[thegirlcandance]

I have a question for all of you INTPs: Do you feel that you are consciously aware of your emotions?

I'm sure that this is going to be variable to each individual, of course, but I'm mostly looking for how INTPs perceive themselves in how they know their own emotions.

In my experience, as an INFJ who dated an INTP a short while, I always felt like I felt his emotions more than he did. I felt when he was upset and other emotions despite this hard exterior. However, I will gladly admit that I could only read them in spurts (you guys are much harder than ENTPs in this regard!! At least in my experience so far.) I suppose I always initially thought and naturally figured that he must be aware of his own emotions during these times but then I would run into periods where he would say one thing but then do something to imply something else. To me, it just always seemed like the rational thinking would come out and he would avoid actually stating to admit those feelings.

So I suppose what I wonder is: Is it more of a "logic matters more than emotions, so though I am aware of my emotions I am going to disregard them completely (which, of course, to me boggles my mind how somebody can ignore such intense feelings that I'm picking up, ha - go figure for an NF, right?)"? Or is it just that you feel and experience them but don't quite understand them or can differentiate well to decipher what it really is or would mean?

 

[Ember]

I actually posted about something like this a while back in the Dating Q&A section a while back.

I can get very emotional (or temperamental?) from time to time and even though I give off those 'intense feelings' regarding said emotion, I'd rather not open up completely. I feel vulnerable and emotionally weak. It feels like I am imposing myself on the other, which is something I absolutely dislike. Obviously, when I am in a good mood or feel light at heart, I do speak about what I was feeling a while back. Or, when it is too much to hide, I do talk about how I feel.

I am pretty much aware of my emotions but I choose to ignore them most of the time and try being rational/logical to cover-up.

 

[Epictetus]

I definitely feel emotion; It's very much a physical sensation for me (which is fitting, considering that they're called feelings).

If I'm angry, I literally feel the rage throughout my entire essence. If I'm distraught, I feel like these guys. If I'm genuinely happy, I might as well be floating.

I think what differentiates me (maybe the same holds true for most INTPs, but I won't speak for them) from others is that once I get that natural emotional input, I typically analyze it before accepting it as justified.

If I get angry because someone slighted me, I'll consider whether or not they did so intentionally. If I can't deduce that they did it intentionally, then I'll consider the possible ways that the two of us could have misunderstood each other. If I find that my anger is warranted, I'll address the situation. If I find that my anger wasn't warranted or that I don't KNOW that it was warranted, then the anger disappears.

This same pattern holds true for me for most emotions. I do tend to be more lenient regarding feelings of attraction, since I think that that's one area where logic is more likely to confuse/complicate the situation than it is to elucidate anything.

I usually refrain from sharing my emotions until I feel like I understand them myself, save for the small circle of people that I truly trust.

 

[Chrysantheist]

I don't think of myself as feeling emotions until I've sorted out and labeled what I'm feeling. At that point I further analyze why I feel that way, process the emotion, allow it or shut it down, whatever I think is most rational.

I recognize that I do have emotions that I haven't yet done that with yet, but I don't think most of it is conscious. And I generally don't have very strong feelings about anything, unless I'm also tired/stressed. But then I naturally recognize that I'm also tired/stressed and let it go.

I used to have very strong depressive feelings as a child, but now I'm better about embracing blissful feelings. For instance, if someone asks how I'm doing, I nearly always respond with "awesome!" or "pretty good so far" or something beyond just "good" because it delights me to be needlessly enthusiastic, and it tends to make other people smile too. Also, I think I preemptively rationalize what I want to feel and then feel it. :shrug:

 

[Deathbagel]

Yes I am consciously aware of my own emotions, perhaps too consciously. I analyze each emotion that passes through my head and its point of origination. Unlike many of the posters before me though, this often comes after feeling the emotion in the first place, so it's more like a wild expression of emotion (at least in my own head) followed by "wait... wtf why do I feel like this?" When I can't analyze why I feel a certain way, or can't justify my feelings, it makes me feel really sad. And I don't ignore my emotions, I just recognize them as what they are, natural semi-animalistic impulses. Sometimes following them can lead to tragedy, and sometimes it can just be a lot of wild fun.

 

[Ambiguous]

It depends. Sometimes I can completely ignore my emotions until I realize how strong they are and can't ignore them.

My INFJ ex was the same way about recognizing my emotions or when I was upset. She was also very good at figuring out where they were coming from (which is something I struggle with if I am very stressed out).

 

[LadyO.W.BernieBro]

When I was younger it was like being aware of the emotions and actually feeling but disregrding them, but now it's like they aren't even real.

I don't know. I know I would feel awful if something truly terrible happened, lost a loved one, etc but most of the time my emotions just aren't real. I know what I should feel in certain situations but I just don't feel it.

*shrug* I can't complain, I don't know if I've been in a legitimately "bad" mood in almost 5 years.

 

[NeedsNewNameNow]

I have a question for all of you INTPs: Do you feel that you are consciously aware of your emotions?

I'm sure that this is going to be variable to each individual, of course, but I'm mostly looking for how INTPs perceive themselves in how they know their own emotions.

In my experience, as an INFJ who dated an INTP a short while, I always felt like I felt his emotions more than he did. I felt when he was upset and other emotions despite this hard exterior. However, I will gladly admit that I could only read them in spurts (you guys are much harder than ENTPs in this regard!! At least in my experience so far.) I suppose I always initially thought and naturally figured that he must be aware of his own emotions during these times but then I would run into periods where he would say one thing but then do something to imply something else. To me, it just always seemed like the rational thinking would come out and he would avoid actually stating to admit those feelings.

So I suppose what I wonder is: Is it more of a "logic matters more than emotions, so though I am aware of my emotions I am going to disregard them completely (which, of course, to me boggles my mind how somebody can ignore such intense feelings that I'm picking up, ha - go figure for an NF, right?)"? Or is it just that you feel and experience them but don't quite understand them or can differentiate well to decipher what it really is or would mean?

I'm aware of some emotions, sometimes others are a jumble and I don't understand why I feel a certain way. Other times I try to suppress them. Sometimes I'll deny to others what I'm feeling

 

[nadjasix]

Annoyance...

10char

 

[whytiger]

I would often be aware of the emotion itself but not the cause. It would sometimes take days to figure out why I felt a certain way. I often will lie if asked about my feelings or act as if nothing's wrong when something is. I feel that my emotions are personal and private so it doesn't bother me to conceal them. I can't just talk about them before I've worked through them because anything I say could be interpreted as factual when usually all I have at that stage are guesses. I would not want people to assume later on that I feel a certain way about something when I don't.

 

[this is my username]

I am very aware of my emotional state internally. I do not usually feel like externalizing these emotions.

 

[Ablysmal]

I actually have to think about how I feel, as funny as that sounds. I'm not very good at knowing or feeling what my emotional state is. And when I do "feel" something, I almost always describe it as "weird" because I don't know exactly what it is. So if someone asks me how I'm feeling, my usual responses are "I don't know..." or "I feel weird".

It seems to be that the only part of the emotional spectrum that I comprehend are the primitive, simple ones, like happiness and sadness.

I'm also the type to push back some of my emotions to let logic take over and remain objective.

 

[thegirlcandance]

Interesting -- and thanks for the responses!!

Now I suppose my next question is: Do you feel that you can really decipher between a feeling of a simple attraction to a person or a real genuine love feeling?

I know this can certainly be something that a person of ANY type can struggle with differentiating (of course, until they experience the latter) -- and I just know from a few NTs I've been around they seem to almost be numb emotionally or are able to disregard them very well.

In my experience it has seemed to be a situation of "I picked up that there was really a genuine feeling that he had for me, but he disregard it because of 1. Fear, which made it more difficult for him to communicate properly so the relationship could work well and 2. His own logical thinking of how he needed to go about his life this certain way with work and such so he could just logically talk himself out of it". And I suppose that the only true "concrete proof" to this would be how: 1. When I asked him how he felt, he would always twist the conversation either to how I feel or distract me, 2. He would say how he didn't want a commitment, but then he actions would prove to me his feelings of otherwise (I've been around plenty of other guys that were logical and could easily stay away and not be bothered -- he couldn't stay away or not be bothered).

I suppose that this is the type of situation where emotions can make things complicated for INTPs.

 

[nevermore]

I used to be very aware of my own emotions, but the disappointments of life have made me number and number to them (except the negative ones for some reason, unfortunately...). Life has a way of numbing you, making you cold, putting up walls of iron whether you want them or not.

I don't think this has anything to do with me being INTP, though that might make it worse. I really hate it though. Life was a lot better when I was more in touch with my feelings...

Now I suppose my next question is: Do you feel that you can really decipher between a feeling of a simple attraction to a person or a real genuine love feeling?

Yes...

 

[DesolateIridescence]

Sometimes I think I am so out of touch with my emotions I'm not even aware of them until they have a physical manifestation, such as a stomach ache (anxiety) or fatigue (depression).

 

[Chrysantheist]

Now I suppose my next question is: Do you feel that you can really decipher between a feeling of a simple attraction to a person or a real genuine love feeling?

Umm.. yeah. But I might not be able to differentiate well between various love feelings. Sometimes I feel so affectionate toward a friend I stop and go, "whoa, do I like this person?" and then it is revealed in my logicbrain that no, I do not. Or like after sex sometimes the oxytocin makes me want to be all "lets make babies together" but logicbrain is like "wtf?" so then I refrain from saying lovey things until the chemical rush subsides.

Also, I have come to realize that I am unable to recall past emotions without an intense amount of effort. Like my family used to cause me so much distress, but when I think back on it, I can't bring up that sadness without intense reflection. Or my ex, who I dated and presumably loved for 4 years, I can't seem to recall those lovey-connected feelings. So people ask me if I have ever been in love and I'm like, "I dunno. I guess so." but I don't feel like I have.

 

[thegirlcandance]

Umm.. yeah. But I might not be able to differentiate well between various love feelings. Sometimes I feel so affectionate toward a friend I stop and go, "whoa, do I like this person?" and then it is revealed in my logicbrain that no, I do not. Or like after sex sometimes the oxytocin makes me want to be all "lets make babies together" but logicbrain is like "wtf?" so then I refrain from saying lovey things until the chemical rush subsides.

Also, I have come to realize that I am unable to recall past emotions without an intense amount of effort. Like my family used to cause me so much distress, but when I think back on it, I can't bring up that sadness without intense reflection. Or my ex, who I dated and presumably loved for 4 years, I can't seem to recall those lovey-connected feelings. So people ask me if I have ever been in love and I'm like, "I dunno. I guess so." but I don't feel like I have.

Interesting perspective you gave there. Thanks!

 

[imelikmasin]

For me it is definitely:
"logic matters more than emotions, so though I am aware of my emotions I am going to disregard them completely".

I am aware of them before anyone else 99% of the time. I am just very good at not doing something because of them. There are other times where I am... just actually not affected. I often think something like "This situation is terrible." and I feel nothing about. Or I can often feel something from a situation and it doesn't change my thoughts about the situation at all. I'm confident that it's not simply unawareness too, because I can't even remember a time when someone else told me about emotions I was having when I was unaware of them. I.e. nobody has said: "You seem x." when I didn't know I felt that way already.

 

[Empty]

Now I suppose my next question is: Do you feel that you can really decipher between a feeling of a simple attraction to a person or a real genuine love feeling?

Is there a difference between simple attraction and this "real genuine love feeling?"

In my experiences with both myself and other people, I think there is no difference.

If you are talking about the degree of attraction, then of course, some people are more attractive than others - physically, intellectually, emotionally, etc.

 

[NeedsNewNameNow]

Interesting -- and thanks for the responses!!

Now I suppose my next question is: Do you feel that you can really decipher between a feeling of a simple attraction to a person or a real genuine love feeling?

Yes

I know this can certainly be something that a person of ANY type can struggle with differentiating (of course, until they experience the latter) -- and I just know from a few NTs I've been around they seem to almost be numb emotionally or are able to disregard them very well.

In my experience it has seemed to be a situation of "I picked up that there was really a genuine feeling that he had for me, but he disregard it because of 1. Fear, which made it more difficult for him to communicate properly so the relationship could work well and 2. His own logical thinking of how he needed to go about his life this certain way with work and such so he could just logically talk himself out of it". And I suppose that the only true "concrete proof" to this would be how: 1. When I asked him how he felt, he would always twist the conversation either to how I feel or distract me, 2. He would say how he didn't want a commitment, but then he actions would prove to me his feelings of otherwise (I've been around plenty of other guys that were logical and could easily stay away and not be bothered -- he couldn't stay away or not be bothered).

I suppose that this is the type of situation where emotions can make things complicated for INTPs.

Our feelings can freak us out, he sounds like he is uncomfortable talking about them and wanted to know how you felt instead.

Also sounds like he's afraid of commitment.