Emulating thoughts/speech/attitude

[Artsu Tharaz]

Do you guys get this thing where like, you're reading, or maybe watching a movie or video, or hanging out with or observing someone, and then afterwards you'll start thinking in a way that mirrors how the person's (writer, character, irl person) thoughts were, or mimicking their speech patterns, or just overall having a feeling as though you are them? e.g. reading some writer, then having a chain of thoughts using their prose, on a similar subject, coming up with insights quite different from how you'd usually see things; perhaps a feeling of great inspiration from a movie character (probably one already similar in certain ways to yourself), where you will for a short time afterwards imagine yourself in similar situations, responding as they would respond.

Do you get this? What functions are at work here?

 

[The Gopher]

Don't know what functions but I get that a lot.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

Ne spring-boarding a new Ti approach, or something like that? Throw in some Fe, too. I dunno. It's a whole new framework, self perception. It wears off somewhat quickly.

 

[Jesse]

I do that sometimes. Doesn't last long and mainly happens with books but sometimes after games I think of the interface while doing stiff.

 

[Cogwulf]

I get this, usually with long series of books or films.
I would describe it as affecting my inner voice, rather than my thought processes or my perceptions etc.
Or I could perhaps describe it as becoming slightly set into my subconscious.

For example after watching several seasons of House across a couple of weeks, my inner voice became very witty and sarcastic and somewhat pessimistic compared to usual.

I do that sometimes. Doesn't last long and mainly happens with books but sometimes after games I think of the interface while doing stiff.

After playing half-life 2 for long enough, I started trying to press F5 in real life.

 

[Ejno]

Hi there

This is the first time I've posted on this forum, so please pardon any errors that I may have made. Anyway I have been reading this forum and others like it compulsively for days since I discovered the MBTI test and got INTP as a result. I was struck with an instant fascination in the subject of delving into ones own personality

And so, in reference to the OP

I really couldn't say as to why I felt compelled to post on this thread, having passed by so many before. Nevertheless, I am baffled by the accuracy in which you have described a thought that I have been trying to articulate for a very long time, even more so as it seems your not only describing a part of your personality but a part of mine as well.

I constantly watch TV shows and movies alike especially ones that I have already seen, as it brings about a familiar nostalgic thought pattern, which I guess I find comforting. But more to the point, through observing the speech and behaviour patterns of the characters on the screen, I would study the character that I was most interested in and with relative ease slip into that characters personality I could apply this to real world scenarios as well but not as often because fictitious characters are more imaginative or larger than life. I would attribute that ability to the Chameleon skill that seems rather common among most INTP types as it better equips us to blend in almost anywhere and assume our favoured roles as observers.

All I know is I really get a kick out of doing it, as though it were a challenge. And in case your interested one of my favourite characters to do this with is Larry David in Curb your Enthusiasm simply because in his show he constantly vocalises his disinterest for adhering to social normalities, which completely inspires me to do the same which is quite liberating.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I'm glad that my post resonated so well with you. : )

For me, the experience comes, not by consciously studying the character, and looking specifically for their behavioural patterns (if this is what you are saying), but simply by taking in the character or voice as you usually would, and eventually sub-consciously internalising it, so that my outlook is shifted.

I thought of comparing it to the chameleon ability, except that to me, chameleoning seems to imply this mirroring of thought and behaviour while you are actually engaged in the observation or interaction process, whereas this is a lingering feeling, which happens after the event.

I also don't see it as a challenging process at all, as it comes about with no effort on my part - it's completely natural. I've never been bothered too much by social normalities myself - I may not deal with them too well myself, but they seem to make sense as an observer. I like Larry David for the awkward amusement, not so much for empathising with him.

 

[Dormouse]

This is largely why I stopped reading as much as I used to.

It's bad enough with movies, which in a sense automatically distance you from the characters and only last a couple of hours. The effect is multiplied tenfold if I'm dealing with, say, a first person novel read over the course of several days.

It's just bad for my sanity, and coherence in general. There'll generally be a recovery period of a few days during which I cannot talk.

I'll open my mouth to speak and realize I've no idea where my opinion is coming from, which is quite puzzling and destroys any motivation I have to communicate.

 

[nihilen.]

I was in catholic school and whenever I'd face any situation I'd ask myself wwjd?, then I'd wash people's feet.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I feel the same sort of badass aggression that Rollins is displaying after watching this.

YouTube - Early Henry Rollins / Black Flag Interview!!!

 

[Words]

Do you get this? What functions are at work here?

Not clear on what exactly it is you're describing but it definitely seems intuitive. Ne supervises roleplaying but Ni does too. If we focus on orientation(Extraversion or Introversion), a different self is a different perspective. Then again, a different self also means a different objective world. Perhaps it depends on which precise facet of reality attracts you to this "emulation." The image itself or the stream of possibilities it creates?

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I think personally that it's the image, the attitude of the other person. Is this Ni?

I keep alternating between thinking I'm definitely an INTP, and thinking that I'm quite possibly INFJ. The differences between the two types has been confusing and obsessing me somewhat. Ahhhh.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I feel the same sort of badass aggression that Rollins is displaying after watching this.

YouTube - Early Henry Rollins / Black Flag Interview!!!

Realness. I like it.

 

[Words]

I think personally that it's the image, the attitude of the other person. Is this Ni?

An image could also be perceived as an external object, but I may have found the separator:

Does your fondness for a certain image end quickly? By quickly, I mean after a few weeks? The real question is: How important is an image to you?

I have a feeling that Ne'ers appreciates things in a more "aesthetic" kind of way, whereas Ni'ers would cause a revolution for their "ideal."

 

[Zensunni]

Sounds like you don't have a strong sense of self and are easily impressioned.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

Sounds like you don't have a strong sense of self and are easily impressioned.

Yeah probably.

 

[Zensunni]

Yeah probably.

It it a remediable problem. Just turn off all inputs and sit for a bit. Anyone can figure themselves out.

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I think I've poorly explained what I mean in this thread.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I think I've poorly explained what I mean in this thread.

I understood, I just think explaining through MBTI would be difficult and inaccurate.

What you mean is that you observe a certain character - an archetype of being, and you engage in that behavior, you "walk a mile in that person's shoes". From this you gain insight into the perspective that person perceives reality with and how that person acts and reacts to the environment. You understand how that character is seen by others and how that character sees others. You come back from the trip with a new, greater understanding of perspectives. Not to mention the fun in emulating a new character.

 

[Abraxas]

I used to do this a lot, not just on fictional characters, but real people aswell. Because of the latter I stopped, for I thought it led to many false interpretations on my behalf.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observational_learning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_learning (lol)

 

[cheese]

It's not conscious emulation, right? More like a temporary mutation.

Once I spent all night talking to a psychopath. The next day, I seemed to have slight psychopathic tendencies. It would've been scarier than it felt, had I not been slightly changed. I had no fear of anyone, had complete and total confidence in myself, and felt almost entirely detached from everyone and my conscience. It lasted a few hours and slowly wore off after.

That's the strongest I've had it. Usually it's in response to movies, and the effect isn't anywhere near as deep, though surface representations of self will be slightly altered. Good books leave me deeply dazed for at least a day. Dormouse described it perfectly.

I'd guess the brain assimilates the experiences of whatever data you're ingesting, because it's presented with the intention of making you feel 'part of the action' (especially with books in the first-person). It's only temporary (unless you have a dangerously strong penchant for fantasy) because the brain doesn't have enough sensory inputs of the experiences to maintain the 'fantasy', but a well-created story - that doesn't cause you to scoff and therefore immerses you completely - will feel close enough to actual experience for a while that your brain simply inputs and links the emotional and physical reactions (in response to the story) to the conception of self, and the memories of your own actual experiences. Essentially, the story and characters truly become part of you, for a while.

Anyone with the ability to be taken in by a story will experience it, but I imagine the more detail you're able to provide, the better/longer the memories will stick. Different functions are triggered by different types of stimuli though, so I'm not sure if any particular type has a greater propensity to be affected, since a variety of triggers are provided in media.

 

[Oblivious]

The degree in which you assimilate a behaviour should only be proportional to how much you identify with and approve of that behaviour. I cannot see myself tolerating behaviour I dislike in myself.

Besides, isn't mimicking behaviour a natural part of human and primate learning? If you go to another country and live with the people there, you will soon find yourself picking up their accents and maybe even their habits. This is normal is it not?

However, choice always trumps proximity. For instance, I do not speak with a Singlish accent, even though that's what everyone around me speaks. I can do it naturally if I want to, but my accent is most often a combination of British/American.

When I develop my own personality what I am doing is picking up the traits I like in other people and culling the destructive ones. Its simply the combination of choices and habits I make that make me, me.

 

[Cogwulf]

In a way it's related to groupthink. We here have noticed that we "tune in" to individuals, but in the greater population the same processes are working to tune multiple people into each other. It's an evolved response to bond people together as tribes/packs.

 

[Particle]

I go through this as well. It used to be stronger when I was younger. When I was 14, I saw an episode of Cowboy Bebop on late night television one Sunday back when Adult Swim was a weekend-only affair which ran comedy on Saturday and anime on Sunday. I was taken in by the futuristic drama of the episode. I couldn't think about anything else all the next day--I was basically short-circuiting from the magnitude of the previous night's events (even though they weren't real). The next couple of days saw the effect slowly fade away, but the next few times I saw the show I still still greatly impacted.

In college, Half-Life 2 Episode 1 came out. As had happened with the original when I played Half-Life 2, I was sucked into the story very strongly. It took days for the effect to fully wear off.

Fast forward to today and I still experience that effect, albeit in a less enveloping way. I sort of miss the deep emotional connection and how easily it used to come to me. I don't know if it's just that I'm less emotional now or if it's just because fewer topics are interesting new puzzles to be a part of and thus I'm just less engaged, but whatever. A single 30-minute show rarely moves me after I'm done watching it anymore. A movie can get a stronger response, but it doesn't last into the next day--usually less. It takes watching a multi-season show every night for a couple of months to deeply connect with characters anymore. I wish it were quicker like it used to be.

---

It's interesting that someone mentioned House. I think he's a lot like us to begin with, and I found myself doing largely the same thing after watching that show every night for a while. I was slowly morphing into House, just without the leg pain and being a complete social pariah. It faded after a while when I finally caught up to the end of the season that was then current (4).

 

[Dr. Freeman]

I understand exactly what you mean. As with Particle, it does not happen for everything, but is brought on by something that either had a long time to act on me, caused me to relate with the character(s), or was particularly influential.

 

[GYX_Kid]

yeah, it's that chameleon thing that a lot of INTPs and such seem to have. not the core identity, but at least a degree of outward character is more flexible in this way. it seems like it's connected to that 'floating objectively' tendency. it may be true that every action manifested is more dependent on 'conscious choice' than maybe some other type who would more 'naturally' behave a certain way...however this preference for a more robotic emulation could be advantageous. i think a lot of INTPs could be very able and interesting actors.


to take a guess at what you were wondering, probably a lot of Ne, and some Ti/Fe.

 

[anyaa]

Do you guys get this thing where like, you're reading, or maybe watching a movie or video, or hanging out with or observing someone, and then afterwards you'll start thinking in a way that mirrors how the person's (writer, character, irl person) thoughts were, or mimicking their speech patterns, or just overall having a feeling as though you are them? e.g. reading some writer, then having a chain of thoughts using their prose, on a similar subject, coming up with insights quite different from how you'd usually see things; perhaps a feeling of great inspiration from a movie character (probably one already similar in certain ways to yourself), where you will for a short time afterwards imagine yourself in similar situations, responding as they would respond.

Do you get this? What functions are at work here?

Ya .. I do that too much...
in fact I used to do it a lot lot more recently..It caused me a lot of tension .. there's no way that the route I was unlocking was actually even existing in reality (PS: It appeared to me that I was actually unlocking the way the person thinks, etc during those times)
I stopped that (it was too difficult to get away with that habit) .. and finally ground myself in my studies (thanks God I had a big academic challenge that time so that I could withdraw from everything to focus on it! ) and this geatly helped me get rid of that habit

I won't say that its a bad thing...actually believing too much in it and the info it give can me problematic..I feel a person can build a whole fake mountain based on that only to realize it later)..its like "too much of anything is harmful)

But it does help also when used in suffice..how do I do that?? => "Empirical evidence" .. once I feel (visualize mostly) that this should be true I just hold it t in my mind ..keep on holding things a they come..if I find empirical evidence I fix it..rest gets thrown automatically out!) . and though this doesn't work 100% as I described I'm satisfied at it working at a level of 50% also! as the peace of mind and its practical use through this method is much more satisfactory for me than "Simple blind decoding which I believe I was doing earlier...

 

[gruesomebrat]

I find that this happens more often to me with movies than with reading. When I am reading, I tend to get drawn into the book and live in the story for a few hours, but when I come out, I know I am myself again, and there seems to be no difference from my usual self. When I watch a movie, however, I feel like I'm interacting with the people in the movie, rather than living their life. That interaction then rubs some of their personality off on me, and I tend to find myself acting slightly different for a short period of time (sometimes minutes, sometimes an hour or so, rarely more than 2 hours). This is eerily similar to my reaction to interaction with people in day-to-day interactions. If I'm talking to, for instance, an Australian, I will very quickly pick up their accent and start to imitate it. After talking to the Aussie for 30 minutes, I will continue speaking with a slight Australian accent for about 10 minutes of speech after the conversation ends. I have had some days that I've gone through three or four different external personalities and accents, and internally observed people's reactions to the changes in my external personality, my speech patterns and mannerisms. It's often very interesting to see someone start to get irked by their perception that I'm mocking their mannerisms, when in fact, I'm just adjusting to communicate more efficiently with them in a much shorter time period than most.

As I'm watching a movie, my mannerisms tend to change even though the interaction isn't a two-way street. These changes, however, never last nearly as long as the changes I undergo when talking to someone and engaging with them.