's lovely blue hue and is ever seeking to be closer to it. She grows and grows longingly for the day she reaches the clouds. She will you know, she's determined to. The violet sings with every petal. You may never hear her voice but you can see the passion she displays, rich color in every fiber of her being. Each flower so different in purpose and design gives thanks for the life they receive through their green stems until it at last fades to brown and their petals wilt, breathing in their last breath of fresh air they helped create. Perhaps the stars have even greater purpose - being the sun and source of energy for each of those colorful flowers. Every ray that pours out designed to shine on a specific one. Do you think the sun sees the flowers it brings life to? Do you think he shines a little bit brighter after a good long rain to remind the flowers he's there? Does he ever get irritated by the shadows? He never stays mad for too long, his personality is too bright. He never sleeps because it's always his day time. Sometimes he envies the moon for it, but then he remembers the moon shines from his own reflection and he remembers his purpose. It's to brighten the day. It's to feed the flowers. It's to awaken life to every creature. It's to bring warmth. It's to bring beauty as it reflects off the ocean. Yes the stars have greater purpose. And each one shines on it's own world full of colors.
 
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