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What's your intuition like?

[INFJ] 
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intuition
922 views 7 replies 4 participants last post by  Ethanol 
#1 ·
I've been reading some old posts about our intuition but I still haven't managed to find the answers I'm looking for.

I'm not sure if what I have is intuition?

I don't know if what I have would be considered intuition, because its a pretty straight forward common sense process. My intuition isn't strong btw.

The stuff I've read about strong intuitive types are almost supernatural. My process goes something like this:

I absorb everything I see, hear, smell, everything from the person and come to a conclusion about how I should engage or if I even should bother. I look at their body language (are they slouching? standing tall? crossing arms? etc...), I pay attention to the way they walk, the way they dress, I not only listen to what they say but especially HOW they say it... I listen to the tone of their voice, I try to understand the motivation in the topics they choose to talk about (what drives this person?), I pay attention to the way they talk to people they know and especially how they talk to strangers, among numerous other things flying at me when I meet a person.

[side note: because of the ridiculous amount of attention to detail, I can understand and sympathize with their motivations. I don't want to get into that part too much because It's scary when you meet a slightly crazed person and you can actually 'understand' their motivation (even if it's twisted bleh)]

When each of the aforementioned variables are mixed together in like a giant sphere of "stuff" and compressed, I step back to get a 'general impression' of this person. It's usually summed up in terms of, "what does all of the above give me a feeling of?" (measured in terms of percentages. Is there more good, bad, neutral implications/possibilites) and what I get is their projected "vibe".

As you can see, this process.. is pretty un-magical. It seems more analytical to me. Is this how your intuition works? I feel like every person I've met, my brain does this process and they are filed somewhere deep in the back of my mind as every interaction I have with them is subconsciously recorded. So whenever I meet new people, my mind is already in the process of filing them as it simultaneously back-checks against the library of other people I've met... if there's a similarity/match to a pattern/behavior that's when something in me goes "mhhh, I don't knowwww". This doesn't seem like intuition to me, it seems like a rather logical process you know?

Is what I have intuition? What does your intuition feel like? How does it work for you?
 
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#2 ·
Sounds about right. Thing is that intuition is the most unconscious of all functions. So when you just know something, and then it happens, there is temptation to judge that as some kind of psychic phenomenon. I've posted a couple of paragraphs regarding workings of intuition way I saw it here: personalitycafe.com/myers-briggs-forum/23896-intuition-cannot-defined-future-based-big-picture.html
 
#3 ·
My intuition works the exact same way. Its kind of annoying at times, but I've gotten use to it. Most of the time its pretty dead on with people where I can identify their motives, feelings, and who they are on the inside. What really helps is if I shake the persons hand. Then the image its much clearly since your body can never hide how you're truly feeling. Its probably a good thing that infjs are so independent so even if we can identify with people especially the "crazy":happy: ones that we will never join them or be like them.
 
#5 ·
INTPs usually give off a static line. They don't talk much, being introverts, and aren't very emotional, having Fe as their 4th and very last function. They like things like math, and computer programming, value logic, in fact are very logical but in their own special manner as their primary function is introverted thinking. Because their feeling function is Fe and not Fi they do not take offense easily. Have sort of darkish sense of humor. Usually quite independent and may perceive themselves to be very separate from others, almost detached, but will do a bit of this chameleon behavior thing a la ENTPs to fit in with people. I think ISTJs are also difficult to read, they are just so stable and same all the time and not prone to emotions too.
 
#6 ·
This is how intuition works for me too, but sometimes I do get things out of the blue. But I find maybe the latter exists in all types, it's just that people need to spend more time paying attention to them, being sensitive and also taking them seriously..as the messages are often so subtle.

It's a good thing you pointed this out. I notice in our forum Ni is often thought of that way.. sort of paranormal but you know that the INTJ is the only other type that uses Ni as a dominant function and you would get into a ton of flack if you mentioned anything of a psychic nature with them :crazy: haha I know I have.
 
#7 ·
"Vel" is right. ISTJs are very hard to read. I work with one and we've been working together pretty closely for almost a year now I know hardly anything about her. I even tried talking to her about her personality and she got very defensive. She even told me that she acts very different than the way she does when she it at work. So my image of her is very distorted and the more I try to figure her out I just get more and more confused. Definitely someone I couldn't start a relationship with. :confused:
 
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#8 ·
I have an older sibling who is an ISTJ. I can understand him pretty well, but that's only because I grew up with him. He's pretty honest and straight forward about what he thinks, but I can imagine how somebody wouldn't be able to read his emotions. He does have emotions, it's just that it's kind of masked under heavy logic and the entire responsibility of the world on his shoulder :crazy:
 
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