IEI Extroverted Thinking Te Polr (INFp)

[silke]

This is a translation of Te-vulnerable discussion from russian-speaking socionics forums: http://socionik.com/thread/11317.html


Posted by LanaGor (type IEI):

"I decided to share this because all too often I have encountered strange ideas about ​​type IEI on this forum that depicted them as deliberate and principled slackers, deadbeats, and spendthrifts. One gets the impression that the IEI's "painful" Te get mistaken for self-indulgence and a penchant for laziness that allows them to work in a slipshod negligent manner, or to not work at all, to spend all of their money going into debt - and even be proud of this! As if Yesenin is saying: "This is simply the kind of creature that I am, with painful business logic, so what do you want from me now? I cannot, don't want to, and I will not do this!" Meanwhile, it has also been my observations that the presence of such statements in typing questionnaires usually indicate some different type from TIM IEI.

Let's take a look at the Socionics reference material.
What is painful (vulnerable) Extraverted Logic?

E. Filatova: "in the sphere of exerting influence … this person is most vulnerable, acts with uncertainty, often feels plagued by doubt, and in most severe cases - an inferiority complex."

A. Ausra: "Block SUPEREGO IEI: Si Te. This block of superego is the social conformity, informational block. This is the block of social expectations, in implementation of which the person tries to do what is already expected of him or her by society. It is means of reproduction of an objective picture of the external reality, the block of orientation in objective reality. The "conscience" of a person.
The object of orientation. The object of orientation in the external world for such a person is space and the sensations that this space evokes: the well-being of a person."

E. Filatova: "Reality is - primary. It consists of the fact that in order to survive people have to work efficiently and effectively, creating material wealth, and that the value of any idea lies in the possibility of its practical realization."

Thus, we have that the "vulnerable" function is associated with the performance expected of a person by other people, with greatest vulnerability, suspiciousness, complexes, and even one's conscience. In the case of IEI-slacker, how could it be then that "vulnerable" Te is presented with such bravado and demonstrative indifference? Perhaps too many people who dabble in socionics are not accustomed to reading and putting together what they have read to notice such contradictions. It says: "uncertainty, vigilant suspicion, personal inferiority complex" - and not the reverse: "Let's put this on display for everyone!"

When a person is faced with pressure to their painful function i.e. forced to somehow give a report here, evaluate himself and others, make assessments and evaluations, no bravado gets put forward, alas, not even for purpose of self-defense. One cannot make a "shield of nonchalance" from >painful< function. Therefore, if you have someone sitting in their workplace, shooting paper airplanes at the ceiling, and to questions about work calmly replying "I don't feel like it", "I can't make myself do this now", and especially "I'm Yesenin, I have painful business logic" - don't hurry to type such a person as a Te PoLR type, because they likely don't have painful Te.

Painful Te cannot be equated with a chronic inability to work. These are different things, and the relationship between them for an IEI is such that when an IEI encounters problems at work, his conscience starts to seriously bother him or her, and the IEI will never calmly relate to having problems with work. Availability of nearby dual saves only by minimizing the problems themselves but never by relieving them completely, once and for all.

"Still, - some will object to me - even "certified" IEIs will refer to themselves as idlers quite frankly!" This is indeed so. Let us see in which cases the IEI tends to consider him/herself a bum.

- When work brings the IEI pleasure personally. Then this is no work at all - this is entertainment. And entertainment is not a real job.
- When work is given to the IEI with great difficulty. Then this, too, is not work, but some kind of incompetent amateur stumblng around, that another person could have done faster and better.
- When work falls into the category "everybody does it, and even more," for example, cooking dinner, cleaning up one's home, going to the store, doing homework with your child, going to the fitness center.
- When the IEI is resting (for what is he tired from? would have been better if he was tired from real work ...).
- When the IEI is engaged in various urgent matters (but needs to do something else, for those other things present as more serious matters, seriously).
- When the IEI does something that doesn't bring results, for example, studying foreign language without much success, not being able to "discipline" the noisy neighbors, not getting his kid earn good grades in school, trying to lose weight without success, etc.
- When the IEI is underpaid.
- When the IEI is overpaid.
- ... and so on.

To put it simply: when does the IEI NOT consider himself a slacker?
Only in one case: When there is somebody else who lets the IEI understand (not simply describe!) the meaning and benefit of his work. As well as delineates a framework when activities and work can be stopped, or put aside, and when he has have every right to relax.

And if we are considering the painful function, then we have to consider it in the context of the entire Superego block i.e. in conjunction with role Si. In this case, the role function is working against the person. In particular, the IEI finds it extremely difficult to recognize his or her right to elementary tiredness. This right the IEI can only get from outside, from society around him or her: in the best case - from a dual, in the worst case - from own body, quite simply, falling from exhaustion (or even from sickness).

Painful Te is also unable to assess the costs of labor, particularly new type of labor. Therefore, the IEI finds it extremely difficult to give up on something (from shame), as well as to agree to something (what if he/she can't manage it?)

Evaluating the quality of accomplished works also very difficult. "There is no limit to perfection" - to IEI this are not empty words, but a call to action and the source of constant alarm and anxiety: is my work of sufficient quality or should it be better?

Even more difficult - the question of Yesenin's salary. A particularly problematic situation is when IEI's manager believes that IEI's labor costs so much, while his friends, family members, and close people assure him/her that this is too little, and say "go and demand more". In such a situation, a person can simply get sick.

And finally, the sacramental: "How do I get myself work and make money?!"
I think that all people experience such states and feelings, when one doesn't want to work on anything, especially people working in creative fields. But it is precisely painful Te in conjunction with role Si that makes Yesenins see a big problem in it, that brings them to anguish and despair.

What I want to say by all of this?
Only one thing. Painful Extroverted Logic - is an always agonizing conscience about one's own (in)activity. It is constant subjective undervaluation of one's own labor; it is eternal uncertainty in one's own performance at work; it is an inability to take a break with a clean heart and soul. It is a fundamental inability to say "I will not!" when you are being asked to do something that you don't know how to do well (especially asked "nicely"). For difficulties and poor results you will blame precisely yourself, remembering your entire life and blaming yourself for being too lethargic and insufficiently active, blaming yourself for being incapable and never learning the necessary skills, because you could have studied the material more or learned a foreign language at least to the level of corrector. And the idea that it should have been the fault of the professor for not teaching the material well, or the person who dumped all this foreign text editing on you, does not even come into your head, and even if it forms, you will feel painfully uncertain and ashamed about it ...

Thus, if you are hoping to type yourself as IEI and then simply sit back and casually tell about your problems at work, with salary, with budgeting and finances, and then type yourself into IEI, pointing out how this is your painful Te, then ... then maybe it makes sense to look yourself in another, more suitable TIM?**"
**Especially type EIE, that has a more nonchalant and casual experience of Te as their role and not "painful" function.