Types that "overthink" interactions

[Iwantpeace]

I'm curious if you are a type that "over thinks" or analyzes behavior and interactions.

[Kernel]

The people I've noticed that tend to overthink are: an ESI (Fi subtype), EIE, EII, IEE, SEE (Fi subtype).
I've seen ESIs and SEEs who never bother with that though and they're Se subtype.


so yeah it really can be as you said!
Because for example ESIs (Fi subtype) or ESE (Fe subtype), they overthink and it can be because they're the first subtype, because as I've read somewhere, they'll be strengthening intuition (Ni and Ne). And the same thing for SEE (Fi subtype) or SEI (Fe subtype).

So yeah from my experience at least, Fe or Fi + Ne or Ni seems to be the most likely reason for that.

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Is it possible to overthink? "Don't overthink things." Yet I'd be more worried if somebody underthought everything. Then they're just nothin' but a sucka.

I think it's wise and healthy to analyze your relationships with others or you will get fucked over, especially if you are an ethical type because you are stereotypically a lot more easier to manipulate and to fuck over. The heart is an easy pawn for other people's schemes. So you must ask yourself, how genuinely nice were they *really* being there, or how much were they trying to manipulate you/put you on the shadowy chessboard of their own dark mind? Instead of the sugary pie sparkly happy place that you want to naturally go (and don't beat yourself up for wanting to go there, it's only human to seek hope and joy), it encourages better discernment. There will be tons of nuances and every molecule of grain is important and makes up the big picture.

You want your enemies to go "I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those meddlesome overthinkers."

[Hope]

I don't do that, guess most SLIs don't. I notice immediately logic and coherence and I pay attention to details on ppls behavior (tone, body language, etc) but I really don't care or don't think deeply into this. I notice it and I try to respond according situation and that's all. Hidden meanings like "she probably is saying X because XXXXXX" are not something I usually do because I don't care the "hidden" reasons of ppl in most cases, lol.

I care for what's concrete and tangible, assumptions and speculations are out of place most of the times. However, I sometimes have to speculate when dealing with ethical intuitives because they tend to do things with "hidden messages" too, I mean, not going or being really clear on things, but spinning around, specially IEEs, EIIs and IEIs. So, in certain way, one have to "read between the lines" with them. Intuition tend to shoot them into several directions, sometimes leaving the main problem intact (not even mentioned or discussed at all), so one need like to join the dots and provide a conclusion to their words or behavior.


On the other hand, IEEs, ESEs and LIEs are always making assumptions over ppls words or actions with little support, and I always have to remind to them, that they can't believe all their assumptions and speculations as truth, because they can be committing mistakes. I always have to add other points of view or possible interpretations or even ask, -well, How do you know that X thing is really true, how can you be so sure of that? how do you know that s/he thinks that? Can you read minds or what? There are plenty of reasons for that matter so stop.- lol

For sure overthinking is a good source of stress.
I think that e9 and sensors in general don't overthink stuff so much.

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Thanks @Starfall. You know I'm fond of you like a sister. <3 And if I was str8 I'd probably already ask you to marry me lol.

OP: I noticed that you are ESE? I'm sorry if my post came off supervisor-y, I know I don't like it when LIEs get all smug and businessman-y. My ESE mom can be like 'sam you overthink things, just get out there and do it!' Because unlike me she's such a do-er, physical person and her Se demonstrative is so campy and obvious. But that doesn't work all that well for my personality. I rule the world like a king by sulking and thinking alone to accept the truth of something, and then creatively playing around with those truths for my own benefit (very Ni+Fe). And you don't really have to be some super physical person, you can be a successful writer or artist making a living that way. But the advice is good I could be a little more physical, it's just- it's not worth being so physical that you lose your mental intellect powers. It's like pointlessly moving a rock a bunch of times before you soon realize.... you could get rich and hire somebody to move the rocks for you while you sip mimosas in your incredibly beautiful mansion.

[The Reality Denialist]

IEEs, ESEs and LIEs are always making assumptions over ppls words or actions with little support, and I always have to remind to them, that they can't believe all their assumptions and speculations as truth, because they can be committing a huge mistake. I always have to add other points of view or possible interpretations or even ask, -well, How do you know that X thing is really true, how can you be so sure or that? how do you know that s/he thinks that? Can you read minds or what? There are plenty of reasons for that matter so stop.- lol

For sure overthinking is a good source of stress.
I think that e9 and sensors in general don't overthink stuff.

Sometimes I see people making wrong assumptions. Let's say narrowly logical LSI. I'm confident that he is clueless and uninterested. On every turn he has ability to shoot his own leg. Yet people think that he is dictating something behind the scenes when he clearly said: If this the customary way of functioning in this situation then, I suppose, I'll do it that way. Then you see that he follows his consistency to a point.

How on earth?

[Tearsofaclown]

I have thought of this before. I told a girl she was a feeler once and she said, "but I overthink everything". I agree it could be an Enneagram head thing, like 5 or 6, but I have suspected that feelers do overthink interactions more. It could be a shame thing too. Could be many explanations.

As Freud said, this is kind of a universal thing. Shame/guilt is a garrison in a conquered city. It controls us when nobody else is around.

"Civilization, therefore, obtains mastery over the individual's dangerous desire for aggression by weakening and disarming it and by setting up an agency within him to watch over it, like a garrison in a conquered city."

For example, what is a child's greatest fear. Like, he does something bad, what does he most fear? The loss of love of the parent. That is why it is important to tell children you love them when they do something wrong. Because they feel it is conditional on their behavior. Freud thinks this is the human primal fear that just matures. Nobody wants to be ostracized from a family, then you don't want to be ostracized by society, etc. The fear of the loss of love of the group.

[Bertrand]

I don't do that, guess most SLIs don't.

For sure overthinking is a good source of stress.

I feel like SLI's are very good at identifying and, then, not engaging in unhealthy instincts. To me, "overthinking" is just that point where further consideration of a thing has now become counter productive. People's sense of that is calibrated differently, but I think we can all agree where it can get to the point of analysis paralysis or anxiety or depressive rumination. I feel like those points all carry with them a distinct feeling that SLI can't help but notice, and then dislike, and ultimately reject; so they become highly attuned and calibrated at identifying that point and not going too far over it. This has long amazed me because of how healthy they are as an organism because of this.

I do think though that over very long periods these kinds of seemingly negative experiences can, however, wrap around and transmute themselves into something good. like "going through a dark period" and being able to come out on the other side with more compassion and knowledge in general for yourself and others, etc. SLIs may not experience that to the same extent as an IEI, but they come by those fruits in other productive ways too. So each type sort of finds a way to be healthy and learn things, if they're trying and the environment isn't totally oppressive, etc

In philosophy there is the entire idea of phenomenology which is basically that philosophers prior to phenomenology tried for ages to "get under, behind, on top" of things--to come to a comprehensive metaphysical understanding of the world that ultimately lead to infinite loops, and endless back and forth, not unlike what we call "overthinking." Until finally Husserl basically said "let's dispense with that step and just treat things 'as they are', so that we might move on"--which is I think @Slugabed's point, where its like just take things for what they are behaviorally and not concern yourself what the unknowable or potentially infinite knot of their hidden intents. If you can "take things as they are" and on the basis of it recognize good patterns and qualities, its enough to say "hey I like this" and proceed to move onto building a life together etc (which is for most people the goal--but its ok if its not, and you prefer analysis to action--in that case it is not "overthinking" to engage in thought at the expense of action. in the end people have different values and thus differing definitions of overthinking)

[Satan]

Neurotically overthinking human interactions seems like a enneagram 6 thing.

Sometimes if I even breathed a certain way my 6w7 ex would freak out. "Why did you just take a deep breath??? What's wrong? Are you thinking about your ex???"

So were you?

[Satan]

sometimes i can do this overtly...

like i'll say out loud.. then people can deny/confirm etc

[Attis]

I definitely do. I overthink most things.

[The Reality Denialist]

I think I do it only during interaction then I try to make weird comments diverting what they really mean to another context.

I'm usually confident enough to trust my conclusions in the first place. I can go further but I don't really see need to delve deeper what I already thought of it. Maybe I have not experienced so many failures or I don't play the game.

I do think a lot but mainly other things.

[Pole]

Me

[Pole]

*reads comments* well fuck. maybe I'm a feeler because I overthink everything. the reason I do this is because I never used to and got screwed over left and right and so I went into overdrive trying to read into peoples' potential ulterior motives aaaand... STILL got screwed over. I still replay every conversation in my head, kind of like when you have a song stuck in your head, and I involuntarily memorize every interaction like a detective trying to solve a murder. It's bad, I admit. Other LSIs probably don't this this.

[Pole]

Are SLE ish? SLE do that. especially the 8s and 6s 7s.

Very much so, which would make sense since they are Fe HA and Fi polr. For an LSI I'm not very judging dominant and I am the female verision of my SLE 8 brother.

[ashlesha]

I do this with interactions that feel high stakes with people I don't have a good mental map of yet. Dating especially. It seems natural. You care about the outcome and lack data. The neurotic element is just a matter of the degree to which you accept what has to remain unknown for the time being.

[Grendel]

I assume the worst in everything. Laugh or look at me funny and you're on my shitlist forever. Approach graciously and you're a con artist. Compliment my work and I know you're funneling all your energy into preventing conflict, which means my words mean nothing to you and I have no choice but to disregard your own. Fail to pursue me and I know you see me as an annoyance, no matter how warm our acquaintance seemed on the surface.


Show me vulnerability and you've won.

[Tallmo]

LII, IEE

[Chae]

Count ya girl Chae in, I've made an art form out of it

[Zero]

ESIs overthink interactions

I overthink interactions if I have been in a new situation with an important person and has had to use social skills which I normally lack.
the important person can either be someone related to my work or on a more personal level, someone I have feelings for. in both cases I look back and try to see if I made a wrong impression, and it is pretty painful and stressful for me