Te Block
1. What is work in your opinion? Why do people go to work? Are there any parameters where you can distinguish whether you can do this work or not?
Work is the exchange of time for money or the expectation of future money. (I'd say labor for money, but we all know (or have been) seatwarmers.)
People go to work to get money. (Even people who enjoy their work wouldn't do it if they weren't paid.)
People sometimes view unpaid but demanding activities as work, e.g. side projects outside of work, raising children, serious hobbies, etc. but I would not classify these as work because you are not exchanging time for money or the expectation of future money. If you were working on your own business outside of work, that does have the expectation of future money.
I can easily tell if I can do a certain task or not. I know what skills I have and what kinds of skills I can learn quickly and easily.
2. How do people determine the quality of work? How do you determine such quality? How well you can determine the quality of any purchase, do you pay any attention to it?
Quality: Other people - whether it meets certain criteria or furthers certain objectives. Me - I have my own higher standards on top of that. Lol. But if it's at work, my bare minimum is to meet the company's desired objectives for that task.
Purchase: cost-benefit analysis. If I have some specific criteria I'm looking for, I can check the item against my criteria. I don't really pay attention unless something actually malfunctions and I have to go through some warranty claim process.
3. There is a professional right next to you. You always see that you can't perform the way they do. Your feelings, thoughts and actions?
I'd look up some documentation so I can learn on my own and be able to perform well. If I couldn't find any documentation, I'd ask them for some. If there is no documentation, I'd have them teach me. I'm confident I can pick it up quickly and I'm a fast learner, so I wouldn't feel bad or anything. When the roles are reversed, I don't mind helping others learn too.
4. If you struggle to do something, what can you say about such a task? Tell us your next steps and give examples. Compare with actions of others in a similar situation.
If I struggle to do something, I research (using documentation, online and text resources, etc.) to figure out how to do it better. Last resort is to ask someone how to do it better. Some others seem to ask for help before trying to solve it on their own.
Usually, I learn quickly. But if I continue to struggle, and I can see I'm not well-suited for the task, I'll look for someone to trade with so I can do their task and they can do the task I'm struggling with.
5. You need to build a pyramid exactly like in Egypt. Your thoughts, feelings and actions?
I'd research to understand the specifications, e.g. which materials are used, the tolerances required, etc. and probably also consult with local experts in Egypt. Then apply modern building methods. IDK anything about that field, so that would be something more to learn/research. Probably could do it way faster and more safely with modern methods though.
But in reality, I'd just decline the task. I don't see the point rebuilding monuments that already exist in exactly the same fashion.
Ti Block
1. General to specific, specific to general – what does it mean? Give examples.
Class to instance, instance to class. e.g. I am an instance of the class "person" as well as "reddit user" (which would be a subclass of person). I am not an instance of the class "bot"!
2. What does "logical" mean? What is your understanding? Do you think that it correlates with the common view? Is it is easy for you to be logical?
An argument is "logical" if and only if it is deductively valid and sound, meaning that the conclusion derives from the premises and all the premises are true. I think this correlates with the common view.
In the case of a logical structure, it has to have a reasonable inheritance structure- e.g. "dog" inherits from "mammal" and not from "human" or something. This is already covered in the next questions.
Yes, it's easy for me to be logical in that I can easily tell if the premises of an argument jointly logically entail the conclusion and I can easily tell also if there are some logically inconsistent/contradictory/incompatible claims being made. I can also tell if two claims are truly logically identical vs. if they are different, even very subtly different.
A person is "logical" if (but not only if, as I'm open to other definitions) they apply a logically consistent set of rules* in a consistent manner across different situations. This I think does not correlate with the common view. Most people think of "consistency" as behaving the same way in every situation, which is not the same as logical consistency across situations.
*Note that this is not necessarily the same set of rules, though I think that's the ideal. I have few sets of rules (or frameworks) that are intended to persist across situations, and I add to them and change them relatively easily though carefully, and removals are uncommon.
3. What is hierarchy? Give examples of hierarchies. Do you need to follow it? Why or why not? Give example of hierarchy of systems, what is it?
Hierarchical inheritance structure with classes and subclasses that inherit from them for as many "generations" as needed. e.g. Subclasses "reddit user" and "typology enthusiast" inherit from "person" i.e. they are subclasses of "person". It's also possible for a subclass to have more than one parent class, e.g. "cat" subclass has parent classes "terrestrial mammal" and "quadrupedal mammal" while both "terrestrial mammal" and "quadrupedal mammal" have parent class "mammal". (There are other ways to structure that information, it's just an example.)
I think you need to follow some hierarchies like these, but you create them as needed. This comes up a lot when programming for instance. Every project gets its own logical structure(s). Outside of that, it's still essentially the same pattern of having a broader parent class, subclasses within those, etc., and ultimately, instances as above.
4. Choose one of the following tasks and give a detailed answer. Explain your choice.
How do you explain fractions on the dial of the clock?
The dial of a clock is divided into 12 equal fractions, each of which represents 1 hour. Each of those hours is divided into 60 equal fractions, each of which represents 1 minute. Then each minute is, in turn, divided into 60 equal fractions again, each of which represents 1 second. In total, then, the dial of a clock represents 12 hours, 12x60 minutes, and 12x60x60 seconds. In a 24-hour day, the hour-hand revolves around the clock twice, the minute-hand revolves around the clock 24x60 times, and the second-hand revolves around the clock 24x60x60 times.
Explanation: I accidentally deleted the rest of the question and cba to find it again. Btw sorry if there is some other part to this question that I missed lol
5. Do you frequently feel the need to structure information? For what purpose? How do people usually do it? How do you do it?
I frequently structure information. The purpose is to understand things, to come to viewpoints and conclusions about the world or about specific topics/subjects or questions. In my experience, people usually do it by memorizing rules that they can apply later, instead of actually understanding the subject. I used to be a tutor, and I encountered many bright students who nevertheless preferred this memorization approach. I prefer to understand the fundamental principles on which something operates, and then I can make any subsequent decisions based on those fundamental principles. In college, whenever I had the opportunity to memorize as little as possible and derive the rest, I took it.
Se Block
1. Can you press people? What methods do you use? If so, how does it happen?
Yes, I sometimes press people. If something they said doesn't add up, I press them by asking questions to get the missing information. I can't describe in detail how I do it*, but I almost picture myself like a lawyer conducting an aggressive, but effective, cross-examination. :P
I had a boss who would say one thing and do another, or say one thing and then immediately say another thing, and he'd claim he never contradicted himself. I would regularly press him on the contradictions and point out to him how he had contradicted himself. (Surprisingly, he was receptive to this.)
Similarly, I have family members who say one thing while believing another. I can tell this from other things they say. I can basically interpolate the missing premises. Then I press them likewise.
*Adding in response to a previous comment on another website: To clarify the pressing, I think it's primarily Ti-driven because it's related to the inconsistencies, and I'd add that it's related to correcting people more generally too. But I do think Ti is recruiting Se, which is why I wrote about it in the Se block. As I press people, I am very direct and assertive. I don't know exactly where the line is between assertive and aggressive, so I tend to stay on the conservative side. But in general, I don't have a problem digging in my heels and standing my ground. I do feel a bit "fake" when I do it though, like I'm putting on an act, but I can do it.
2. Are there strategies of attack? Can you use them? When is it justified? Do you think it's ok to occupy someone else's territory? In what situations?
I usually "attack" by finding a loophole of some kind, doing whatever I was going to do anyway, and then justifying it using the loophole.
It's justified when the rules to which I'm finding a loophole are not logical ("logical" as defined in the Ti block question).
You can occupy someone else's property (I'm deliberately interpreting "territory" as property here) if they invited you there. Or maybe in an emergency. Or if there is some kind of implied consent.
3. How do you protect yourself and your interests?
My professional and financial interests are protected because my skillset is in high demand, I keep learning, and I'm a fast learner. I've always been "good with money" in the sense of easily keeping within budget. I've also educated myself on investing for retirement. I buy insurances. I live in a safe area so I don't worry that much about being attacked or something.
4. Describe your behavior in situations of opposition and if you have to use some force?
I don't put myself into situations of opposition. I'm not easily intimidated, so in most situations it's fine, e.g. at work if someone's trying to intimidate or pressure me into doing something, I brush it off and keep doing whatever I was going to do anyway. But at work, there is no real physical threat. I avoid situations (really, entire classes of situations) where I sense there is a real physical threat.
5. Do others think of you as a strong person? Do you think you are a strong person?
Physically, not a chance, lmao. But people do know that I am very capable of working around, if not through, obstacles that come my way, so in that sense, they would say I am strong. I don't see it as strong really, just living my life.
Si Block
1. What is beauty? Do you change your opinion about beauty? Does your understanding correlate with the generally accepted notion? What goes beyond the generally accepted notion?
In one definition, that which is aesthetically pleasing is beautiful.
This definition can change by context. For instance, in the data science community (that's my line of work btw), there is a focus on presenting data nicely but also accurately, so that it doesn't muddle or misrepresent findings. My understanding correlates with that of other people in my field.
In a completely different context, my cat is beautiful. She is all black and has bright, golden eyes. Very cute cat (not precisely the same as beautiful but it'll suffice). Correlates with generally accepted notion as most people find cats cute.
I've heard some beautiful songs. Correlates with generally accepted notion as these are popular songs, and in particular, the classical ones have been popular for centuries.
I find airplanes beautiful. I know lots of other aviation enthusiasts who feel the same way, so correlates with accepted notion.
I find well-structured stuff beautiful. e.g. Buildings like the Eiffel Tower, and theories like Socionics itself, which is beautifully structured and internally symmetrical. Not sure if that correlates.
2. Is there a template of understanding what beautiful means for everyone to use? Is there such a term as "classic beauty"? If so, what is it?
No, there is no template IMO - it's in the eye of the beholder. Classic beauty refers to subdued, clean, simple, elegant styles.
3. How do you create your comfort and coziness? How do others evaluate your skill in doing so? Do you agree with them?
I'm careful to keep ergonomic desk setups at home and at work, so that I don't develop a repetitive stress injury. So far, so good. I also wear comfortable clothes and shoes because I don't want them to distract me while working.
Others don't evaluate my skill in doing so because others do not come to my house ever, at work most people also have ergonomic setups (my company offers evaluations and encourages us to have them), and to be honest, other people know better than to comment on my clothing. :P
4. How do you pick your own clothes? Do you follow fashion? Why? Do you know how to select clothes for different types of figures?
I balance the aforementioned comfort against the business casual requirements of my workplace. Since my first job out of college (I'm in my 30s now, for context), I just tried to match what others wear. I don't really care to analyze this though so I only keep like 7 or 8 total "outfits" that I rotate through.
The only time I have to dress up is when interviewing or when a client is coming to our office. I have one "good suit" for this. This suit has been tailored and I think it looks good, though I did get several opinions on this one. But it's just one suit. I wear it like once every 6 months.
I could probably learn how to select clothes for different figures, but again, doesn't interest me to learn this.
5. Tell us how you'd design any room, house or an office. Do you do it yourself or trust someone else to do it? Why?
I could learn to do it but I don't really care, so apart from having an ergonomic work area, and a huge ultrawide monitor :P, I just wouldn't bother designing it myself or hiring someone else to do it.
Fe Block
1. Is it acceptable to express emotions in public? Give examples of inappropriate expression of emotions.
Yes, of course. Inappropriate: laughing at a funeral, laughing excessively at work, screaming at coworker
2. Think of such negative emotional states as sadness, gloom, and despondence.
--Can you, at your own will, enter these states? If not, then when do you feel them?
Not sure but I don't think so. I feel sad if I'm interacting with someone who seems sad, but I feel less sad than they seem. But I do naturally experience some of their emotions too.
In a positive situation, I can be genuinely happy with someone who is also happy, for sure. My brother got married last year and I was genuinely happy for him and SIL, who is also great. So the positive side is way easier for me.
--How long can you stay in such states?
Normally, not long at all. If something unusual has happened, like death in the family, then I will be sad for a while.
--How can you withdraw from them?
I don't withdraw from them consciously, I just forget easily about them.
--Can they be pleasant, soothing?
No lol
--How do you feel after you have experienced them?
Back to normal. Normally, I have no discernible emotional state.
3. How quickly can you change emotional state? To what side – positive or negative?
I get very excited sometimes and I'm very easily excitable, but then it dies down almost immediately too. So very quickly. And I guess excitement is positive.
4. What emotional state is usual for you? Does your internal emotional state correlate with what you show externally?
Normally, I have no discernible emotional state. But no, I do seem to still express emotions. I hadn't realized this until I saw myself on a video and I was very surprised, but I'm not robotic at all, I look pretty normal when I'm talking.
5. Tell us about your moods over the last day.
"Null value" has been my mood. That's what it is basically always, unless I get suddenly excited. But then it goes back to "null value" after that too.
Fi Block
1. Tell us how did you build relationships with others over the last day.
I didn't even interact with any other people over the last day. :P
2. What is sympathy? When do you need to express it? When is it advised not to? How do you express it?
Sympathy is what I mentioned above where I'm talking to someone who seems sad so I also feel a little bit sad. I don't "try" to express it or "need" to express it but it does happen pretty naturally for me, I just feel less sad than they seem to be. Then I think other people can tell that I also feel a little bit sad, so they feel connected to me because of that, which I guess is good. Then I can give them advice or suggest solutions to their problem that is making them sad. If it's not a fixable problem though, like their relative died or something, it's extremely difficult for me to handle this, and I just want to leave the situation, to be honest.
3. Are there any standards of behavior for interpersonal relationships in society? If so, do you adhere to them? Do people always have to maintain them? Why?
No. I think adults who are in a consensual relationship have the right to determine for themselves the expectations within their relationship.
4. What does moral mean? What is immoral? How do you understand these terms and does your understanding correlate with the others? How can you evaluate the correctness of your own understanding?
I think moral/immoral is not a useful distinction. Instead, I judge if things are fair or unfair.
I define fairness as consistency of treatment. In the Ti block, I already discussed logical consistency. When applied to the treatment of people, they must also be treated consistently, meaning fairly and impartially.
I evaluate the correctness of my own understanding against theories I studied in the past (and still currently although I don't have as much time now). I also check against reality to see how my view of fair vs. unfair holds up to real life.
5. Somebody is giving you a negative attitude – what is your reaction? Could you show your own negative attitude toward someone else? If so, how? Could you feel ill-disposed towards somebody for a long time? How easily do you forgive people?
I would just brush off a really negative attitude. I don't feel ill-disposed towards people generally and it's hard for me to "hold a grudge" in the first place, so I don't need to forgive people.
Ne Block
1. Is there a meaning of life? In what? Is it the same for everybody?
I don't think there is a singular meaning of life for everyone. I also don't think it's important to find a singular meaning to your own life. Just do what you want, as long as your behavior is fair, and consistent with basic principles like pluralism and informed consent (I have a comprehensive (though incomplete) theory on the subjects, but I'm trying to summarize quickly here without getting too in-depth). Personally, as long as I make a net positive impact on the world in my lifetime, I'm happy.
2. When you meet a stranger, what can you say about them right away? How do you know what this person is all about? Does it take long to understand someone's traits?
Well, once you talk to someone, they'll say stuff, and from there you can guess a little bit about what their interests are, and from there guess other interests and their general tendencies. As you talk more, you can figure out how they think (I don't mean typology here :P) and how they approach stuff in their life. No, it doesn't take long to understand someone's overall traits.
3. What is imagination? Do all people have imagination and can fantasize? What is your fantasizing like?
Imagination is perception of anything other than the literal reality. By this definition, everyone has imagination. Everyone I know has imaginations about their past, present, future. About themselves and other people, the world, ...
I don't actively "fantasize". My imagination, if I'm going to call it that, is just always going on in the background. Like I'm aware of it but it's a background awareness by default. I can focus on it and bring it forward/into the foreground. I rarely do this as I don't need to actively imagine to still have imagination as defined above. Anyway, this background imagination is basically merged with reality, like an augmented reality. I don't really separate it from reality. (But I'm not delusional at all, as I'll explain in a second. :P)
4. What do you think of people (or yourself) who distinctively stand out in a crowd, differ from others? What is a measure of such distinction, how can this difference be feasible and how not?
Everyone stands out in some way. Like at work, everyone has some strengths, some weaknesses- if you're reading this questionnaire, you already know this very well. :P There are more specific strengths/weaknesses too that aren't about typology. But by default, I don't think about specific people in this way. If someone specifically asks me something about this, then sure, I can think about them/their life. But by default, I don't.
In a nearby possible world, I'm probably a career advisor. I could do that well. (Actually...I know I said I didn't think about this, lol, but I forgot that I'm part of a professional group and I do advise younger professionals and college students on their career paths...) ...And in another, I'm that cross-examining lawyer I mentioned in the Se block who presses inconsistent witnesses on the stand... And in another, I stayed in philosophy (one of my majors in undergrad) and went into academia... And in another, I'm a troll on YouTube. :P
To be honest, I want to edit out the tangent in the previous paragraph, but I think that tangent will provide information that you need to fully assess my answer to this question.
5. Ideas do not have to be correct in order to be good. What's your attitude towards this statement?
"Good" is an unnecessary value judgment to apply to an idea. I think we need to separate the notions of interesting, correct, and practical ideas from each other.
"Interesting" means it sparked someone's curiosity. All ideas start in this category. By default, they are "interesting". They require further checking to see if they are "correct" or "practical". But they can be taken as "interesting" ideas in and of themselves, too.
"Correct" means the idea is logically compatible with some underlying theory or with some other ideas, depending on the context in which the judgment of correctness is made. A "correct" idea may not be "practical", but I still consider "correct" ideas useful towards building or checking theories. Few ideas are in this category.
"Practical" means the idea has some pragmatic or actionable value, e.g. as a business idea or a new project at work. Surprisingly many ideas (maybe 10%, which sounds like a small fraction but amounts to a decent number in absolute terms) are "practical", or can be part of some other "practical" idea. But pragmatic is a better word since they are probably not immediately, hands-on "practical", but more pragmatic over several months or years of implementation or something like that. And these ideas require a lot of checking to make sure that they are REALLY pragmatic in reality.
I am incredibly selective with which of these "practical" ideas I pursue. Tbh, I feel like most of my waking hours are spent checking the pragmatism of various ideas that I think of during the day, and choosing between them. (And that's why I'm not delusional. :P)
Most of the ideas I think of during the day, I have to quickly dismiss, because I just don't have time to check everything- on first glance, if an idea (again, by default "interesting") doesn't seem likely to turn out as "correct" or "practical", I dismiss it quickly. I still sometimes discuss them with others for fun, or I start discussions online about them. But there are a lot, so a list of "unposted" "interesting"-only ideas and drafts piles up.
Ni Block
1. How people change? How do you feel about those changes? Can others see the changes?
I don't expect people to remain exactly the same, so I don't really notice when they change. I assume they do. I don't feel like I've changed that much since I was 16 and I'm in my 30s now. But I don't know how other people would evaluate these changes. I don't know how other people feel about changes or what they see/don't see, I don't discuss this with other people.
2. What is time? How do you feel time? Can you waste time?
Time is an ultimately arbitrary concept that was invented for society to function properly. It's defined by the rotation of the earth about its axis, the revolution of the earth about the sun, and the revolution of the moon about the earth. Weeks were invented for...well, I'm not sure why, maybe it's got something to do with various religions that have religious days of the week.
I don't feel time at all.
I waste time, for example, doing this. :P But really, I enjoy it, I'm learning stuff so it's not a waste.
3. Do you need help creating forecasts and determining how something will end? Do you trust those forecasts?
I can tell how something will end, and I trust this.
4. Are you normally late? How do you react if someone is late?
No. I arrive just on time, usually, unless it's a super important occasion like a job interview, then I get there a bit early just in case. If someone else is late, I usually don't care, but if they're extremely late, I'll just call/text and then leave.
5. Imagine the situation where you agreed to meet with someone. Your feelings and actions:
a) 20 minutes before the meeting starts,
Depends on how far it is from my house/where I am currently though. But ok, 20 minutes before I'll probably head out.
b) 5 minutes before the meeting starts,
I'm usually nearly there or already there. Not thinking about it.
c) it is time for the meeting to start, but the person is not here,
Ok. No big deal.
d) 20 minutes after the meeting start time and the person is not here,
Text/call. Find out what is going on and if they're still planning to come. Already making alternative plans- thinking of other things I can do nearby if the friend doesn't show.
e) more time and the person is still not here
After 30 mins to an hour, I'd do a final text/call that I'm leaving. Do one of the alternative plans.