What Do You Consider Your Greatest Weakness?

[Chae]

Or weaknesses, if you can't or don't want to narrow it down to one - I'm curious about how you define it.


Starting out - Three things.

1. My greatest weakness is definitely poor health. No matter what I try, my disposition remains the same. I feel intense shame in that regard but try to accept it. I always silently suspect that I am sick exactly because I am ashamed, that it's a vicious circle.
2. Second in line: lacking conception of what is going on around me. I walk through life on intuitive autopilot 90% of the time.
3. I'm oversensitive to body things. I couldn't work in a hospital for even ten minutes. I have a dramatic breakdown around surgeons, dentists, just people trying to use their instruments on me. I can't watch horror movies either.

[Rebelondeck]

.....poor health......life on intuitive autopilot........sensitive to body things............

For an IEE, this makes sense. Your secondary processing (SLI, when things are not working out) hates poor health or inept physical abilities and people doing things to them. Exploration is your natural state and you'll detach from everything that doesn't pique your interest including many physical aspects so lack of attention to other things and clumsiness may be factors that piss off your inner self. An IEE's ability to see the world is enviable but they seem to have to condition themselves to stop more often and put things into perspective, which usually happens with experience.

I have a LII's typical lack of empathy and social awkwardness, which can be rather distasteful to my inner self. However, one can adapt strengths to compensate for weakness such as for me, my version of Socionics became an important tool to understand people.

a.k.a. I/O

[Muddy]

I can't really think of anything that I'm particularly weak at and I guess that's a good thing. I always aim achieve at least above average when it comes to anything I would consider a favorable quality. If I'm not better then the majority of people at something it lowers my self-esteem and I act to avoid being on lower end of the spectrum in anyway possible.

[niffer]

I can't really think of anything that I'm particularly weak at and I guess that's a good thing. I always aim achieve at least above average when it comes to anything I would consider a favorable quality. If I'm not better then the majority of people at something it lowers my self-esteem and I act to avoid being on lower end of the spectrum in anyway possible.

This behaviour is pointless. You could even categorize it as a weakness, if it's something that's an irrational compulsion in your life, though I don't know if I'd go as far to say that.

I've read that SLE is supposed to have a complex where they need to be no worse off than anyone else, and it seems like you're most likely not of SLE typing, so that's interesting for me to note.

I'd say my greatest weakness lies in my emotional neediness.

[Grendel]

I instantly create a slew of enemies upon entering the arena. I don't even need to say or do anything either, it just happens the instant I step in.


Also I'll fall into mind-numbing ruts almost immediately upon withdrawal of external stimulus. "Crippling extroversion" is what I like to call it, though it's not necessarily in the social realm.

[Singu]

Lack of personal volition...

[FDG]

Need stimulation and interaction with the environment otherwise i get lackadaisical.
Can't easily fly under the radar, undiplomatic.

[Tonatiuh]

I always seem to feel somewhat to greatly empty. This places me at risk of succumbing to bad habits, or generally taking things too far.

[Cosmic Teapot]

Poorly reading people's behavior towards me. I don't respond well to (and usually don't see ) flirting because I would be too embarrassed to find out that someone is just being polite or joking. In my head not responding to or forgetting my texts is evidence disliking me.
My mental state fluctuates between *loving,hugging, sympathizing with everyone and putting much energy into my relationships* and *being prepared to be left behind any minute because secretly everyone hates me*. That means I have a lot of acquaintances but only two close friends that pass my "probably likes me" barrier.

[Not A Communist Shill]

Probably inertia on things that I believe I do not comprehensively understand.

[GuavaDrunk]

Probably something obvious and embarrassing, visible to everyone but me. *shame, shame*

Lack of self-discipline and volition, I need more shit to get done.

@Horatio: it gets better.

[Muddy]

This behaviour is pointless. You could even categorize it as a weakness, if it's something that's an irrational compulsion in your life, though I don't know if I'd go as far to say that.

I've read that SLE is supposed to have a complex where they need to be no worse off than anyone else, and it seems like you're most likely not of SLE typing, so that's interesting for me to note.

I'd say my greatest weakness lies in my emotional neediness.

I'd don't really see how striving to be better then others and thus obtaining the edge could be considered a weakness, unless you get too caught up in superficial displays rather then actually being better. I'm also self aware enough apply this apply this attitude in my decision making, so I don't compulsively go doing things that are unhealthy and ultimately lead to being in much worse state then others, which seems to be the pitfall of many SLEs.

[niffer]

I'd don't really see how striving to be better then others and thus obtaining the edge could be considered a weakness, unless you get too caught up in superficial displays rather then actually being better. I'm also self aware enough apply this apply this attitude in my decision making, so I don't compulsively go doing things that are unhealthy and ultimately lead to being in much worse state then others, which seems to be the pitfall of many SLEs.

In striving to be better than others at everything, you assume you'll actually be able to do it, which is not necessarily a bad thing to believe, but 1) it scatters your energy, and 2) it makes you look and feel like a chode. Everybody has strengths and weaknesses; when you neglect to add focus accordingly to your life, you inevitably end up being all over the place way too much. Depth > breadth, generally speaking. To each their own though I suppose.

[LuckyOne]

Biggest weakness: I'm addicted to information partaking my interests.

My inability to concentrate in one thing long enough online. I have a job that leaves with me many empty hours between activities, and since my coworkers are generally too tired to do anything with me, I go online. I actually have a plethora of interests so it doesn't bother me, problem is, I just can't seem to be productive. I'll read or watch something and midway I'll be reminded of something else, or see something be referenced in it that I don't know much about or haven't seen in awhile, so I'll open a tab to research it...infinitely. I'm like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, except I never land.

Soon three hours will have passed and I'll have 40 tabs open (no exaggeration), but won't have finished reading/watching what I was doing in the first place. Then I'll put in Pocket to read it later, or download it in case of it being a video/podcast. I have a folder named "NEW" in my computer, it's HUGE, the oldest stuff in there is six months old and it keeps on growing, because as soon as I watch three videos, I'll watch three more on Youtube and download others for later. I accidently deleted my bookmarks folder once and I was actually reviled, because it was stuffed with stuff I'd never have time to see. Ditto when my last computed died on me, I was happy to buy a new one and start anew but surprise, surprise, the cycle started again.

The things I read and watch all partain my interests and have relation to my work, I don't watch cute videos of babies and animals, funny ones with pranks and challenges or beauty tutorials. But even though the content might have quality and be worthwhile, it's my inability to stay focused on one thing at a time and limit what I consume that still makes it a waste of time. It happened earlier today. I was researching Chinese traditional music when I saw a TED talk in the related videos so I opened it on another tab, but 5 minutes into it the guy mentioned the Five Taoist Elements. So I went and took a couple assessments and got Fire in all, that led me into reading about Avatar's Fire Nation, which led me into the philosophical take on the elements through the ages. Then it was time for lunch, and I had completely forgotten about Chinese traditional music, until my trainer asked me about it.

That doesn't only happen because of something else catching my attention, though. It also happens because I'm a perfectionist, and I have the belief that you never can know enough. I'll want for something I'm working on to be perfect, so I'll waste time soaking up information about it during preparation mode, and subsequently putting off the actual finalization of the product so I can "perfect" it, according to new information I find on it. It makes me always finish in the nick of time, it's so stressful. The worst thing is when my teachers will say some variation of "There was no need to goo so deep, you wrote too much". It's like a slap in the face, I feel so foolish. My compulsion embarasses me in other ways, because I had people who spent time with me with say things like "Don't even mention it to her, or she'll become obsessed!!!" when someone was trying to introduce me to a subject.

It might seem like a silly thing for some, but I've been suffering with this for years, and I have many projects very important to me I have no hope in making a reality if I don't get a grip on this. Unfortunately going into therapy to solve this is impossible where I live and doing what I do, so I'll have to find a way out of this myself.

[Pookie]

My greatest weakness is definitely the Jab. Ill be out there trying to fill the room with uppercuts, and bam, teh jab. Then ill be like Jab, bam, I get touched wit teh jab again. And then ill be like, BRO if you don't stop all this jabbin and spinning shit im gonna take my gloves off and kick your ass brah. But then they Jab again and I realize I can't kick their ass because they jab, and im like damn. Do I double down, and hope to bluff my way out of this? Do I rescind my statement and try to take the high road so I can feel like im better than them to save my pride? It's a rough life. I guess the moral is this: Jab. I hope you have all found this helpful.

[ashlesha]

Probably something obvious and embarrassing, visible to everyone but me. *shame, shame*

This.

Or maybe seconding what Vespertine said about risk avoidance.

Or maybe my obsessive nature. I can't let shit go. I get stuck in repetitive feelings and thoughts that aren't useful, don't allow me to move forward, and keep me in a negative frame of mind. My brain is like a steel trap for anything that hurts.

[akash]

I'm never willing to break myself in and get past the fear. Sky's the limit if I would just have said yes instead of no.

[mclane]

I'm a pretty unsociable person.

[Park]

Low and irregular energy levels, accompanied by high interpersonal irritability and a particular kind of naivety.

[niffer]

@LuckyOne I had an intensification of that issue a couple of years ago, starting when I was 20. I noticed at that time that it seemed like my "Ni" was also developing more too (this is a lengthy topic), and I went and asked my doctor about it, and he referred me to a psychiatrist who was willing to give me an ADD diagnosis and push drugs on me. I skipped letting them put that diagnosis on my health record, just tried some samples for a few weeks and eventually got fed up with it and decided that I would just try to control it more on my own. I am still not a super organized person, but I've practiced some different things that have helped control the scatteredness over time. You're welcome to ask me more about it anytime if you want.

[Singu]

I think most people are like that, with or without ADD. Sometimes you just have to take drastic measures, like block everything. I think a lot of websites are purposely designed to keep you stuck in this endless loop with related videos and notifications etc. Since this urge is almost impossible to control or otherwise require superhuman willpower... sometimes you just have to keep away from them in the first place.

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

1. Being sensitive. My ILE male friend tried to tell me that it was really a strength. i'm like bitch plz, stop tryin to make me feel better just cuz u have a soft spot for me. It's a WEAKNESS and it sucks. I'm so hyperaware to every nuance and feel like (irl) i have to come off too much as a people pleaser because I always take people's opinions into consideration.

2. Not being athletic or good with Se/Te things. I kinda combined the two together since the real working world relies so much on Se and Te and so little (as in not at all) on my faggy inspirational stories.

3. Insulting people really well and making them feel like shit. Ironically, as nice and shy/kind as I am- I also am good at hurting people and bringing their energy down. I can be the best bully (after having so many years of practice on the receiving end.)

Buuuut I found focusing on this tends to kinda lead down a path that doesn't end up well? I'd rather focus on my strengths... or maybe talk about how I can heal/integrate/most past any natural weaknesses.

[Aylen]

Lack of personal volition...

How do you even get out of bed in the morning?

[Muddy]

Ok I can perhaps think of one weakness. Near complete unwillingness to do anything that is slow and tedious even if it is necessary or beneficial in the long term. Things like getting my taxes done, car and home repair, paperwork, etc. And going to college... lol no thank you. I can only do things that give me some sort of physical stimulation or are least interesting to learn about. I have a hard time dealing with any dull, intermediate steps that are needed to get form point A to point B, as my natural inclination is to blaze my way across something in the fastest and most convenient way possible.

Lack of personal volition...

I used to have this problem like a lot of people here but I've been slowly finding ways to circumvent it. One of the best ways I found of dealing with is by intentionally placing yourself into environments with other competitive people. If you do it long enough you will begin to assimilate their mindset and feel the need to rival them. You don't even need to talk or make friends with any of them.

[Beautiful sky]

1. Not being in the moment
2. Distracting myself with hobbies
3. Overdoing my interests with excessive time and hyper focus on them
4. Not being outspoken about things that bother me and waiting for people to read me
5. Getting emotional shutting down or reacting inappropriate
6. Stuck indoors for too long.
7. I don't notice things that happen around me



My Fi acts the same way about excessive trap of feelings like that of lungs but I let go more easily and lately it's been even more so maybe because I have some more amazing LSE in my life who pay more attention to my needs and get me out, get me involved in outdoor activities, get me to notice and talk more about stuff that happens around me that I would never have noticed before.

[Beautiful sky]

This.

Or maybe seconding what Vespertine said about risk avoidance.

Or maybe my obsessive nature. I can't let shit go. I get stuck in repetitive feelings and thoughts that aren't useful, don't allow me to move forward, and keep me in a negative frame of mind. My brain is like a steel trap for anything that hurts.

The magic formula is to stay away from irritation or irritants. And, to get out of the city and go somewhere else for a while (LA call lol)

[The Exception]

This.

Or maybe seconding what Vespertine said about risk avoidance.

Or maybe my obsessive nature. I can't let shit go. I get stuck in repetitive feelings and thoughts that aren't useful, don't allow me to move forward, and keep me in a negative frame of mind. My brain is like a steel trap for anything that hurts.

Same here

1. Being sensitive. My ILE male friend tried to tell me that it was really a strength. i'm like bitch plz, stop tryin to make me feel better just cuz u have a soft spot for me. It's a WEAKNESS and it sucks. I'm so hyperaware to every nuance and feel like (irl) i have to come off too much as a people pleaser because I always take people's opinions into consideration.

2. Not being athletic or good with Se/Te things. I kinda combined the two together since the real working world relies so much on Se and Te and so little (as in not at all) on my faggy inspirational stories.

3. Insulting people really well and making them feel like shit. Ironically, as nice and shy/kind as I am- I also am good at hurting people and bringing their energy down. I can be the best bully (after having so many years of practice on the receiving end.)

Buuuut I found focusing on this tends to kinda lead down a path that doesn't end up well? I'd rather focus on my strengths... or maybe talk about how I can heal/integrate/most past any natural weaknesses.

1 and 2 also apply to me, minus the faggy inspirational stories.

3, no. The only time I'd do that is to insult someone back after they insulted me. It's rare I do #3 and I wouldn't consider it a weakness.

[Suzaku]

- I'm one of those people I'm kind of like an information sponge. If you throw me in somewhere or give me a book I can sponge it, but I sponge it in SO FAST that I overwhelm myself and then vanish for a bit to take it all in - and then when someone wants to talk to me I get rambly and never shut up ._. I'm too hyper-aware of my environment.
- I usually overwhelm myself first by accident before others get a chance to overwhelm me
- I ask too many questions.

[Hermit Soul]

My greatest weakness is being too sentimental. Whenever a person enters my life and start touching my life in a profound way, I find myself wishing that they can remain in my life forever. And if they ever leave my life, I have a difficult time moving on and I often find myself still thinking about them many years later.

[FDG]

I think my biggest weakness is my inconsistent nature. It makes it hard to stick to anything... and it tends to upset people. Like back when I was playing tennis, some days I was pretty good and other days.. I just didn't care to try very hard, and therefore... I wasn't very good. It pissed my coach off and he'd yell at me. Like "you were so good yesterday, what the hell happened?"

I've had this too with sports (I was still trying decently but the performance was not stable), but frankly, I also know lots of people who are always really bad, so I think it should be contextualized.

[Beautiful sky]

My greatest weakness is being too sentimental. Whenever a person enters my life and start touching my life in a profound way, I find myself wishing that they can remain in my life forever. And if they ever leave my life, I have a difficult time moving on and I often find myself still thinking about them many years later.

Are you LSE?

[Beautiful sky]

Or weaknesses, if you can't or don't want to narrow it down to one - I'm curious about how you define it.


Starting out - Three things.

1. My greatest weakness is definitely poor health. No matter what I try, my disposition remains the same. I feel intense shame in that regard but try to accept it. I always silently suspect that I am sick exactly because I am ashamed, that it's a vicious circle.
2. Second in line: lacking conception of what is going on around me. I walk through life on intuitive autopilot 90% of the time.
3. I'm oversensitive to body things. I couldn't work in a hospital for even ten minutes. I have a dramatic breakdown around surgeons, dentists, just people trying to use their instruments on me. I can't watch horror movies either.

Yeah my IEE friends are very similar

[Pole]

I notice every last small detail of everything going on around me to an extent that no one else I know does, so I can't point them out to anyone without standing out as obsessive. I can't get lose to people, no matter the effort I put in. I don't get results. So I go through periods where I give up and go about my routine on my own. I often over do things when it comes to indulgence and entertainment, I was once a major party animal and never knew when to stop, it was like having a hollow leg, I am a true hedon. These days I over eat and watch too many shows to fill the void in my life. I can't express emotion, so people don't think I love them or care about them but in reality I am so attached to them that the thought of losing touch with them hurts, but they would never know. I am a robot with a bleeding heart. SO EMO LOL

[Not A Communist Shill]

A weakness I have is a pedantic form of neuroticism, especially when it concerns the affairs of others (which is related to my previous post). I may think I am being reasonable or even balanced by attempting to be comprehensive, but it generally results in micromanaging, not making effective use of time, and holding myself to a standard that is disproportionate and perhaps ultimately incapable of effectively managing the ambiguous nature of other people.

[Olimpia]

People and food stuff.

In other words, Social stuff and Self-preservation stuff.

The former is a weakness of mine in a way, because it can hit me the most – I care the most about it.
Losing friends, feeling lonely, intolerant individuals, all of those things can ruin my day or spirit.
I find it difficult to motivate myself and do anything without any kind of social support or positive social feedback.
I am not good at fighting for myself, alone. I'm at my best when collaborating with others, but some bad experiences have made it difficult for me to do so.
And my strong introversion can make it somewhat challenging for me to engage with enough people on a regular basis so I don't feel isolated.

In the past I've turned to self-preservation issues as a poor compensatory mechanism.
Once I lost important friends in my life and felt isolated, I turned to either starving/restricting myself excessively or the opposite.
I felt like I neither had any control over social things nor about self preservation issues, so I forced myself to gain or lose control over the latter.
That only led me to becoming either severely underweight or slightly overweight.

I have accepted that those two things will always be sore spots for me in one way or another.
It has gotten better so far, but recently I've been struggling mentally again.
I feel weak without other people's support, like I cannot do much and I am incapable on my own.
I suppose I should learn to ask for help more...

Learning about the instincts has helped me with being able to put a finger on how and why I have been struggling in this manner.
Before, I was largely unaware as to why I was depressed or was struggling in the way I was.
I'm much more aware of the dynamic and what is happening now, which can help with overcoming it.
I just cannot give in.

[Pallas]

Either the spot on my back where a leaf stuck and the dragon's blood didn't cover my skin, or maybe my heel, I dunno. Maybe kryptonite?

But really, why would you tell everyone your biggest weakness on the public Internet?

[Pallas]

@Cassandra (and the board in general) I always find it interesting how enneagram has managed to more or less entirely re-define "self-preservation instinct" from how that's normally thought of. Normally, it's defined like "Slytherins have a good sense of self-preservation so they weigh and calculate things before they act" (from the Harry Potter Wikia page I put in my Slytherin group here, since I noticed a lot of people here like to identify with Hogwarts houses) or "the scorpion symbolically represents self-preservation among other things". Both of those things are considered more Sx-y though in enneagram, and self-preservation is basically "eating regularly, noticing the temperature in the room, etc." which is rather different than the often darker connotations that that idea has in pretty much everything outside of enneagram. (Never mind that people also relate things like farming, hunting, camping, gardening, making a house in the woods, etc. to Sp for some reason when the people who are into that and the people who care about regular meals and heating and air conditioning, if put into a Venn diagram, would have absolutely no overlap. Which is it, guys?)

[Olimpia]

@Cassandra (and the board in general) I always find it interesting how enneagram has managed to more or less entirely re-define "self-preservation instinct" from how that's normally thought of. Normally, it's defined like "Slytherins have a good sense of self-preservation so they weigh and calculate things before they act" (from the Harry Potter Wikia page I put in my Slytherin group here, since I noticed a lot of people here like to identify with Hogwarts houses) or "the scorpion symbolically represents self-preservation among other things". Both of those things are considered more Sx-y though in enneagram, and self-preservation is basically "eating regularly, noticing the temperature in the room, etc." which is rather different than the often darker connotations that that idea has in pretty much everything outside of enneagram. (Never mind that people also relate things like farming, hunting, camping, gardening, making a house in the woods, etc. to Sp for some reason when the people who are into that and the people who care about regular meals and heating and air conditioning, if put into a Venn diagram, would have absolutely no overlap. Which is it, guys?)

Hm, I get the impression you are describing the difference between Sp/Sx and Sp/So there (unknowingly).

 

Slytherin as a house is very Contraflow, and seems to be mostly made up of So/Sp and Sp/Sx individuals.
Sp/Sx has this "darker" energy to it often times, because it is both contraflow and SO blindspot... Just read up on Sp/Sx descriptions.

Sp/So is the "lighter" version, being both synflow and not SO blindspot.

Sp/So is more like the farmer, whereas Sp/Sx rather resembles the alchemist.

One could say that the "dark side" is mostly Contraflow and SO blindspot, and the "light side" is mostly Synflow and not SO blindspot.
So the "lightest" stackings would be So/Sx and Sp/So, whereas the "darkest" one would be Sp/Sx.

The other stackings fall in-between, Sx/Sp being the darkest on the "good side" and possibly the bridge between the light side and the dark side.
So/Sp can also be a bridge between the dark and light side (being SO first), but it depends on how elitist they are; if they are very elitist and concerned with being of a higher rank, like Draco Malfoy, they will remain pretty much on the "dark side". Sx/So seems to be stuck between both realms; most individuals tend to lean to the "light" or "dark" side in one way or another, but this is usually a very fickle preference that can much more easily change based on circumstance. Sx/So often rather remains (or claims to be, like Nolan's Joker) in a grey zone, drawing energy from both the light and dark sides and employing it in the way they find best.

All in all, I'd argue that the "Sx-y" undertone to the self-preservation descriptions of Slytherin stem from the fact that many Slytherins are Sp/Sx (actually, Snape is probably one of those). Those self-preservation descriptions that seem devoid of any Sx are more like Sp/So.

At last, I'd like to mention that Sp/Sx people can be inherently "good", but then they are in this grey zone which is more Neutral (like Catwoman, who is a thief but still helps Batman out and is "good" at heart). It is rare (if not impossible) to find an Sp/Sx who is clearly on the "light side", just like it is rare to find an So/Sx or Sp/So who is clearly on the "dark side".

[The Reality Denialist]

Or weaknesses, if you can't or don't want to narrow it down to one - I'm curious about how you define it.


Starting out - Three things.

1. My greatest weakness is definitely poor health. No matter what I try, my disposition remains the same. I feel intense shame in that regard but try to accept it. I always silently suspect that I am sick exactly because I am ashamed, that it's a vicious circle.
2. Second in line: lacking conception of what is going on around me. I walk through life on intuitive autopilot 90% of the time.
3. I'm oversensitive to body things. I couldn't work in a hospital for even ten minutes. I have a dramatic breakdown around surgeons, dentists, just people trying to use their instruments on me. I can't watch horror movies either.

I can handle dentists and they are not all LSIs. Just put enough local anesthesia and I'm fine. Tools are just tools. Fascinating.

My wisdom tooth issues (all 4 infected...) gives me creeps. It all another level when the roots are deep. I just was in panorama X-ray for my head. The pain I might experience.... Scenery had bit biting look on it.

[niffer]

But really, why would you tell everyone your biggest weakness on the public Internet?

The same reason people spend time posting their thoughts for others to read at all on the internet. Because of boredom, and also people are at least hundreds of miles away from you and can't hurt you at all in most cases.

Also exercising some vulnerability can be a pleasurable experience for most people. It builds trust, and without trust, you have no community.