How do you use your intuition?

[Grove]

So I’m trying to pay more attention to what my intuition tells me about other people, particularly the vibes that I get when meeting someone new. Until now my tendency was to let my thinking and perceptive sides take the lead. For example, I will have an intuitive (gut) impression of a person very quickly, but I will but that aside opting for a more evidence based approach.

My main question is: How well has your intuition served you when sizing up new people; how is your intuition correct? Also, how do you work that muscle, and what pitfalls have you noticed?

Also, a big happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!

 

[Thor]

Thank you for the kind wishes.

 

[Solitaire U.]

When I have 'used' my intuition in the past, the result was sometimes the formation of unfounded bias. I don't know...I'm probably doing it wrong, but I've learned the best method is to let logic and reason lead the way, and relegate intuition to 'note taking'. Difficult to trust something that's such an abstract.

TP = plan A. N = Plan B.

 

[vault]

if we were to attach what you are describing as a cognitive function, would it be Ne? i ask not just because i am not sure, but because sometimes when i wanted to develop in certain ways, i searched recommendations on the internet for how to exercise related cog functions.

 

[Grove]

"TP = plan A. N = Plan B."

Agreed, this is how I handle most situations, but on occasion I find that I've wasted a lot of time not trusting my intuition from the get go. I suppose it is something that should always be situational, but again, that's why I ask.

 

[Proletar]

I read people fast. Moreover, if I'm myself at balance, I can pretty much see how they are feeling, what type of person they are, if they are secure, if they are lying to themselves or me, repressing stuff or need to say something, and so forth. Having trouble reaching them though.


Not like ENPTs social skills, seeing the whole pattern of why, with a skill in seeing social patterns and manipulating them, but something.


I scored high at intuition btw.

 

[Amagi82]

My intuition is usually correct, so barring extenuating circumstances, I typically go with it. Intuition is colored and shaped by acquired knowledge. For people, I can tell a large amount of information about someone from a few seconds of observation with a rather high level of accuracy. This includes: relative danger level, intelligence, personality, introversion/extroversion, some interests, likelihood of friendship, economic status, stage in life, maturity, etc. As I mentioned, this isn't perfect, and it isn't all-encompassing, but it does give you a good baseline for determining "Is this person worth speaking with?", "Should I avoid this guy?", or "Is this woman going to be annoying and talk endlessly about her kids?".

 

[BigApplePi]

I read other people with intuition and that says something. But I feel the presence of lots of gaps. I don't know about this and that and the other. If there is enough there to read a personality type, I can try to match the characteristics of that type with what might be expected. I usually have to think that over a lot because I haven't mastered types by a long shot.

My intuition only serves me up to a point because I always postpone judgment. I can be mistaken I suppose if I misremember something. I wait for add-ons of new experience for finer judgments. I don't think in terms of "intuition" but rather of accuracy. Should that be called intuition?

 

[BigApplePi]

For people, I can tell a large amount of information about someone from a few seconds of observation with a rather high level of accuracy. This includes: relative danger level, intelligence, personality, introversion/extroversion, some interests, likelihood of friendship, economic status, stage in life, maturity, etc.

Those are good categories. I can take those in with intuition but I tend to and want to postpone judgment. Danger level could mean excitement I'm willing to risk. Intelligence could be hidden or phony. Personality? ... to repeat, I'm not the master but am eager to learn. Friendship? I can often see they are ready to reject me, but then THEY should postpone judgment. I/E and maturity? Yes. Stage in life? Never thought about that.

 

[Grove]

I guess what I'm getting at touches the J/P axis more than the S/N axis. Perhaps the P stops us from allowing our intuition to guide our decisions before our perception has an adequate amount of information.

Still, there are incidences where I know that my intuition was correct - both in times where I did and did not "trust" it enough to make a judgment. There have also been times when I was waaaay off base.

Is it a part of maturation and gaining knowledge about different types of personalities that can allow us to make judgments based on intuition more quickly and with less apprehension as we age? I've heard it said that by the time you reach 40, you've pretty much encountered all the types of people out there. Is trusting you intuition something that gets easier with time and experience, or are we always at the mercy of the P?

 

[BigApplePi]

I guess what I'm getting at touches the J/P axis more than the S/N axis. Perhaps the P stops us from allowing our intuition to guide our decisions before our perception has an adequate amount of information.

Good point. My intuition about people takes precedence over what my internal senses tell me ... unless it's extreme. Not sure if this is what you mean, but if they smell bad (to me), I may turn up my nose and proceed to ignore it, lol.

Is it a part of maturation and gaining knowledge about different types of personalities that can allow us to make judgments based on intuition more quickly and with less apprehension as we age?

No question. Yes.

I've heard it said that by the time you reach 40, you've pretty much encountered all the types of people out there. Is trusting you[r] intuition something that gets easier with time and experience, or are we always at the mercy of the P?

Screw the P. I will judge if I have to. Intuition, in my case, improves with age. But I can see people making the same mistakes over and over because they have blocked something supposedly to protect themselves from some original mishappening. Can we call that poor Ne and poor Tx and strong Fx?

 

[Grove]

LOL! *you[r] - Thanks BaP!

 

[BigApplePi]

you[r]

LOL! *you[r]

Grove. This is not an ordinary typo! I propose it as the most common non-trivial typo in the English language. I've made it many times and try to catch it. But why? I still can't figure it.

Theory: the right hand types "you" very fast because it's a common word. But there is a time lag in switching hands to the left. Because speed has set a precedent in the thought of typing "your", the brain thinks the left index finger is going to hit but misses because of the time lag. Is this theory correct, lol?

 

[Proletar]

Still, there are incidences where I know that my intuition was correct - both in times where I did and did not "trust" it enough to make a judgment. There have also been times when I was waaaay off base.

I get this all the time. Regretting that I didn't go with my gut. It's a constant struggle, really, knowing and sensing.

I think that is why I've even try to reach knowledge, to prove or disprove my gut-feeling.

 

[Grove]

Completely possible. I attribute it to substituting “your” for “you” when rereading the text. I meant “your”, so that is what my brain sees.

 

[MichiganJFrog]

How well has your intuition served you when sizing up new people; how is your intuition correct? Also, how do you work that muscle, and what pitfalls have you noticed?

Seems like it's about 50/50. When it works, it's a beautiful thing; made some friends for life using it. Actually, a lot of my problems probably stem from not listening to it. In any case, I find it's best to balance out my hunches, vibes, and spidey sense with actual research. At the same time, if I didn't have those vibes and such, I wouldn't have anything to check out.

 

[Dapper Dan]

I think more often than not, our "intuition" about a person is actually not iNtuition at all. It's more likely that we're using Si and Fe to compare them to similar people that we know, classify them, and then determine how we feel about them.

Obviously this is different for people that we spend a lot of time around, but "first impressions" is basically a nicer way of saying "stereotypes".

 

[Grove]

I don't disagree with you, Dan – which leads me to more questions. To what extent are we willing to label personality types as stereotypes? Are these terms synonymous?

 

[Amagi82]

Those are good categories. I can take those in with intuition but I tend to and want to postpone judgment. Danger level could mean excitement I'm willing to risk. Intelligence could be hidden or phony. Personality? ... to repeat, I'm not the master but am eager to learn. Friendship? I can often see they are ready to reject me, but then THEY should postpone judgment. I/E and maturity? Yes. Stage in life? Never thought about that.

* The type of danger I was referring to is not the exciting type of danger, i.e. this guy looks like a thug.


You're right that you shouldn't simply write someone off without good reason, but there are so many people in the world, your intuition can be a valuable tool to weed out the people less likely to be compatible with your interests. Of course some good people will fall through the cracks, but that's what happens when you work the law of averages. I never expect perfection, but I work toward continuous improvement.

 

[BigApplePi]

I think more often than not, our "intuition" about a person is actually not iNtuition at all. It's more likely that we're using Si and Fe to compare them to similar people that we know, classify them, and then determine how we feel about them.

Obviously this is different for people that we spend a lot of time around, but "first impressions" is basically a nicer way of saying "stereotypes".

DD. There are two ways to use intuition. One from ignorance; the other from data input. No reason why Si and Fe can't be used as input. We can just be relatively unaware that is the input, push those into the background and Ne comes to consciousness.

Cognitive functions? They don't all have to be at the same level of awareness I guess, but I don't know what brings each out.

 

[Dapper Dan]

I don't disagree with you, Dan – which leads me to more questions. To what extent are we willing to label personality types as stereotypes? Are these terms synonymous?

Stereotypes are just generalized categories of people. Psychological types are a subset of stereotypes, by definition.

When you form a first impression, you're working with a limited amount of information. Most of that information likely comes from past experiences with (or things you're told about) seemingly similar people. If you're wise, you won't act on those impressions until they are confirmed.

DD. There are two ways to use intuition. One from ignorance; the other from data input. No reason why Si and Fe can't be used as input. We can just be relatively unaware that is the input, push those into the background and Ne comes to consciousness.

Cognitive functions? They don't all have to be at the same level of awareness I guess, but I don't know what brings each out.

Erm, I don't really follow. Intuition IS data input, along with Sensing. In the case of first impressions, we're coming to a subjective conclusion (Fe) based on preconceived notions and past experience (Si).

 

[Brontosaurie]

I believe strongly in it and would rather let strange and inefficient patterns of thought and behavior develop than admit the errors.

Usually I'm quite capable of verbalizing my intuition so as to make it appear like a thorough consideration both to myself and others.