I thought I'd post this in the NT forum since I am probably closer to you guys on the Personality Type Family Tree than the NFs. I need examples for concepts. If someone just threw out definitions of the 8 functions (for instance), I wouldn't fully grasp what they were talking about until I had specific examples of how each function worked in a situation.
Intuition doesn't need that. How does that work? Does the information just suddenly click in your minds? Do you theorize examples in your head? I don't believe that's true, because most intuitives aren't good at giving examples to others. What do you do?
(Make your explanation concrete with examples)
I'd say intuitives are bad at giving examples because the examples are specific to that person in their context of how they understand it.
Yes, it sometimes does suddenly click, and I can come up with an example right away because I relate everything in my mind with similes and metaphors.
For example, if someone were trying to explain to me the concept of division, I might not get it after 10 examples if they only gave me examples. However, if I sat back and thought about it and they explained the concept, I might relate it to putting fruit in boxes that can only fit x number of fruits in them. Whatever you have leftover is the remainder. This would be the basis of my understanding and I could then develop a more theoretical construct of it later when I go back and analyze it from a different perspective.
I almost work backwards. I need concepts for examples. In all of my previous math classes, all the professor would do is example after example, and I'd have a more difficult finding the "main idea". However, last semester for differential equations, my professor would explain the theory first, and then do an example, and I'd understand it the first time. In fact, if he placed a new problem in front of me, I'd probably be able to come close to the correct answer on the first try.
The way I see it, examples are useful, but only in certain contexts. Sometimes, I need a very specific example for something to "click" in my head if examples are all I am given. I'd rather learn by seeing the big picture, then constructing systems and examples within that structure. A top-down approach as opposed to working my way up to the main idea.
Overall, I am good at recognizing patterns and figuring out systems, but I couldn't quite pinpoint exact things within that system. I could only tell you how they were related and how they were different. For example, on a logic test given different patterns, I could quickly identify what would be the next sequential item, but I couldnt quite tell you how I knew that
I hope I was helpful at least a little.