Function F and the Basics (reconstruction efforts)

[anndelise]

Note: A member found this on his hard disk and asked me to repost it. Despite my hesitancy, his humor convinced me to go ahead and do so.


Function F and the Basics

There are so many misconceptions as to just what F is.
Out of frustrations, I finally sat down to do my best to explain F.
I extended my explanation of F to include some of the basics.
If you have any questions, by all means ask. I can't clear anything up if I don't know where the confusion lies.
***

From birth (or before) on, our neurons connected into networks. Neural connections are created by sensory experiences - seeing, touching, tasting. Forming and reinforcing these connections are the tasks of early brain development. If the synapses (connections) are used repeatedly, they are enforced. If they are not used repeatedly, they become eliminated. In this way, experience places a crucial role in the "wiring" of our brains.

This network of connections will be referred to from here on as our own personal "web" (usually just web).

So, we have our sensory experiences, and we have our web.

No matter what we do, our senses and our web come into play. It's the senses that see the color red, a truck, and a rose...whether it's out in the real world, or an image in our mind's eye...it's our web that tells us that the red truck and the red rose are linked in some way. We don't even have to be aware of how the truck and the rose are linked together.

So, in essence, our web makes connections, ties things together, sees possible consequences/results (predictions), and meaning. We may or may not even be aware that we are working from a web. But this, I believe is the direction we are being pointed to when given the term "internal qualities".

Our sensory experiences, I believe is the direction we are being pointed to when given the term "external qualities".

We have the abilities to focus on and/or trust in the sensory information we are given, the objects/connections within our web, and/or the abstracted form of each of those.

F has been defined as being made up of "internal qualities" and "involvement". This suggests to me that F is a .....direct link....to our web. F is vaguely aware of the various objects/connections within the web...but, it's as if they are caught up in the web. Much like the spider's prey that has been caught in it's web, the more it moves, the more caught up in the web it is. Since the web is so knotted up and connected in various ways, one small movement can tug the individual from various directions. Without external form, it is considered implied information. F tends to assume that others have similar connections and/or tugs.

N has been defined as being made up of "internal qualities" and "abstraction". This suggests to me that N is when we put our focus into/onto the objects/connections brought up to our direct awareness from our web. We can go searching about for information from the web, we can deliberately attempt to add to the web, delete from the web, and modify the web. We can even temporarily look at aspects from another person's web. But this is being done without really giving form to the focus. Without external form, it is considered implied information. They tend to assume that others are capable of or have abstracted the same as them.

S has been defined as being made up of "external qualities" and "involvement". This suggests to me that S is our most direct link to the outside world. S is aware of the various objects/connections sensed from "reality". S does not abstract so therefore does not itself think/observe reality, it instead experiences it. They tend to assume that others experience it as well.

T has been defined as being made up of "external qualities" and "abstraction". This suggests to me that T is the form which we give to N and/or S (or place them into). T is far removed from the involvement within our webs (F), though it CAN utilize the web, it does so in a round about way. T is utilized when we attempt to use verbal/written language, write/draw models, and construct models. T assumes that others formulize information the same as them.
***
Accepting and Producing are defined in Rick's site http://www.socionics.us/ as:
accepting: ability to reflect or "photograph" and reproduce information of a certain kind
producing: ability to produce new things of a certain kind based on information from the preceding accepting function.

Using the information above, and the concepts of accepting/producing, we are capable of figuring out the basic information systems of the following types: NF, FN, NT, TN, ST, TS, SF, FS

An example of the above may be:
The NTp takes abstract implications and attempts to formulate something from it
The NTj takes a form/formula and attempts to abstract the implications of it
***

These systems can be further divided by introducing the concept of object vs field. (it can also be split up using the static/dynamic dimension, giving similar result, though differing basic definitions/descriptions)

Object and Field have been defined as:
object: Things that can be observed, studied, and discussed apart from the subject (This could include concepts, people, places, things, actions, etc. The "parts" being included.)
field: Interrelationships between objects (This can include any aspect of an object which can only be discussed by relating it to another object, interactions between objects, and even stuff like the similarities/differences between objects.)

If each of N, S, T, and F are further divided by object/field, then we get what socionics calls "Functions". If these functions are arranged according to the concept of accepting/producing, then we can figure out the more detailed information systems of the following types: NeFi, NiFe; FeNi, FiNe; NeTi, NiTe; TeNi, TiNe; SeTi, SiTe; TeSi, TiSe; SeFi, SiFe; FeSi, FiSe

[anndelise]

For example:
An FiNe trusts in the connections, meanings, consequences, and results that she has seen/experienced. She accepts what she herself sees/experiences. She trusts in her web to guide her....even if she isn't referring to it as a "web". She's aware that there are concepts, actions, people, and things that are being connected. She even spends time discussing these, referring to them, even attempt to describe their qualities. But she assumes/hopes that you are also aware of the connections between them...even though she doesn't directly state them.

An NeFi spends quite a bit of energy paying attention to the concepts, actions, people, and things that seem to be connected. He has no problems discussing them, and referring to them...but he has a little more difficulty when it comes to actually describing them himself. He doesn't have much problem accepting the concepts, actions, people, and things that you present to him....at least temporarily. But he just can't seem to accept your descriptions of the connections, meanings, consequences, and results. He has to see/experience those connections himself. Like the FiNe, he assumes/hopes that you are also aware of the connections between the items being discussed.

An NiFe spends quite a bit of energy paying attention to the connections, meanings, consequences, and results he's learned about over his lifetime. He may have at one time been vaguely aware that there were connections, but he spent a lot of time and energy figuring out just what those connections were, what they mean, and where they might lead to. Eventually, many of the connections he's learned about became part of him (they are, after all, part of his web). This allows him relative quickness in interpreting connections he sees. And of course, relative sureness that he is correct. He may enjoy sharing what he's come to understand, but it's not easy giving it form himself. He doesn't have much problem accepting the connections, meanings, consequences, and results you mention to him...at least temporarily. But he just can't seem to accept your descriptions of the concepts, actions, people, and things that you bring up. He has to see/experience those things himself. He assumes/hopes that you are aware of those things being connected....without him actually having to directly state them himself.

An FeNi trusts in the concepts, actions, people, and things that she has seen/experienced. She accepts what she herself sees/experiences. She trusts in her web to guide her, even if she isn't referring to it as a "web". She's aware that there are connections, meanings, consequences, and results between those things. She even spends time discussing the connections, referring to the connections, and even attempting to describe the connections. But she assumes/hopes that you are also aware of the concepts, etc involved without her having to directly state them herself.


As you can see, the FN (NFjs) start out trusting in their own experiences, and from there branching out into abstracting certain bits of information from their experiences. Whereas the NF (NFps) spend more time dealing with abstractions....and then checking those abstractions to see if it matches their experiences.

(note: ST (STps) trust their own experiences, and branch out into abstracting certain bits of information from their experiences...but not for seeking meaning but more to give form to some of the aspects he's aware of. TS (STjs) spend more time attending to form, and then checking that form with personal experience.)
***