Is Socionics a Belief or a Theory?

[Skeptic]

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Hm.. I understand your definitions and they make sense. I can see socionics as having application in that you see it working around you. But what about this; once you're looking for it, it suddenly becomes apparant to you; the christian seeking his miracles will surely find one, the faithful searching for a sign will undoubtedly make sense out of some random encounter, the person flipping a coin may end up flipping it until he gets the option he would have wanted in the first place... you trick yourself.

In short; if you justify socionics through your personal experience with its truth around you ('evidence that you have assimilated into your memory') how can you know that you aren't ignoring certain aspects of human relationships that contradict the theory (i.e. the numerous situations in which types DO NOT conform to their descriptions) while reinforcing and reliving the moments that do?

Knowledge is more commonly defined as "belief that corresponds with reality".

To you I would ask the same questions I do to Krig.

Socionics is a model. It seeks to describe human relationships.
The simplest way to have a network of interacting nodes is to have each node have an "in", and an "out". (This is your ego block; the other 3 blocks are just ways of describing specific phenomena related to your specific "in" and "out"--they are logically superfluous and exist solely for clarity's sake.)

As for why there are 8 functions and not some other number, that is a Socionics history lesson I cannot administer.

etc etc can someone please finish this thought for me?

But why why why; how do you know a model of any sort could represent the complicated and irrational state of human relation? Why a network of interacting nodes and why an in and an out? And (ofc) why 8 functions, 16 types? If these questions cannot be answered but with more claims and unsupported conclusions it would be a great blow to the 'theory'.

That is a result of their abuse, not their use. The minute you use Socionics as a script is the minute you cross into abuse. I have not had this problem of abuse except in one situation. In all other respects Socionics has been a boon and helped me to understand and let other people do as they please, and there have been many similar reports both on the forums and from people I have introduced the theory to in the real world.

With this I must resign myself to agree. If I were to condemn any and all beliefs I would condemn myself in doing so; there are simply things we take for granted in order to survive. Additionally, I can see certain beliefs that are excercised with caution a harmless endeavor that deserves no condemnation, but if you are going to qualify yourself for this group you must take care not to excercise your beliefs when making decisions that affect anyone but yourself.

[Creepy-male]

But why why why; how do you know a model of any sort could represent the complicated and irrational state of human relation? Why a network of interacting nodes and why an in and an out? And (ofc) why 8 functions, 16 types? If these questions cannot be answered but with more claims and unsupported conclusions it would be a great blow to the 'theory'.

You do know what a model is, don't you?

[Skeptic]

You do know what a model is, don't you?

For a moment I was unconfident in my use of the word; however, after looking up the term, it appears it has many, many different meanings. I will assume you mean the one that says something like;

A representation of a system that allows for investigation of the properties of the system and, in some cases, prediction of future outcomes. Models are often used in quantitative analysis and technical analysis, and sometimes also used in fundamental analysis

My question still stands. How can you be sure the realm of human relations in any way fits into a comprehensive 'model' as described above?

[Creepy-male]

In very, very simplified terms, a model is a way of describing something complex in simpler terms. You usually do that by making assumptions that limit the amount of variables you're forced to deal with.

For example Socionics is a form of cybernetics, studying the networking of complex psychological systems (human beings). These constructs can be simplified to perceptual inputs (accepting functions) and social outputs (producing functions). As for why 8 functions, and as for why the rules as to what these functions can be paired with, Augusta and the group she brainstormed with decided on that for whatever reason they did due to what they had observed happening in the real world. Someone else needs to fill in that history lesson though.

Thus we have a model.

To answer your question, how can I be sure? Anything can be modelled. The useful question to ask is, is your model useful? Does it find the balance between wieldiness and accuracy? A bad model either takes too much into account and is rendered inoperable, or it takes too little into account and fails to adequately describe or make predictions about that which it originally sought to model.

More catchy version: a bad model is either a poor simulation or an excellent waste of time.