[purplevelvetmask]

Hello,

I had an instinct that is quite personal & yet I'm torn between whther to follow my mind or gut. I was hoping to get the opinion of such an intuitive type as the entj as to whether I'm right in thinking for once I should start listening to my instincts to help release me from a very damaged relationship. What are your views on the value of using intuition sometimes as a basis to make important decisions over logic?

 

[Diphenhydramine]

Go with your gut feeling only if you're willing to live with the consequences of it. I'm quite good at using gut instinct now because I've become attuned to it, but it's dangerous if you don't know how to utilise it.

 

[purplevelvetmask]

Can you give me an example of how it could be dangerous in a relationship context?

 

[RhoAlphaNuAlpha]

I use my "gut" instinct probably about the same as logic.
The only time logic fails me is when Im not seeing other possibilities. Im only relating it to what is fact and empirical.

When using gut instinct, you can lose the other side by dismissing what is fact, and going by what is instinctual, therefore making a decision that is purely based on what you "feel".
If you can balance it, I think that is probably the best way to go.
I'm more careful as I grow older of using gut instinct. It's possible that solely using that can be detrimental.

I know above you said it was personal, but if you dont mind me asking, what is the issue concerning? Can you elaborate a bit

 

[Diphenhydramine]

Can you give me an example of how it could be dangerous in a relationship context?

Your gut instinct is what YOU feel. You just feel it. It's totally unexplainable to other people; ENTJ is known for its gut feeling because of Ni/Fi, I suppose, which aren't quantifiable, as opposed to Ti/Si, which is highly quantifiable. If an ENTJ -- or anyone, for that matter -- makes a decision using solely Ni/Fi, it will leave everyone confused as to why this decision has been made and what the decider hopes to gain from it. For an ENTP, using your internal functions in a way that affects your relationship is less risky because they're quantifiable; you can say, "Well, I did this because this has happened to me before and that approach worked," or "It seemed to me to be logical that if you wanted X, you wouldn't want Y", which are explanations that will appease people/allow them to understand.

Now consider if I'm using my internal cognition in the same way. If I said "I just had this vision that X would happen" or "It just felt like Y was the right thing to do" then there is no understanding at all there. Gut feelings don't allow the other person to understand where you're coming from, which is bad in any communication, but even more so in a relationship where trust is key.

 

[Miss Scarlet]

Hello,

I had an instinct that is quite personal & yet I'm torn between whther to follow my mind or gut. I was hoping to get the opinion of such an intuitive type as the entj as to whether I'm right in thinking for once I should start listening to my instincts to help release me from a very damaged relationship. What are your views on the value of using intuition sometimes as a basis to make important decisions over logic?

I normally follow my gut but if I can't make up my mind I will write down my options.
Like, the logical reasons vs my gut feelings.
Sometimes it helps to see it on paper. Normally after I do that I will still go with my gut, it's like it clarifies it for me. And sometimes it shows me that my gut was way off. So you could always try that.

 

[TurranMC]

Can you give me an example of how it could be dangerous in a relationship context?

If you had a gut instinct that your boyfriend was cheating and he wasn't, that could be quite the problem couldn't it?

Personally I hate anyone going off of only gut instinct. It justifies a lot of shitty actions and ideas. Someone can't prove they know something, they just say they feel it in their gut, and that's that. It's annoying. I do my best to go off facts. That said, in the absence of facts if someone does not have a good counter argument for something, I always trust my gut over their opinion.

 

[dude10000]

What are your views on the value of using intuition sometimes as a basis to make important decisions over logic?

Think long-term. See the complete picture.

For example, I might ask myself-- is the Jason at age 41 or 51 going to regret and hate the actions of the Jason at 31? In terms of temporal intervals, intuition and reason coincide.

Intuition is only a problem when people make decisions inspired by the whims of the moment, without attempting to visualize how the past connects with the future.

 

[NiDBiLD]

I trust the direction of my gut instinct. If I suddenly get this tingling feeling that something is wrong, for example, I will initially assume that my prediction is correct, and I will try to find out what it is. I will not jump to action before I have sufficient amounts of real evidence, though. If my instinct can't be backed up by reason or evidence, I disengage.

 

[TechWiz]

Mine, all the time. Other people's, almost never unless they can back it up with some logic (which is almost never).

 

[purplevelvetmask]

I use my "gut" instinct probably about the same as logic.
The only time logic fails me is when Im not seeing other possibilities. Im only relating it to what is fact and empirical.

When using gut instinct, you can lose the other side by dismissing what is fact, and going by what is instinctual, therefore making a decision that is purely based on what you "feel".
If you can balance it, I think that is probably the best way to go.
I'm more careful as I grow older of using gut instinct. It's possible that solely using that can be detrimental.

I know above you said it was personal, but if you dont mind me asking, what is the issue concerning? Can you elaborate a bit

do you think that often when logic is missing those possibilities that instinct is what catches what you otherwise may have missed?
As for making a decision based purely on what you feel, I guess the T wouldn't really allow for that but I can see your point that if instinct alone were used that this could be the result.

Well I have a few scenarios & I was curious in general but when I mentioned my relationship issues in the original post I was referring to the type of feelings my longterm boyfriend share for one another. We have been in a platonic relationship for years & I never allowed my intinct to get right in there and acknowledge the abscence of that romantic spark which exists in most ordinary relationship. Ours is lacking in some ways but fuller in many & that's why we've lasted so long but we both know that the relationship has to reform itself in order for it to continue since we are not merely friends, we are lovers & although a platonic relationship burns with loyalty and love it is not the type of love to maintain a relationship between a man & woman.

I normally follow my gut but if I can't make up my mind I will write down my options.
Like, the logical reasons vs my gut feelings.
Sometimes it helps to see it on paper. Normally after I do that I will still go with my gut, it's like it clarifies it for me. And sometimes it shows me that my gut was way off. So you could always try that.

that sounds like a good strategy to have at hand & I might just try that! You say normally the gut wins even when you have it down on paper which I find quite fascinating considering all the contradictory posts.

I trust the direction of my gut instinct. If I suddenly get this tingling feeling that something is wrong, for example, I will initially assume that my prediction is correct, and I will try to find out what it is. I will not jump to action before I have sufficient amounts of real evidence, though. If my instinct can't be backed up by reason or evidence, I disengage.

I thinks this a valid point, u trust your instinct but you make sure you can back it up with sufficient evidence in order to act upon it & if you can't then you ignore it even if it could be right just incase it's wrong (no proof) and you do something you'd regret your whole life.

Ok but what if you ignore it because of the absence of evidence to back it up & then you find out years later your instinct was correct. Couldn't this be just as damaging?

 

[Miss Scarlet]

that sounds like a good strategy to have at hand & I might just try that! You say normally the gut wins even when you have it down on paper which I find quite fascinating considering all the contradictory posts.

Well, that's because the other ENTJ's DO IT WRONG! No really, in all honesty it isn't something I use much at all. I suggested it to you so you could make use of it. But it's a good way to practice making decisions based on gut feelings or not.

 

[cass]

I have to agree here....but going with instinct can be a double-edged sword, especially if you're trying to explain "why". Like others have said, we don't know the nature of what's going on but if you're dealing with someone who rarely listens to their own gut feeling then trying to explain that rationale can be frustrating if not detrimental.

I also agree that going with your instinct means you have to be willing to live with the consequences which may not be favorable....

As a nurse, I have found that my instinct (gut, hunches..whatever you want to call it) has served me well over the years...but I have to be willing to not only listen to it but to be wrong and accept the mistakes as opportunities to learn.

 

[DJArendee]

How do you separate your gut instinct from simple paranoia?

For example: You end a phone call with your girlfriend, she rushes you off the phone because she's in "traffic." You are left with a bad feeling in your gut that something bad is going on but you don't know what.

What then?

 

[Laguna]

I might suggest also posting this in the ENFP forum where Ne is our primary function.

My gut is gold for me.

I trust it in a crisis situation over logic. And I'm not dead yet.

Then again, I have extroverted intuition as my primary function and it is constantly in motion. I have come to trust it pretty darn well. If I am unsure, certainly I will turn to logic next. Or combination of both.

In the case of cheating boyfriend, I was just watching a show about this very topic. Investigators who track people suspected of this came out and said you never really can prove it unless you have solid proof obviously- but you always do know. Your instinct tells you. There are some clear signs of it and where there is smoke there is fire.

Not saying go accuse someone of something you have no proof of. But I'm saying if you created this thread, your intuition is on to SOMETHING.

 

[pwiloson]

My gut feeling prompts me to apply logic to it.

Example;

Gut/Intuition;
I think this is the best course of actions, because I think the other path will possibly make my plans go awry

Logic;
Why?

 

[MisterD]

My instinct has never failed me. I trust it with my life.

 

[wiarumas]

Instinct is a source for me - not the decision making body for which it has to pass.

 

[Monkey King]

I have trouble trusting it entirely even though my hunches have always been right on the mark. But I definitely don't ignore it when it starts nagging at me.