[InkMyUmbrella]

Hello! I've been reading about MBTI and the cognitive functions for a WHILE, and I constantly doubt my type, have trouble relating to many of the descriptions, second guess everything I do as being due to a specific function, etc. I figure that being a Fi dom (or aux) really makes sense as my life feels like a constant identity crisis, and probably fosters my (unhealthy) obsession with determining my type.

Anyways I was really hoping you guys could help me. I really don't fit many of the descriptions of a typical SFP, but, again, I constantly doubt whether I use Ne at all at the same time. I've read that both SFP and NFP types can be "creative" so that does not really help me too much.

Here are some examples of me "problem solving":

> For whatever reason, my mom likes getting massages from me. Here is how I do it: I am a very tense person naturally, so I have many knots which does take me a bit to notice, but there they are. I kinda assume that other people are feeling tight in similar areas, and I've played around with giving myself self massages so I try to apply similar amount of pressure/technique. I am very careful, try to empathize a lot and make sure I am not doing something wrong and adjust accordingly. Of course I also constantly ask to see if things are going okay and then adjust or move to a different spot on the back/neck, etc, but she rates mine a 7/10 lol. It took me a while to get the gist of it.

> So for problem solving... There was one time a few weeks back when I had to do laundry for the first time in my new house. My washer and dryer are front-loaders and are next to each other and adjacent to the front door. I was really annoyed by having to struggle to hold the washer and dryer door open at the same time when moving clothes to the dryer, so I was trying to think of ways to hold the washer door open to make things easier. I first thought maybe a heavy stick or something could hold it against the front door (or use duct tape or something), so looked around for something like that initially, but then I noticed a cap sitting on a shelf atop the washer/dryer. I then decided to try use the "head area" of the cap (idk what it's called) against the corner of the door, and the hole in the back around the door knob of the front door. it got held in place. So all I had to do was hold the dryer door back with my hip and I could transfer clothing items better than before.

> I sometimes like to do puzzles for fun... Recently did a few of those matrix pattern recognition problems that you usually find on IQ tests or something. Here it is: smart-kit . com /wp-content/uploads/2007/08/circle-traingle-puzzle-iq-test . jpg

I first let my eyes glaze over to see if any pattern stands out to me. In a more subconscious manner, I noticed the many black/white circles, but that didn't help me too much cuz their placement was all over the place. I then saw that the horizontal black/white circles had white triangles going in all sorts of directions, but still didn't lead me to any conclusion due to, again, the seemingly random placement of those circles. Then I started eyeing any diagonal possibilities and took me a split second to see that the rows (and eventually saw columns followed the pattern) were filled with "one of each" kind of picture, so I figured the answer was D.

Anyways, yeah putting these scenarios on here to see if anything matches either Se or Ne processing perhaps? Sorry about how lengthy it is!! But I would really love the insight

 

[Hunter1611]

Here are some examples of me "problem solving":

Ok so... My instinct here is Se but I can't say for certain. The problems you focused on were... legitimate situations that you felt needed to be improved so used whatever was present in the room to resolve or careful trial and error. It hints at Se, but it could just be the narrow focus of the examples you gave. You're writing style didn't strike me as Ne either. (sometimes Ne users are very obvious when reading their posts)

Here are some thoughts to help you understand the difference between Se and Ne...

Ne likes to come up with way to improve things that technically don't always need to be improved. Ne likes to say "Wouldn't it be cool if...". Something could be functioning adequately enough as is but Ne like to find cool ways to make it even better. Se will tend to only want to improve something when they feel that it is broken. The 'would it be cool if' scenarios are generally purposeless and meaningless to them because it is not relevant, immediately applicable, or practical. Speculating about such things won't interest them.
Holding a conversation with a Ne user (who is within their comfort zone) can be very... amusing because Ne appears kind of random. Ne users will jump the conversation around, draw in strange parallels because of the patterns they've notice or whatever they're relating what they're talking to... They'll go on strange rabbit trails, etc. They for some reason tend to be all into puns. (I'm sure that's not always true but most people I know with some kind of Ne do...even low Ne).
Se conversations will be a bit more linear and focused and appear less scattered from the topic at hand. Se users tend to be more down to earth, and in the moment. They're more about what is then what could be. They won't really geek out about new ideas unless they're practical or immediately applicable, as I mentioned above. Se users aren't always into sports and adrenaline rushes as the stereotypes tends to say. Se likes to create and will prefer to be more hands on so they can engage their senses, while Ne wants to engage it's Ne by understanding the concept first before doing anything hands on.
I once researched out the difference between INFP and ISFP artists and the main thing I pulled from it was that the INFPs are obsessed with meaning, ideas, symbolism, so their art will be more about the meaning behind it , while an ISFP enjoy art purely for the act of creating a beautiful finished product that others can enjoy. As a result, ISFPs are typically into art forms like painting, and drawing, while INFPs are into poetry and stories. (This is stereotyping though. I'm just saying it to demonstrate the practical difference in the way the two think).

 

[Silwin]

Infp and Isfp can be very similiar but usually an Isfp is more focused on the "here and now" than an Infp. Even when it comes to dreams I'd say that Se is more concerned with thinking about a realistic possibility. I noticed also that Se makes you super-focused when you're doing an important activity: it's like my Se switch off half of my brain, I think only about doing that single activity and nothing else.
Often I read that an Infp can seem more extrovert than an Isfp (well, I think that Ne brings you to talk more, while Se is action-oriented so it isn't concerned with talking that much).
Another difference is that usually Isfp has a strong concept of beauty whereas an Infp thinks more about the meaning of something.

The examples you gave us aren't really helpful to understand if you use Se or Ne

I really don't fit many of the descriptions of a typical SFP, but, again, I constantly doubt whether I use Ne at all at the same time.

Why?

 

[La Bella Luna]

I really don't fit many of the descriptions of a typical SFP

What typical descriptions? They just might be stereotypes.