[Aelthwyn]

Do you Like any or all of these things?:
1) Dreams (as in when you’re sleeping)
2) Surreal Art
3) Movies and Books that make you question reality, that are ‘trippy’, where you’re not entirely certain what’s going on, or which leave an element of ambiguity at the end for multiple interpretations.
4) Stories of real life Mysterious Occurrences that don’t have clear cut explanations

It seems to me like these are related, but maybe not, and I’m just wondering if there might be a correlation with certain functions finding these sort of things attractive (exciting, intriguing, freeing) or unattractive (frustrating, meaningless, disturbing).

Some people seem to really find this sort of thing interesting and enjoyable, though personally I find I don’t enjoy …I suppose the word might be environments?… where things don’t follow a clear set of rules, where I can’t be sure what’s real, or can’t predict what will come next with general reliability, where there isn't Consistency of how things seem to work. (This is not to be confused with fantasy which can still have it’s own different set of rules that are nonetheless reliable). Maybe it’s just a ‘matter of taste’ but it feels to me like there are underlying principles which might appeal to certain ways of dealing with or viewing the world which could have to do with Personality and Cognitive Functions.

So, which of these do you enjoy or dislike? And share any speculations you have as to why you personally, or certain types, might feel that way.

 

[Mizmar]

Do you Like any or all of these things?:
1) Dreams (as in when you’re sleeping)
2) Surreal Art
3) Movies and Books that make you question reality, that are ‘trippy’, where you’re not entirely certain what’s going on, or which leave an element of ambiguity at the end for multiple interpretations.
4) Stories of real life Mysterious Occurrences that don’t have clear cut explanations

Oh, yeah! I love all of that kind of stuff you mention! Not in every specific instance necessarily, but as a general rule weirdness is my lifeblood!

I guess stereotypically it's more of an Intuitive thing, but I don't know how accurate that view is.

 

[Nastorm]

Hm, let me think..

1)YES
2)YES
3)YESS
4)They're nice for entertainment purposes but questionable.

I don't think other INTPs like that stuff this much. I didn't like it either when I was younger. I got bored of the real world though.


I wouldn't bet on the existence of a correlation between this and jungian functions.

 

[chenowith]

I like dreaming, but I never feel like I need to assign them any kind of deep meaning. I feel like any possible meaning dreams could have are usually too mundane (I encountered or thought about this thing a lot today, so it's in the dream) or too complex for me to derive any enlightenment from them.

I do like surreal art and movies and books which have no defined explanations for everything, but I won't be happy if it's just an assemblage of images and events which are odd and unexplained. I prefer there to be a general symbolic arc to these things, a wave of meaning that takes precedence over conventional explanations, and I like working out the connections and meaning of these things.

 

[Mammon]

I do. I want to gaze in wonder and have absolutely no fcking idea.

Childhood was a time of crazy ideas and believes. Reality made no sense and it fascinated me to no end. Everything was possible! I wanted to explore and find the 'truths.' I wanted to know. Now reality does make sense and it bores me. That exciting feeling of the unknown with endless possibilities is long gone.

In dreams shit makes no sense so I ask/explore/seek around and everything makes sense in ways that don't make sense. But it keeps changing and morphing keeping me excited. No rules, no stability, no 'can't does', no limits. Complete infinity. Like when I was a child only REAL this time. Endless possibilities. Never disappointed.

I'm happy atleast that whenever as a kid I asked adults if this crazy idea I had was true? They confirmed and sometimes 'added' making stuff even more confusing and having me brainfcked twitching on floor.

At some point people actually starting doubting my sanity.

So this is why I love surrealism and surrealistic dreams

 

[Rayos]

It's possible it may be related more to Pi doms.

I know I really liked 4 when I was a kid. Mothman, bigfoot, Hopkinsville Goblins. Those things always fascinated me, even if they left me scared due to my overactive imagination. I'm not as interested in them as I was when I was younger but I'm always willing to watch shows or read books about those fantastical creatures.

The other ones don't realy apply to me, especially 3. I never really enjoyed movies like that, possibly because I don't like having a movie end so open-endedly that you can't say with any certainty that this is what happened. They are interesting but they generally leave me feeling unsatisfied.

 

[Naia68]

Do you Like any or all of these things?:
1) Dreams (as in when you’re sleeping)
2) Surreal Art
3) Movies and Books that make you question reality, that are ‘trippy’, where you’re not entirely certain what’s going on, or which leave an element of ambiguity at the end for multiple interpretations.
4) Stories of real life Mysterious Occurrences that don’t have clear cut explanations

Yes, I love all those things! (My favorite movie is What Dreams May Come.) I love your avatar, too.

 

[Naia68]

I also think this may correlate more with Enneagram (Type 4, for example) rather than MBTI.

 

[Mizmar]

In dreams shit makes no sense so I ask/explore/seek around and everything makes sense in ways that don't make sense. But it keeps changing and morphing keeping me excited. No rules, no stability, no 'can't does', no limits. Complete infinity. Like when I was a child only REAL this time. Endless possibilities. Never disappointed.

Dreams do make sense in a nonsensical way. There's an endless depth to them, a seemingly infinite number of dimensions to explore, to ponder. So many ways to interpret them--like a Heironymous Bosch painting. I find the mood of whatever dream I had during the night will hover over the rest of my day.

Mothman, bigfoot, Hopkinsville Goblins.

I know those guys!

Those things always fascinated me, even if they left me scared due to my overactive imagination. I'm not as interested in them as I was when I was younger but I'm always willing to watch shows or read books about those fantastical creatures.

Yeah, I'm not as immersed in that stuff as I was in my younger years (which is probably a good thing) but they'll always hold a special place in my heart. I'm particularly fond of the mince pie martians story.

 

[nonnaci]

In dreams, a lot of the ego-dystonic content that I shove away finds a voice in the unconscious to which I "experience" in altered forms. By using this material and lending it my attention (via interpretation), I become more aware of my blind-spots and in such a way, internalize them into my conscious being. I find that surreal art is too subjective for my own use. I enjoy literature more as it's an active process of transforming content to imagery and interpretation. Real life mysteries are usually just missing information problems/unknown unknowns/poor models from a Bayesian perspective.

 

[Silent Night]

Do you Like any or all of these things?:
1) Dreams (as in when you’re sleeping)
2) Surreal Art
3) Movies and Books that make you question reality, that are ‘trippy’, where you’re not entirely certain what’s going on, or which leave an element of ambiguity at the end for multiple interpretations.
4) Stories of real life Mysterious Occurrences that don’t have clear cut explanations

Dreams - I love dreams! They are amazing realms of adventure and exploration, teeming with possibility and endless fantastical outcomes. I think dreams can have deep meanings to them if you feel they mean something deep to you or you think they are trying to give you clearer insight into an issue or circumstance. Otherwise, to me, the purpose of dreams is for your mind/spirit to wander, explore, ponder, and investigate fantasy and reality. Dreams are like another realm to escape in and have fun in. They are the place to let your mind run free - unless of course you have nightmares!

Surreal Art -I'm not a particular fan of this type of art. Some of it can be very intriguing and a mind-bending experience to look at, but after a short while I get zoned out viewing it. The point of it is lost on me. I mean, I understand the meanings and perspectives some of those art pieces put forth and it definitely is a creative masterpiece to be able to do what surreal artists do, but I am not fond of abstract art in general. That type of art ends up being too "trippy" and "out there" for me a lot of the time. It's like my mind wants to grasp what's going on, take in the big picture/meaning of the piece, but it can't quite because the meaning/picture is all over the place or not evident and so there's not much for my mind to hold on to. I'm really into art that is more realistic and picturesque like detailed, colourful paintings of landscapes or lovely scenes of people in everyday life with touches of fantasy added to them.

Ambiguous Movies and Books - It really depends on what the movie or book is as to whether I'll like it or not. I can't say I've read any "trippy" books but I've seen movies of that nature. I do like stories with multiple interpretations and unclear endings at times; it leaves you thinking and it can be a very engaging activity to explore the what if's and different angles of a story if the ending isn't clear. Usually these stories though do have some sense of consistency in them and the characters and sub-plotlines all connect together somehow. The stories may not resolve every loose idea or issue and/or leave the ending open, but the general arc of them is usually revealed throughout or evident the whole time. I wish I could think of an example of one of these stories, but alas they escape me currently. Generally, thought-provoking suspense thrillers fall under this category for me. I am not into movies or books whose plots and characters are all over the place and you have a hard time following where they are going/what their purpose or point is. So ultimately, I enjoy stories with elements of ambiguity in them but the general idea of them I like to be consistent and focused.

Real Life Mysterious Occurrences - I LOVE stories like this!! I am an absolute fan of ghost stories, odd mishaps, spiritual experience stories, earthly mysteries, and any other mysterious experience that doesn't fall too close to the dark side of horror stories, devils and demons, or gruesome murders. Those types of mysterious occurrences, like scary murder mysteries, I definitely prefer to stay away from. I like mysterious stories that are more friendly and uplifting. When I was a kid, I would delve into information about Bigfoot, UFO's, ghosts, angels, etc. I even for a little while had a website (one of those free ones kids could create) dedicated to these topics. Reality was too dull for me. I wanted to go beyond and explore the deepest depths of existence. Nowadays, I am still fascinated with the mysteries of life, but I no longer read ghost stories or anything of the like much. I really enjoy philosophical ideas and contemplating the nature of the universe and everything. Spirituality is also something I ponder on a lot. Existence itself is a mysterious enough occurrence to try and solve the mystery of. I really like to try and find the answers to mysterious things - I'm not satisfied just leaving them open-ended. Most of the time of course the answers don't come, but it is really fun picking apart the evidence and gathering clues like a detective or scientist. It's amazing when there are so many possible explanations (or unknown ones) for something, but it's nice too when you can get to the bottom of something. It feels like a relief to do so and there are always more mysteries to delve into after. I am torn between open-endedness and certainty, I like both! The fun thing about mysteries though is that they are never-ending: the more you solve, the more you find .

As for personality types and this, I generally have found that thinker types tend not to be as into ambiguous subjects. I find they tend to like clear-cut answers and logical steps to follow in solving a problem. I find feeler types to be more inclined to like abstract ideas and are comfortable with letting mysteries stay mysterious. These are utterly broad generalizations of course. Ultimately, I think it comes down what your taste is and what you're most comfortable/familiar with mentally and intellectually, no matter what type you may be.

 

[Glenda Gnome Starr]

I like all of these things, but I like surreal art the best. I like the way that ordinary things are stretched and misshapen and made to look different and in a dream like state. It is probably my favorite artistic style.

 

[Jewl]

For me, I love all those things. However, they have to be able to reflect reality in some way. The thing that makes dreams and surreal things interesting is that they aren't totally nonsensical. They reflect something that makes it almost real. It gives it that fantastical feeling. Surreal art and "trippy" movies are just trying to portray the feeling you get in dreams.

Dreams, in my opinion, are the best.

As for Mysterious Occurrences, I get rather skeptical. Even dreams have explanations. Fantastical things are always connected to reality. Things don't stop having reasons. Mysterious Occurrences are disconnected in nature to dreams or the surreal. The questions surrounding Mysterious Occurrences are always:

1) Did it actually occur?
2) If it did, how?

Questions surrounding dreams or the surreal art are always why.

 

[Entropic]

Do you Like any or all of these things?:
1) Dreams (as in when you’re sleeping)

Depends on the dream.

2) Surreal Art

Depends on the quality.

3) Movies and Books that make you question reality, that are ‘trippy’, where you’re not entirely certain what’s going on, or which leave an element of ambiguity at the end for multiple interpretations.

I love mindfuck. It's what I primary seek in fiction.

4) Stories of real life Mysterious Occurrences that don’t have clear cut explanations

Real life relationship is not important. I just like mystery stories that are well told in general.

 

[yet another intj]

1) I think they are nothing but psuedo psychotic episodes.
2) I have no interest in surreal art.
3) Yes, big fan.
4) I like phenomenons with possible scientific explanations.

 

[Entropic]

Ambiguous Movies and Books - It really depends on what the movie or book is as to whether I'll like it or not. I can't say I've read any "trippy" books but I've seen movies of that nature. I do like stories with multiple interpretations and unclear endings at times; it leaves you thinking and it can be a very engaging activity to explore the what if's and different angles of a story if the ending isn't clear. Usually these stories though do have some sense of consistency in them and the characters and sub-plotlines all connect together somehow. The stories may not resolve every loose idea or issue and/or leave the ending open, but the general arc of them is usually revealed throughout or evident the whole time. I wish I could think of an example of one of these stories, but alas they escape me currently. Generally, thought-provoking suspense thrillers fall under this category for me. I am not into movies or books whose plots and characters are all over the place and you have a hard time following where they are going/what their purpose or point is. So ultimately, I enjoy stories with elements of ambiguity in them but the general idea of them I like to be consistent and focused.

Doing you a favor so here's a list for you

Donnie Darko, Vanilla Sky, Fight Club, Pi, Cell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Silent Hill (the entire franchise loves ambiguity), The Matrix Trilogy, Ghost in the Shell, Mr. Nobody, Videodrome, 2001: A Space Odyssey (just Lynch in general), The Machinist, Mind Game, The Jacket, Ergo Proxy, Tehxnolyze, Paranoia Agent, Paprika, Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost Hound, The Number 23, The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Stranger than Fiction, Paranoia One Point O (must watch for Silent Hill fans), Black Swan, Jacob's Ladder, A Tale of Two Sisters, Gantz, Pan's Labyrinth, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Spirited Away (more so than other Ghibli films due to the ending), FLCL and now my IMDB list ends

 

[unINFalliPle]

where things don’t follow a clear set of rules, where I can’t be sure what’s real, or can’t predict what will come next with general reliability, where there isn't Consistency of how things seem to work.

I do! It makes life seems more interesting and abstract because I don't really think things are concrete or set in stone. The way I see things is that we try to implant rules or else there's chaos. But the truth is naturally, there is chaos. I feel like a lot is unknown and unpredictable, without consistency and I like that. I don't have a lot of control of what goes on and to try thinking that I do frustrates me. I deal with the uncontrolled changes. I'm skeptical about a lot and information that is known, such as historical times are more like stories to me than fact. I wasn't there, I didn't experience it, but it's interesting, it entertains me. They're more like ideas, possibilities.

I like all except mysterious occurrences that don't have clear cut explanations I like less. People will try to fit those in with things like aliens or ghosts and I don't believe in those. I believe in coincidences.

When doing the test, there were a lot of questions about logical vs. idealized concrete vs. abstract and as it is easy to tell, I'm of the idealized abstract category. That doesn't mean I don't like having some sense of things, to be rational, I just feel like a lot is up in the air as well as me, because I am- a dreamer.

And now I'm just insane. *cough*

 

[Nastorm]

Doing you a favor so here's a list for you

Donnie Darko, Vanilla Sky, Fight Club, Pi, Cell, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Silent Hill (the entire franchise loves ambiguity), The Matrix Trilogy, Ghost in the Shell, Mr. Nobody, Videodrome, 2001: A Space Odyssey (just Lynch in general), The Machinist, Mind Game, The Jacket, Ergo Proxy, Tehxnolyze, Paranoia Agent, Paprika, Serial Experiments Lain, Ghost Hound, The Number 23, The Truman Show, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Stranger than Fiction, Paranoia One Point O (must watch for Silent Hill fans), Black Swan, Jacob's Ladder, A Tale of Two Sisters, Gantz, Pan's Labyrinth, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Spirited Away (more so than other Ghibli films due to the ending), FLCL and now my IMDB list ends

Awesome.
If I may add, Waking Life and The Fountain.

 

[Entropic]

Awesome.
If I may add, Waking Life and The Fountain.

Read about The Fountain but not actually watched it yet. Same with Memento and some others that are often mentioned in this context.

 

[mirrorghost]

yes, i love all of these things. you also made me think of classes i took in college. not exactly the same, but i liked classes with open-ended, interpretive answers, like art and philosophy. i never liked a lot of classes where there was one definitive answer. it's that love of possibilities (which for me is probably representative of my Ne) that is ever-intriguing to me.