[Alaya]

Is it common for INFJs to suffer from information overload, sometimes making you look like a "slow learner"?

I find that concepts that I cannot make an association with past information takes a long time to integrate into my framework. If the concept, on the other hand, has some context from previous information I can grasp those concepts with relative ease, and in addition, new information arises out of that connection.

My hypothesis is that Ni is a very narrow perceiving function (unlike Ne that can take many types of stimuli at the same time and make connections out of it) which takes a long time to integrate knowledge from new concepts and ideas.

Thoughts?

 

[DreamingSoul]

It happens to me all the time. For example when I was in college, the teacher would do a lecture and by the end of the class I still had a hard time understand the lecture. I process my information slowly which makes me look like I'm a slow learner. I agree with your hypothesis since Ni is more focus on everything at once and when the details come in, we will miss it or easily overlook it. Not only that, but we absorb so much information at once to where we need to sit there and make sense of what was happening. I can def. relate to this.

 

[Alaya]

It happens to me all the time. For example when I was in college, the teacher would do a lecture and by the end of the class I still had a hard time understand the lecture.

Ah, yes that happens to me too. I found that reading the chapter or lecture slides before beginning class helped a lot, since I already knew the big concepts that the professor was going to talk about in more detail.

Not only that, but we absorb so much information at once to where we need to sit there and make sense of what was happening

Yes, it seems that we are currently bombarded by a wave of information, and it's exhausting to make sense of it all. So we sometimes take "shortcuts". This description on the personality page sort of explains this approach:

Personality Page

Most of the problems described above are a result of Introverted iNtuition overtaking the INFJ's personality to the point that all of the other functions become slaves to Introverted iNtuition. A healthy personality needs to have a good balance between its dominant and auxiliary functions. For an INFJ, the dominant Introverted iNtuition needs to be well-supported by the auxiliary Extraverted Feeling function. If Extraverted Feeling exists only to support the desires of Introverted iNtuition, then neither function is being used to its potential.

Introverted iNtuition is a personality function that constantly gathers information, and sees everything from many different perspectives. As the dominant player in a personality, it has the effect of constantly bombarding the psyche with new information to consider. Introverted iNtuition is sort of like a framework for understanding that exists in the mind. As something is perceived, it is melded into the existing intuitive framework. If an entirely new piece of information is perceived by the Introverted iNtuitive, that person must redefine their entire framework of reference. So, Introverted iNtuitives are constantly taking in information about the world that needs to be processed in a relatively lengthy manner in order to be understood. That presents quite a challenge to the INFJ. It's not unusual for an INFJ to feel overwhelmed with all of the things that he or she needs to consider in order to fully understand an idea or situation.

When Introverted iNtuition dominates the INFJ such that the other functions cannot serve their own purposes, we find the INFJ cutting off information that it needs to consider. If the psyche is presented with information that looks anything like something that Introverted iNtuition has processed in the past, it uses Extraverted Feeling to quickly reject that information. The psyche uses Extraverted Feeling to reject the ideas, rather than taking the information into its intuitive framework, and therefore potentially causing that framework to be reshaped and redefined.

Using Extraverted Feeling in this manner may effectively serve the immediate needs of Introverted iNtuition, but it is not ideal. It causes the INFJ to not consider information that may be useful or criticial in developing a real understanding of an issue. It may cause the INFJ to come off as too strongly opinionated or snobbish to others.

The better use of Extraverted Feeling for an INFJ would be to use it to assess the INFJ's rich insights and weigh them against the external world. When the INFJ personality uses Extraverted Feeling to cut off incoming information, rather than to judge internal intuitions, it is effectively cheating itself. It's like getting the answers to a test without having to really understand the questions. It's easier to get the answer right away, rather than to have to figure everything out. For the INFJ, who has a tremendous amount of information and "studying" that needs to be done, it's very tempting to take shortcuts. Most INFJs will do this to some extent. The real problems occur when an INFJ personality has become so imbalanced that its owner is extremely self-important and rarely consider anyone else's opinions or ideas.

 

[DreamingSoul]

Ah, yes that happens to me too. I found that reading the chapter or lecture slides before beginning class helped a lot, since I already knew the big concepts that the professor was going to talk about in more detail.



Yes, it seems that we are currently bombarded by a wave of information, and it's exhausting to make sense of it all. So we sometimes take "shortcuts". This description on the personality page sort of explains this approach:

Personality Page

Wow that is very helpful. Thanks. Now with our Ti and Se function, it that something that will mature over time?

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

I find that concepts that I cannot make an association with past information takes a long time to integrate into my framework. If the concept, on the other hand, has some context from previous information I can grasp those concepts with relative ease, and in addition, new information arises out of that connection.

My second-grade teacher used to call me "Poky Little Puppy" because I was one of the smartest kids in the class, but I was, as she called it, "slow."

I am still slow.

I think you're onto something with the Ni connection. The things I understand, I understand better and more deeply than most, but when introduced to something new, it's like everyone else got some memo with an outline or bullet point list detailing the most important parts, so that they seem to immediately know which elements to latch onto, and I'm standing there like a dope, feeling oddly left out.

If I understand Ni correctly, it involves understanding things by seeing the much-vaunted "Big Picture" and thereby being able to intuit all the finer points therein. To give a specific example, I struggled with math in school, and in retrospect, I see this is because math in most high schools is taught from a bottom-up perspective. If I couldn't see the end game, where the teacher was going with everything, then the details seemed abstract and pointless. For this reason, one exception to my struggle with math was geometry, especially trig. I was MASTER of the goddamn triangle, because I understood all the interconnections. I almost didn't need to memorize specific rules, because I could understand the why behind the framework. I also did quite well with coordinate planes, parabolas, etc., because, again, I could picture the general physicality of it, so that new details just fell into place with each lesson. And I often did much better on final exams than on HW assignments, because I was studying everything in context and not as apparently unrelated information.

Of course, the flip side of all this difficulty with new information/details would be the famed INFJ intuition. People think we're coming up with stuff we couldn't possibly have known, when really we're just making educated guesses about specifics based on the general impressions we receive.

 

[luzluna]

"The real problems occur when an INFJ personality has become so imbalanced that its owner is extremely self-important and rarely consider anyone else's opinions or ideas."

I like that the writer refers to ourselves as "owners" of our personality type, like it's a pet or something. =^.^=

It does take me longer to process things. However, I've noticed in class that I usually understand abstract concepts much faster than other students in my classes.

I also get "information overload" when I'm studying MBTI sometimes, though. I suppose maybe it's when I'm using my Ti? It is my child function after all... But when that happens, I have to take a small break. I usually discuss most of it with my INTJ significant other, and we both spend time picking each other's brains until we have what we believe to be the best, most refined "knowledge" of what we've "learned".

If that made any sense. (I just got back from a 4 1/2 hour class. My brain is fried. @.@)

 

[luzluna]

To give a specific example, I struggled with math in school, and in retrospect, I see this is because math in most high schools is taught from a bottom-up perspective. If I couldn't see the end game, where the teacher was going with everything, then the details seemed abstract and pointless. For this reason, one exception to my struggle with math was geometry, especially trig. I was MASTER of the goddamn triangle, because I understood all the interconnections. I almost didn't need to memorize specific rules, because I could understand the why behind the framework. I also did quite well with coordinate planes, parabolas, etc., because, again, I could picture the general physicality of it, so that new details just fell into place with each lesson. And I often did much better on final exams than on HW assignments, because I was studying everything in context and not as apparently unrelated information.

Brilliant! I couldn't have explained it better myself. I was just thinking that today in class, but you had just the right words for it. Thank you!

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

@luzluna, I was just thinking about your comment that you're better at understanding abstract concepts. I have this theory I'm not sure how to explain, that some types are better than others at sitting in what I think of as an "in-between" space, between knowing and not knowing. I am capable of encountering a new idea and thinking, "Okay, I don't fully understand this, but instead of trying to immediately force it into some classification, I'm going to let it hang out in my brain for a while and let it tell me where it belongs."

Sometimes too many details inhibit understanding, because details can simply be arbitrarily chosen characteristics. Then we end up paying attention to these arbitrary details instead of the whole, and missing things as a result. This can be avoided by not trying to grab hold of an idea so hard at first, so to speak. If you can be comfortable letting a new idea slowly reveal itself to you, you can gain a more correct and complete understanding of it than if you had tried to puzzle it out all at once.

 

[Alaya]

Wow that is very helpful. Thanks. Now with our Ti and Se function, it that something that will mature over time?

Perhaps. You have to put effort into developing these inferior functions, it won't happen automatically. Developing Ti and Se is going out of your comfort zone, since these functions are the anti-thesis of your primary ones (Ni and Fe). Maturing Ti will cause a balance with Fe, and Se with Ni.

 

[luzluna]

Agreed, Elinor. I like your hypothesis, and I wonder if it's something to be said about all INFJ's. I imagine it could contribute to the notion that INFJ's are the least "J-like" of the J's. I've seen many people struggle with the idea of not being able to "know" something, while I am relatively comfortable with it. I find that those ideas that I just let "bang out in my head" become much more useful to me days, months, or even years down the line, when something happens or I learn something new and it all just -clicks-.

 

[Alaya]

My second-grade teacher used to call me "Poky Little Puppy" because I was one of the smartest kids in the class, but I was, as she called it, "slow."

That just shows the tremendous effort you placed on your studies, which to me, is more admirable than being a natural genius but not having the motivation to do anything. Not saying that you are not a genius, on the contrary, you're even more of a genius for being persistent.

and I'm standing there like a dope, feeling oddly left out.

I've had that feeling myself. I feel even more dumb when I raise my hand to ask a question that other people just seemed to take it for granted, and easily understood.

If I understand Ni correctly, it involves understanding things by seeing the much-vaunted "Big Picture" and thereby being able to intuit all the finer points therein. To give a specific example, I struggled with math in school, and in retrospect, I see this is because math in most high schools is taught from a bottom-up perspective. If I couldn't see the end game, where the teacher was going with everything, then the details seemed abstract and pointless. For this reason, one exception to my struggle with math was geometry, especially trig. I was MASTER of the goddamn triangle, because I understood all the interconnections. I almost didn't need to memorize specific rules, because I could understand the why behind the framework. I also did quite well with coordinate planes, parabolas, etc., because, again, I could picture the general physicality of it, so that new details just fell into place with each lesson. And I often did much better on final exams than on HW assignments, because I was studying everything in context and not as apparently unrelated information.

I like your example! And yep, that's how Ni functions. Ni needs to figure out the end result of something in order to make sense of the details. You need to see the triangle first, in order to know how the triangle is made of. The school system (at least here in the U.S.) tend to value first giving you the details of a concept, and the big picture later on. Which annoys me to say the least

Of course, the flip side of all this difficulty with new information/details would be the famed INFJ intuition. People think we're coming up with stuff we couldn't possibly have known, when really we're just making educated guesses about specifics based on the general impressions we receive.

Exactly. However, if you develop your Ti to healthy levels, you not only can make educated guesses about these specifics, but you can actually explain them to people with logic using Fe as a bridge. That's why many INFJs have these amazing ideas, but most people don't take them seriously because they look too farfetched to even consider them. It's not until they develop Ti that they can explain these details in more understandable chunks.

 

[Alaya]

I also get "information overload" when I'm studying MBTI sometimes, though. I suppose maybe it's when I'm using my Ti? It is my child function after all... But when that happens, I have to take a small break. I usually discuss most of it with my INTJ significant other, and we both spend time picking each other's brains until we have what we believe to be the best, most refined "knowledge" of what we've "learned".

Ti does drain us relatively fast when we're using it. Like you said, it's a child function, so it does make sense that you feel the need to take a break from it. This description talks about it in more detail, which might interest you:

Typelogic

Introverted Thinking
The INFJ's thinking is introverted, turned toward the subject. Perhaps it is when the INFJ's thinking function is operative that he is most aloof. A comrade might surmise that such detachment signals a disillusionment, that she has also been found lacking by the sardonic eye of this one who plumbs the depths of the human spirit. Experience suggests that such distancing is merely an indication that the seer is hard at work and focusing energy into this less efficient tertiary function.

If that made any sense. (I just got back from a 4 1/2 hour class. My brain is fried. @.@)

Don't worry, you made perfect sense :happy:

 

[Goaty]

Oh yeah. My close friends know that if they take Goaty to a movie, don't pounce for my opinion right after. I need plenty of time to swallow, digest, and absorb whatever we're watching. It literally took days for me to dissect and discuss Inception.

I even have delayed responses when discussing a concept with someone, sometimes to the point of being socially awkward. But for me, I'm not a diarrhea mouth, so a certain amount of time is required to gather my thoughts and create an intelligent comment.

And when it comes to new ideas, if they don't register in my mind right away, I'll sit there and process them until all the pieces magically fall together. Then once everything has clicked, I'm cerebrally quick when it comes to analyzing and evaluating the implications and consequences of said ideas -- just give me enough time to let the sand settle in my brain.

 

[luzluna]

I'm not a diarrhea mouth, so a certain amount of time is required to gather my thoughts and create an intelligent comment.

Hahahaha! I love the way you put that. And I know what you mean. I find that often, when I'm pressed for an immediate response, I end up sticking my foot in my mouth, which is a shame, because I rarely speak up about my best intuits. So when I am forced to speak up and something idiotic comes out, I get so embarassed!

 

[Ontheroadway]

Just call me Miss Brain Fry .... dzzt

 

[PistolShrimp]

I never had a problem with this as a kid as I was top of my class, but in college I raised my hand to answer questions maybe three times in three years because of the overload problem. I needed time to integrate everything into my brain before speaking, and never had quite enough. One of my writing professors actually e-mailed me and encouraged me to speak in class, as she saw that the ideas in the essays I spent hours so carefully crafting were worth sharing. I could sift through a ridiculous mountain of information on my own through writing, but in class I always went into deer in headlights mode when called on. :blushed:

 

[Vivid Melody]

Yes, I used to think I was slow or well I know I appear slow but I really just need to reflect on things before it all comes together.

 

[SilentScream]

This happened to me in some subjects and not others. If the information got too 'technical' then yes, I'd be lost for days even months. The subjects I was extremely weak in were all the logic / reasoning based ones, or ones where you had to memorize a lot of information to survive, like maths, physics, chemistry, economics. At the same time however, I was extremely strong in specific areas within those subjects. For example I aced the part about probabilities and permutations in math. I aced the part about sound in physics (perhaps due to my inclination towards music). In chemistry, I got a 95+ in my independent study project whereas I had only like 63 for the course (and about the same for all other logic related courses).

On the other hand, I more than made up for all these 'failures' by acing courses which allowed me freedom to express my thoughts and creativity. I was a beast in English and they moved me up to the Enriched class with the gifted students. I aced my sociology, philosophy and law courses.

Therefore, my teachers (and parents) thought that I was brilliant but irresponsible. Because I'd have periods of extreme talkativeness / participation based on my interests and extended periods of introversion. I was able to mask my real failure to grasp complex mathametical concepts by pretending not to "like" those subjects - when in actuality I just didn't get them. For the longest time I thought I was actually slow and incapable - but I'm beginning to realize through read more about more people here, that it was nothing wrong with me -- it was pretty normal for a person of my type.

 

[Gildar]

Information overload is a pain. I only can consume so much at a time. Makes studying a pain. I often found that its best, study, break, study, then break. Chunk it up allows makes it easier.

just cause information overload reminds me of the Persona 4 opening everytime i hear it

and because sometimes(lets be honest most times) engrish is painful

We are living our lives.
Abound with so much information.
Come on, let go of the remote.
Don't you know you're letting all the junk flood in?
I try to stop the flow, double clicking on the go
But it's no use; hey, I'm being consumed
Loading... Loading... Loading...
Quickly reaching maximum capacity
Warning... Warning... Warning!
Gonna short-circuit my identity.

Get up on your feet, tear down the walls.
Catch a glimpse of the hollow world.
Snooping 'round will get you nowehere.
You're locked up in your mind...
We are all trapped in a maze of relationships that goes on with or without you.
I swim in the sea of the unconscious.
I'll search for your heart, pursuing my true self

(note whether i am here or not i dont know. >.> i just could not keep away from lurking and i saw that ninja name thread and pounced big time... apparently mentioning ninja's makes it hard for me to stay in the shadows)