The IP elements: Questions concerning differences in internal focus between Si and Ni

[Jaqen]

Good question: I was just citing Gulenko's snapshot definitions of the functions and not really explaining myself. I don't think that Si always represents itself as conformism; at a more sophisticated level Si can be far more subtle than that. However, conformism may be a primitive manifestation of Si.



The reason that conformism might show up with Si at the primitive level is because it's trying to achieve comfort and harmony with the environment. Conformism is lazy, gives you a basic orientation so that you don't have to spend the energy confronting the chaos necessary to come up with a more original and effective one, and it's an easy way to access some amount of comfort and fitting in (but this only goes so far since being a doormat will soon cease to be comfortable). Conformism is also a social intelligence that is to some extent necessary for humans, allowing you to adapt to your environment without making any waves. Of course Si is regularly used for many other things and at higher levels. And it might be said that types who don't even have Si as one of their most used functions could still be said to suffer from the effects of primitive Si. ILI's, for example, can often be lazy, idle, etc.

Anti-conformism also displays itself through Si.

For instance, Pink Floyd’s The Wall.

At its heart is a song about needing to conform to school systems that do not take stock of individual Si: students, forced to attend school for 8 hours a day, working against their natural instincts, working against thier needs to move about and play and nap and sleep, sitting on chairs with straight backs looking at boards. -> the institution will not destroy our need for human comfort. This sort of thing.

The Wall was demonstrating non conformity from the stand point if a Si perspective. The style of song and melody, not just the message, is a Si expereince in and of itself: very immersive, meant to illicit a physically uncomfortable yet purely encoded sensational experience in the listener. You ‘fall’ into the soundtrack. Many Pink Floyd fans are baby boomer Si and Ne types.

Conforming Si is the kind that manifests in the 1st world countries love for Home Improvement and cooking shows, flip that house, Best Home chef, Pumpkin Spice Latte, all the exotic variety of modern cuisine, home making, Martha Stewart “its a goodthing”.

My own own country is very much this way as it freezes for almost half a year and the natural instincts are to huddle together in proverbial furs against the cold and to build and create elaborate nests, sorry I meant modern insulated homes, against the cold. These are tied in with Si awareness.

Si in delta isnt always as cozy as alphas because logics of actions drives individuals into the environment and the elements more often. So Si here is linked with real world pragmatism. They make Si into a lifestyle tied with ‘what to do’. As a symbolic example think Japanese construction style and carpentry and its high level of workmanship and mastery which always references aesthetic beauty while maintaining high functionality. This could be used archetypically as the Craftsman, although in reality a more North American version is the back yard barbequer and occasional dirt biker. Man caves are one such Si activity here. Its a personal collection of objects, ambiance, and furnishings meant to activate Si.

Si is supremely obvious once you grasp what it is ‘out there’