How Grip Stress Manifests In Each Personality Type
Stress is something every individual experiences to some degree. Some people live extremely stressful lives, while others experience a calmer existence. Of course, no matter the amount, everyone forms certain coping mechanisms, or ways to deal with stress. However, sometimes the weight of stress can become so extreme that the standard coping mechanisms fail, causing the individual to act completely out of character, or opposite to their typical personality type. In personality theory, this state of stress is referred to as being in the grip.
What Does “In the Grip” Mean?
Everyone’s personality type is comprised of four main cognitive functions. By default, people rely on their dominant function. After all, it is their most practiced function, and their greatest strength. However, sometimes, an individual might get faced with a situation that their dominant function can’t solve. They might try and try and try, until finally their dominant function becomes too overwhelmed and gives out. Now exhausted and desperate, they fall “into the grip” of the dominant’s opposing function, the inferior function. However, the inferior function is often under-practiced and even actively suppressed in many individuals. In other words, while “in the grip”, people (out of desperation) attempt to rely on a function that they are unable to use effectively for problem-solving, resulting in an extreme and unhealthy overuse of that function.
How Each Personality Type Acts in the Grip
Before launching into the individual grip descriptions, I’d like to clarify some general grip state tendencies. An extravert in the grip will always be gripping on an introverted function. Typically, grip states involving an introverted function lead to someone living more in their internal world, than the external. They’ll minimize their interaction with others and cease to engage in their usual amount of activity. This will likely result in isolation, loneliness, and stagnation. On the other hand, introverts in the grip will be gripping on an extraverted function. Therefore, grip states involving an extraverted function will lead to someone overly engaging with the external world. In other words, they’ll become impulsive and erratic. This could result in actively burning bridges with those around them, or squandering their resources.
ESFP and ESTP Grip State
ESFPs and ESTPs share inferior Ni, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Ni. In the positive, Ni is singular, forward-thinking, and insightful. However, in a negative position, it leads to paranoia and obsession over a single outcome. ESFPs and ESTPs in the grip of Ni will cease to be their usual, opportunistic and action-oriented selves. Instead, they’ll start fixating on a single negative outcome. They’ll view this scenario, whatever it may be, as unescapable, all roads leading to it. It’ll probably be specific enough to be concrete, but not so detailed that it takes a lot of criteria to meet it. Regardless, since the scenario is unescapable, they’ll be filled with a constant sense of dread or impending doom. They may spin their wheels, trying to avoid the scenario, or they may see no point in trying. Either way, they’ll become pessimistic, seeing negativity wherever they look. They may start reading into things more than normal, but in away that reflects suspicion or assumes bad intent.
ENFP and ENTP Grip State
ENFPs and ENTPs share inferior Si, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Si. In the positive, Si provides stability and consistency by using the past to account for the future. However, in the negative position, it leads to an obsession with a specific internal perception, usually built on a memory. ENFPs and ENTPs in the grip of Si will cease to be their usual, open-minded and opportunistic selves. Instead, they’ll become overly rigid, unable to update how they perceive the world. In other words, they may only be able to see themselves or the world through the lens of a past moment. They’ll be unable to change their thinking, and unable to move forward. In addition, they might begin obsessing over the tiny little details in everything they try to do. They’ll get lost in the weeds, and stuck in a rut, unable to make any significant progress forward because they can’t separate the important details from the unimportant ones. Similarily, they may fixate on a specific way of doing things, refusing to consider other options.
ESFJ and ENFJ Grip State
ESFJs and ENFJs share inferior Ti, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Ti. In the positive, Ti enables one to be analytical, unattached, and true to their way of thinking. However, in the negative position, it leads to a refusal to give up a specific way of thinking, regardless of external evidence to the contrary. ESFJs and ENFJs in the grip of Ti will cease to be empathetic and nurturing, instead emotionally isolating themselves. Rather than relying on others to double-check their logic, they will reject input that doesn’t reinforce what they’re already thinking. They’ll become excessively critical and judgmental towards themselves and others. In spite of this, they may find themselves unable to produce any actionable or meaningful conclusions, beyond identifying what they believe to be a cold, hard, maybe even painful, truth. They’ll fixate on these cynical thoughts and realizations, slowly drowning in pessimism and skepticism. They may become distrustful of others, and lose all sense of purpose or self-worth.
ESTJ and ENTJ Grip State
ESTJs and ENTJs share inferior Fi, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Fi. In the positive, Fi produces passion, emotional integrity, and authenticity. However, in the negative position, it leads to hyper-sensitivity and obsessive introspection. ESTJs and ENTJs in the grip of Fi will cease to be productive and rational. Typically, ENTJs and ESTJs derive their sense of worth and identity from external things like achievements. However, under grip stress, that external sense of worth has been shattered in some way, resulting in extreme insecurity. They’ll become hyper-sensitive to any kind of criticism, possibly even perceiving an attack on them where there is none. In an attempt to re-find their self-worth, they’ll begin looking inward rather than outward to figure out who they are. They’ll start questioning themselves: their value, their identity, and their feelings regarding both. Of course, these are uncharted waters, so they’ll feel like they’re drowning as they struggle to subjectively analyze and define themselves.
ISFP and INFP Grip State
ISFPs and INFPs share inferior Te, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Te. In the positive, Te excels at providing structure and actionable plans. However, in the negative, it leads to an obsessive need for control. ISFPs and INFPs in the grip will cease to be passionate and idealistic. Instead, they’ll grasp for control wherever they can find it. This could mean fixating on minor tasks that allow them to order their life. On the other hand, it could also mean fixating on a longterm goal or mission. This mission may become so important that they lose all sense of self, in pursuit of its success. In the process, they may discard their values or ideals if any start to get in the way of progress. In dealing with others, they’ll become demanding and authoritarian, lashing out at anyone who gets in their way. They may make unreasonable demands of others, whether that means demands they have no right to make or demands that are impossible to complete. Either way, they’ll become cold, harsh, and cynical, potentially driving away anyone who was once close to them.
ISTP and INTP Grip State
ISTPs and INTPs share inferior Fe, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Fe. In the positive, Fe fosters community and loyalty. However, in the negative, it leads to an extreme need for validation from others. ISTPs and INTPs in the grip cease to be rational and emotionally detached, having lost faith in their analytical abilities. Instead, they’ll look to others to validate what they’re thinking and feeling. Oftentimes, these types suppress their emotions, and even feel disconnected from them. However, under grip stress, they feel overwhelmed by emotion. This could lead to inappropriate displays of emotion, or cause them to lash out at anyone who fails to respond the way they want. Either way, they’ll become emotionally needy, and feel constantly out of control. They may begin to obsessively worry about the integrity of their relationships, either due to their recent dependency or because of the strain they’ve been placing on them. They’ll worry that they’re not worth the effort, and that they’ll eventually drive everyone away.
ISTJ and ISFJ Grip State
ISTJs and ISFJs share inferior Ne, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Ne. In the positive, Ne leads to a love for novelty and possibilities. However, in the negative, it leads to impulsively chasing ideas or drowning in possibilities to the point of indecision. ISTJs and ISFJs in the grip will cease to be consistent, cautious, and purposeful. Instead, their mind becomes flooded and overwhelmed with possibilities. Unfortunately, under grip stress, they’ll find themselves unable to logically weed through them and narrow them down. These possibilities may be negative, catastrophic possibilities, propelling them into action to account for everything. In the process, they’ll seem scattered and paranoid, since they’re lacking their typical practicality. On the other hand, they may fixate on positive possibilities as a way to distract from their current situation. They may restart old projects and pick up several more, all at the same time, keeping themselves so busy trying out new things that they fail to deal with the real problem.
INTJ and INFJ Grip State
INTJs and INFJs share inferior Se, so in states of extreme stress, they both fall into the grip of Se. In the positive, Se is spontaneous and present-minded. However, in the negative, it leads to impulsive action and hasty decision-making. INTJs and INFJs in the grip will cease to be calculated and purposeful. Instead, they’ll throw all consideration out the window, and begin yielding to their every physical impulse. Of course, this may lead to lashing out physically, like a young child having a temper tantrum. It could also mean dropping all of their money on that pricey vacation they’ve always wanted, or deciding to try out skydiving. The point is that they’ll focus on what they want now, and start yielding to it, no longer considering the future or the implications of their actions. They may utilize this Se state to try to solve whatever provoked the grip state, which could result in making ill thought out decision that have disastrous longterm consequences. On the other hand, they may utilize this state of indulgence as an avoidance tactic, to distract themselves from the real problem.
READ MORE: INTJ/INFJ: Inferior Se Grip
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I’ve been waiting for this! 😤 Just wrote a comment about how Fi shows up in my life but it was too long so here’s the TLDR version.
Fi grip for me is basically me questioning what every decision, choice, thought, emotion, and what everything says about me, who I am, who I wanna be, etc. but I fixate on the most minor, laughably minor things. (Like which color tissue box I should get, what getting this color vs this color says about me, if it’s a sign that I need to change some things in my life, what it means about myself if I get more than one or none, etc.)
It’s basically a 24/7 existential, identity, and belief crisis all rolled up into one. Yay.
Fi grip basically feels like the songs Drowning by Vowl. X antent and Experience by Ludovico Einaudi. I’m basically suspended in time watching my life go by from a 3rd person pov and wondering what kind of person I wanna be, who I am, etc.
I also related to the Ni grip a lot and kinda Fe grip.
There’s so much more I wanna say and flesh out, but I’ll leave it here.
Thanks,
Ping (ESTJ)
Woah, I was just binge-reading about inferior functions on this site a bit ago. Kind of a freaky coincidence lol.
“In spite of this, they may find themselves unable to produce any actionable or meaningful conclusions, beyond identifying what they believe to be a cold, hard, maybe even painful, truth. They’ll fixate on these cynical thoughts and realizations, slowly drowning in pessimism and skepticism. ”
This sort of reminds me of those people on social media who constantly post “hot takes”. Though, it could just be that they’re being shock jockeys and deliberately trying to get a reaction from people since the platform rewards interacting with the post… even negative interactions.
Hearing about the various grip states was really interesting. Does what you said in one of the previous articles still apply here? That users with the function higher up in their stack could still act this way, but since it’s higher up, it should have more “range” or not be so rigid in its use? An Fi-dom acting like a Te-dom in Fi grip sometimes, for instance or vice versa? Also, the Fi-dom Te grip description reminded me of how you described Kingpin in the INFP typing article, haha. Not sure if he actually fits, though…
Hey Rafael! Not Ryan or Mara, but I figured I’d give my two cents.
“Hearing about the various grip states was really interesting. Does what you said in one of the previous articles still apply here? That users with the function higher up in their stack could still act this way, but since it’s higher up, it should have more “range” or not be so rigid in its use?”
Pretty much, yeah. More range = higher up, narrow + specific + an abrupt ‘all or nothing’ mentality = most likely inferior.
Except even in a grip state, you can still see traces of the dominant function. Versus someone with that function higher up would be more likely to use that function more “purely” without the function being tainted or stained by the dominant. (If that makes any sense)
For example, (dear Fi users, if I’m wrong, please feel free to correct me), Fi users, especially doms, are good at fleshing out their identity, what’s important to them, and why using their feelings, personal convictions and inner compass so they know what’s important to them and why.
In other words, they are the creator, and because Te is lower down, systems, definitions, and what is known to be defined as XYZ, doesn’t matter much to them.
(Again, if that ^ is wrong, correct me. No hard feelings)
For me, being in the Fi grip a while back and still possibly now, I approached Fi with a Te slant or with a Te lens on. I was obsessed with defining my values using pre-defined systems, words, and such instead of *creating* the definition myself. I was looking to a pre-defined thing to define and complete me and reinforce my identity; versus I’d imagine and assume Fi users do all 3 of those things on their own.
Hmm, your example of rage bait sounds to me as stereotypical tertiary Fe, possibly in a Pe-Fe loop, but maybe that’s me pigeon-holing low Fe. After all, Fe is about wanting to control and manage the emotional atmosphere and social structure. I guess it boils down to intent.
Not sure if that answered your question?
Yes, I think that answered my question pretty well, and not only did it make a lot of sense, I think I just remembered (A lot of that going around my brain lately, apparently.) a pretty good example of how the dominant function can “shade” the gripping function.
There’s a movie called “Christine” (not the one with the evil car) which was based off of a real-life news reporter who unfortunately took her life on air. I think she was in the Fe Grip (I personally think she’s an INTP, even though other places have typed her as an INTJ. One of the various reasons being that a pattern in her behavior in the movies is in-the-moment opportunism as opposed to having a long-term end point that she’s driving toward or acting in line with, which, to me, suggests more Ne over Ni. Another reason is that the real-life woman she’s meant to portray has been typed as INTP. I know adapting someone’s life can result in changes which changes their type but I still think it holds true in the movie. And third, I think I see a lot of signs of inferior Fe as opposed to Tertiary Fi when it comes to how she interacts with people. There are more reasons, and I could be wrong since I’m not confident in my typing abilities at all but it is what it is.) for at least this one scene or possibly a good amount of the movie, but this scene in particular. I’m not sure if links are allowed here but if you want to watch it you can type “Christine Mental Breakdown” into the YouTube search bar and it should come up.
Anyway, I’m pretty sure she shows the signs of Fe Gripping that Mara listed such as emotional neediness (arguing with her mother because she left without telling anyone for 4 days when she needed her), an extreme need for validation, lashing out at anyone who fails to respond in the way she wants and being overwhelmed by emotion (“Why won’t anyone just listen to me!?”). But you can see signs of Ti-shaded Fe in the scene, like questioning her mother’s logic (one example being “I’m your child, you were supposed to figure this all out.” In response to her mother not knowing what she wants from her, which I think is her basically saying “Why did you have children if you weren’t prepared to deal with this sort of thing?” , maybe?), analyzing the relationship (“Why would you love me?” “We both know what’s going on here, Peg. I got all turned around in Boston and I come here to relax and rehabilitate and you’re here to babysit me.”) and maybe some various other things I’m missing. I kind of want to see more examples of the types in a grip state to see if this still holds true now. I might have to go look through the character archives on this site now lol.
Also, what she did in that scene might apply to other types or functions which is part of why I find typing to be so confusing. 🥲
LOL don’t worry, I’m not good at typing either, so we’re in this together. :’)
And wow, that story’s sad. 🙁 Thanks for sharing that.
It’s interesting how Fe and Fi grip are mirrors of each other. If that’s indeed an Fe grip, then it’s basically the same thing as an Fi grip except everything is being fired out vs held inside. (Extraverted functions need to be put outside of yourself to fully process, introverted functions need to be self-contained so we don’t contaminate it, as Joyce Meng nicely put it).
I couldn’t tell you much about which grip she’s in since I haven’t watched the movie. Seems interesting though!
Things that come to mind that are probably wrong:
– Extraverted grips lash out, explode, and shoot outwards into the world outside of themselves
– Introverted grips self isolate, become recluses, and from my experience (assuming if what I think was an Fi grip was actually one) lashes out if you disrupt that need for extreme solitude
Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s my general impression so far. Just watched some clips of Christine, and the whole thing’s so sad. 🙁 I hope she’s at peace now.
I hope Christine’s at peace, too. It seems like life came at her too much at once, it seems, plus the fact that she may have been suffering from depression wouldn’t make coping with all of that easier. (Not sure if she’s actually been diagnosed, though.)
I do think your conclusion that Fe Grip is a more outward-focused version of Fi Grip might be true or at least has some merit to it. Like the description in the article says “ISTPs and INTPs in the grip cease to be rational and emotionally detached, having lost faith in their analytical abilities.” so since you don’t really trust yourself anymore you start desperately looking outward for people to back you up through whatever emotional or mental crisis you’re going through. Kind of like “I’m not crazy, am I? There has to be other people who think/feel this way, too or at least recognize the validity of it.” And I guess since you’re doubting yourself you’re starting to doubt what other people see in you, too, hence the doubting your relationships and such. And if they don’t respond the way you want it can get… messy. In fact, I think I can tie this back into the scene above. Just before that scene up above, Christine had an idea that she was very confident in so she showed Michael (her boss). He wasn’t… completely on board and said it needs to “be developed more” (or something to that effect), and even worse he says he’s going to put Jean’s story involving the serial killer on instead (Even though they’re Local News so she probably feels like she had the rug pulled from under her, too.) and Jean (as far as I know) is a camerawoman while Christine’s a more seasoned reporter so she might be doubting her abilities or feel like all that she’s learned has been for naught. Michael didn’t respond the way she wanted (plus she might feel embarrassed by the way the whole thing went down) so she starts off by trying to save face (“I didn’t want to do the chicken lady story anyway!”) and then lashing out (saying he’s only treating her like this because of his drunk wife at home). If Michael’s a Te-Fi user, which I think he is, I think this infringes on his Fi (insulting his family and home life he’s built) and he defends himself with his Te accomplishments. (“I have half of my savings invested in this station, what are you doing to make a mark!?”) Though, this whole exchange happens in front of the other station employees, so Christine, again trying to save face, resorts to bargaining in what I can only describe as Fe flailing and maybe an attempt to get SOME validation for her ideas (“I’ll do the chicken lady story, but there’s going to have to be some changes around here.”) Michael’s still pissed at her for earlier so he’s having none of it and tells her to go home. She lashes out again since he didn’t respond the way she wanted and uses the flowers as an illustration for how the news station is just pretending to be a “real” news station. Michael says he doesn’t know what’s going on with her but she needs to leave. That was a very long explanation but you can maybe see how that would shake someone’s faith in their abilities, make them feel like their “life is a cesspool” and that maybe everyone in their life secretly hates them. (Exaggerating, but that’s sort of the gist of it.) Not sure if you’ve watched the scene already but it’s on YouTube, too, if you want to watch.
I imagine Fi grip is sort of the opposite? Something happens that causes you to devalue or doubt things in the Te external realm so you retreat inward into the Fi internal realm to figure things out? Maybe something like an extremely successful king has been overthrown by rebels, which makes him doubt everything and retreat inward to figure out who he is without the things that he measured “success” by? I wish I knew more about this, but I don’t think I can say much as it is lol.
Maybe. Most people would say Christine likely struggled with depression, and I heard of some people saying she might’ve had autism, since she couldn’t pick up social cues or something? (I haven’t watched it myself, and idk much about her though).
I see where you’re coming from, yeah.
Idk if the chicken lady story scenario is necessarily only Fe grip. It depends on what her intent and reasoning are, and any type can get frustrated and lash out when they don’t get what they want, especially when they’re depressed.
For example, I can see Te users, like myself, getting defensive and lashing out because we had a plan, and now that plan’s being pulled under a rug, which means now there’s a lack of closure around the outcome we wanted. We like having a guaranteed outcome or most likely one in our control. Not sure what a Ti user would do in that scenario though.
But tbh the chicken lady story, based on what you’ve told me, sounds more like she’s getting defensive perhaps because she’s no longer the authority figure (ie her identity or sense of self being threatened), or like maybe her plan was thrown off? Like she’s losing her place and someone else might win.
I did a wee bit of research on Christine and I remember someone saying that her career was everything to her. Some said it was possibly her autism making her fixate on it, but I remembered somewhere someone (maybe her) said she felt like she was nothing without her career. That, to me, points more to Te/Fi > Ti/Fe. Specifically inferior Fi?
Based on the very very few clips and research I’ve done, she strikes me more like an EXXJ than a Ti dom, but take it with a bucket of salt lol. I wanna say she might be a depressed Te dom, but idk. She seems like an interesting person overall.
Aaand I forgot to respond to your bottom part lol.
“Something happens that causes you to devalue or doubt things in the Te external realm so you retreat inward into the Fi internal realm to figure things out?”
Fi grip: basically kinda-ish, but it’s not because of the Te user deciding to devalue or doubt the realm outside of themselves. We’re naturally geared to drift towards it and it’s more reliable than our Fi.
The something that happens is usually disrupting some sort of life goal, or outcome that we were super invested in, to the point where our Fi was even tied into it. An example could be an ExTJ who wants to be a med student but doesn’t pass the entrance exam.
Then they start doubting their capabilities, if they can do things, and suddenly the usual automatic “start here, then do this, this and this then this” is gone and it’s like we can’t figure it out no matter how hard we try.
It’s like being on a ladder climbing somewhere, then falling off into a pool and sinking lower and lower and lower.
For me, Fi grip also shows up in me obsessing over my intention with things, and why I feel things towards things, and what my intentions and feelings says about me as a person. Then I keep going deeper and deeper and deeper and it’s like I’m addicted to figure out the why behind the why behind the why behind things (x100000).
I think during the peak of the grip, I was extremely self-isolated because it was like trying to wait for the sand to settle in the murky water and hoping for a clear vision that’s never sharp, precise or certain enough. (Possibly high Te + high Si needing closure?)
Then climbing out of the grip (I think that’s what I was doing), I started obsessing and pestering people around me about how they see me, who or what they’d describe me as, what their first impressions of me were, etc. Basically trying to see myself in their eyes. (Which completely defeats Fi’s purpose, which I think is crafting an identity from scratch and using yourself as the reference point and not data outside of yourself)
“Maybe something like an extremely successful king has been overthrown by rebels, which makes him doubt everything and retreat inward to figure out who he is without the things that he measured “success” by?”
Yeah, sounds like you got it right. 🙂
LOL no worries! Thanks for reading my walls of text lmao. This is fun 🙂 Besides, I like talking about Fi more than my other functions because I have the most to say about it, haha. (So I can actually be useful)
Where’d you get the information about someone saying that she felt she was nothing without her work? I’d like to know more about that but I can’t seem to find that specific quote. In any case, that could be a sign of low Fi but there might be other explanations. (Low self-esteem and feeling like being a reporter is the most impressive thing about her to other people which might indicate Fe, for one. Ti tending to base its identity on actions for another. [“I don’t really have much going on in my life besides my job, therefore without my work I am nothing.”] Or a combo of both, considering they’re both part of the same judging axis.) But I guess it’s possible she could have been a depressed Te-dom, neither of us really “knew” her and we’re just kind of speculating on her actions and how people viewed her after the fact. I just thought the way she… did what she did seemed very Fe-like, like she wanted her on-air death to have a (possibly negative?) emotional effect on people. (And the Fe PROBABLY in a lower position considering the nature of the act but I don’t think I could rule out a higher Fe user doing it either.) I imagine a Te user would be more… not to be too blunt, but… efficient. She already had the gun, why the elaborate plan of doing it on air? Though I’m not sure how the Fi side of things would factor in. (I think Fi likes to be private about emotional stuff like this, so they’d probably lean toward doing it in private and only letting the people important to them know, maybe?) But like I said, I don’t think we’ll ever DEFINITIVELY know, I just have Ti-Fe leanings lol. If you’re interested in watching the whole movie, I think it’s free on a couple of streaming services. (Or maybe just one, I used “The Roku Channel” but there are ad breaks with it.)
“But tbh the chicken lady story, based on what you’ve told me, sounds more like she’s getting defensive perhaps because she’s no longer the authority figure (ie her identity or sense of self being threatened), or like maybe her plan was thrown off? Like she’s losing her place and someone else might win.”
That definitely sounds possible! Personally, I was going off the Fe-grip theory and thought her reasoning capabilities took a backseat there and she was going mostly off of emotion. (After all, the man she’s antagonizing in that scene is her boss who can fire her at any moment. I think if she were in a more stable state of mind that she would take that into consideration, but her feelings kind of took over so she doesn’t really care or isn’t thinking about that. Your take on the scene could definitely be true too, though!)
And thank you so much for the Fi insight! It sounds like the Te user failed to meet a goal or make something happen and they start wondering “Am I the problem? Am I why I can’t seem to get anything done?” which prompts the intense self-introspection? Sounds like both Fe and Fi grips have roots in the user doubting their capabilities which is interesting.
I wish I could find it, but for some reason I can’t? Maybe I misread something or I’m remembering the wrong person. If she has autism, then that would explain her hyper-fixation on her career, but if she doesn’t, then it could suggest Pi (Si or Ni) over Pe (Ne or Se), since she’s not branching out beyond that one interest. (Se doms do this too but she doesn’t strike me like one from the clips I’ve seen but I’m just going off a whim).
You make a good point about the whole reporter impressing people = low Fe possibly. I could also see it as her wanting to connect with people and feeling inadequate. After all, I think people said she had a very unapproachable, brash (?), and unwelcoming presence. Could be the depression, but it does lean me more Te/Fi since she seems to have a colder demeanor over a blank one. (video clips, not movie)
The point about the on air vs in private thing is a good point. Depends on what she was trying to do. Te users are capable of making a point too, and I myself have taken the less efficient route because efficiency itself wasn’t the goal– achieving said goal was. And if said goal, for Christine, was to show people how miserable she was and leave her mark on the world, then doing it on air would be a lot stronger. And you’re right- we’re just speculating. 🙂 It’s interesting though.
Interesting point about Fi being more private! It depends on the person. Thing is, Christine knew she was gonna be dead anyway, so she might’ve wanted to go a few extra steps to make a stronger impact. (Te is not about being fast. It’s about being effective and getting the best outcome with the least amount of effort). As for Fi, depends, but given how depressed she was, how she felt like no one was listening to her, and how stressful her career was (reporting on crimes) with next to no support or help- anyone would’ve snapped and lost control of their emotions eventually.
Yeahhh, watching it isn’t the worst idea lol.
Yeah. I’m just wondering if this is actually a grip or if it’s just her depression having another flair up. (You can be unhealthy and not be in a grip).
No problem! Glad I could help 🙂 Basically, yeah. I guess Fe grip is more geared towards their own reasoning, Fi grip is geared towards their capabilities.
I think I’ll give it a watch. I already watched the most traumatizing part, so it should go up from here. Thanks for showing me where to watch it for free 🙂
Didja watch it yet? It’s not 100% accurate (apparently she was close with her brother as well as her mother, but he’s not in the movie… probably because they thought they couldn’t fit him in and have a nice, cohesive narrative?), but I think one of the main “goals” of the film was to try to make it so that people don’t just remember her as “that reporter who shot herself live on television” and to try to make her a bit more three dimensional in the public consciousness. Like, yeah, she ended up doing what she did but what kind of person was she? What issues in her life may have influenced her toward that? (Notably, the film never definitively says why. It seems to just cut to her awake one morning, having already decided. She seems to be in a good mood from that point forward but apparently that’s common with suicides since they feel like their suffering will be over soon.)
Also, I think I found the quote. Ironically, I didn’t find it while I was looking for it, I found it when I was looking for video clips after you said you watched some and the uploader had a blog. Search for “Suncoast Digest” on YouTube (NOT the suicide clip, don’t worry) the channel name should be “tapesignal” and there’s a blog in the channel description. (Unfortunately, it wants to force you to make an account after scrolling for so long, so I couldn’t read everything.) The quote is as follows:
“She hadn’t been going out on very many dates. Her mother said she loved her job but unfortunately it was her whole life. I guess it just wasn’t enough.” -Rob Smith (Akron Beacon Journal, 16 Jul 1974)
It kind of sounds like it’s more referring to a lack of close relationships which left a void in her life that her job couldn’t fill rather than her necessarily being a workaholic. Even still, this other quote makes me think we shouldn’t rule out her being a perceiver.
“[Shay Taylor says] Chris had numerous problems involving a personal matter. Miss Taylor stressed that Chris had been seeing a female psychiatrist in Bradenton for some time, and felt that seeing and talking to the doctor had helped her somewhat. Miss Taylor advised that chris had been quite upset over numerous sexual problems – her main problem being that she was a 29-year-old virgin. She further stated that Chris was a very unstable person; even though she engaged in various social and sport functions. Chris apparently tried to keep herself occupied with many activities to relieve her frustrations.” (Police Report, 1974)
It’s the part that says “even though she engaged in various social and sport functions. Chris apparently tried to keep herself occupied with many activities to relieve her frustrations” part that makes me think she was involved in a variety of things. She also put on puppet shows for children at a hospital and even within her career it seems like she bounced around between job fields and stations a lot. There’s also the fact that she was apparently good enough at baking to make a cake for George Peter Ryan, a coworker who another coworker said she had a crush on. She was apparently a woman of many talents lol.
Very interesting person, that’s for sure! haha
I would like some insight. Which grip type is this. When I am really stress I tend to fall back to the comfort of my old habits of when I was younger which is consuming a lot of anime, gamming, and eating a lot of food. I will start ordering a lot of food everyday and will have a sort of guilty pleasure while just laying around all day just surfing the web. There are times I won’t leave the house at weeks at a time. I become really lazy and not wanting to do much outside the things I am comfortable with. A lot of the people around me start to say, I have gotten to comfortable, don’t want to take much risk on many things and almost sort of like stuck in life. Personally when I am in that state I often have these thoughts in the back of my head that I need to be doing something to progress my life forward, but it takes a while for me to get back into the groove of things. Once I start moving again I tend to build up momentum slowly and then I’m off to the races.
Hello, I’m not the writer of the article (Mara), but my two cents is that it most likely sounds like Se grip. (Possibly not, though, since you described not leaving the house often.) Though, you could consider the possibility that you’re looping. (This site has an informative article on that, too.) Or that you’re not necessarily gripping or looping and that that’s just how you prefer to deal with your stress.
Si grip could be possible since it’s specifically stuff you like doing from your past but I’m not sure.
Thanks for your reply. I commented down to Ping to expand a little on my experience. You could be right that I am looping, or it could be grip stress; I’m not really sure since I’m still learning. However, those experiences I shared are patterns I’ve noticed in my behavior, and they tend to happen under a lot of stress. Typically, I’m confident that I can solve most of my issues or handle a lot of stress, but sometimes, I end up in the state I described earlier. At first, I thought maybe it was something common that most people under extreme stress goes through, but I can see that grip stress manifests differently for each personality type after reading here. I am just having a hard time figuring out which one I could be.
This strikes me as Si, but I don’t know if it’s a grip state or just you leaning on a higher function. (I do the same thing when I’m stressed out and I’m an estj).
I guess it depends on why you’re doing those things. What are you looking for and focusing on when you do those things? Or an easier question- what are you avoiding or waiting to pass/ blow over while you do those things?
Thanks for the reply. When I engage in those activities, I think I’m trying to avoid thinking about the issues I’m dealing with in life. Typically, I handle adversity pretty well, or at least I think I do. However, when I reach a stressful point, it feels like I’m waiting for a bad storm to pass because I’ve reached a point where I can’t find a solution or the situation is completely out of my control. When that happens, I fall into the bad habits I described earlier, all while constantly thinking about the issue and wondering if things will get better. I also tend to feel like I can’t stay in this state forever. It is similar to a bottomless pit that just get deeper the more comfortable I get. My daily movements decreases and my hygiene gets pretty bad. Hopefully this helps.
So to clarify, (1) your “old habits” like anime watching, are things you don’t usually do recreationally anymore unless stressed?
(2) You said that you try to avoid thinking about the issues, but you’re constantly thinking about the issues. So, you’re unsuccessfully avoiding thinking about the issues?
(3) This state isn’t triggered by all stress, just more extreme stress?
(4) When thinking about the issues, what are you thinking about? Solutions? Outcomes? Scenarios? Replaying the predicament?
Thank you for taking the time to respond. Let me elucidate and expand on the points you mentioned the best I can.
1. Yes, habits such as indulging in anime, gaming, and ordering a lot of food are things I don’t typically engage in much unless I’m under a lot of stress. These activities were a significant part of my life when I was younger, but now they mainly resurface during periods of intense stress. I will say this though, now that I’m older I have gotten better at balancing those things in my life.
2. It’s a bit paradoxical. When I am under a lot of stress, I think I might be engaging in these habits to avoid confronting my issues directly, but even while doing so, the problems are still on my mind. It’s like I’m trying to distract myself, yet I can’t fully escape the stressors, which tends to keep me in a loop of avoidance and worry.
3. Correct, this state isn’t triggered by all stress. I think I handle everyday stress and challenges reasonably well. However, when the stress reaches a level where I feel overwhelmed or unable to find a solution, I tend to regress to these old habits as a sort of coping mechanism.
4. When contemplating the issues, my thoughts are multifaceted. I often ruminate over the predicament, considering various scenarios and potential outcomes. Additionally, I invest considerable time pondering possible solutions, even though they appear unattainable at the moment. Now that I’m thinking about it, I think this constant rumination makes it difficult for me to move forward and keeps me stuck in that stressful state.
I just asked one of my close friends how he sees me when I am under a lot of stress, and he said, I don’t want to be around people much more than usual. He also said, that I go into a deep isolation mode, not wanting to talk to anyone and that I am just focusing on my work or what ever is on my mind. Not sure if that helps.
I hope this provides a more nuanced understanding of my situation. I’m trying to understand if this behavior aligns more with the grip stress or if it could be related to some other aspect of my personality type. Any insights you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
If you’re comfortable sharing, what kind of things put you in that extreme state of stress? I get that it’s probably a gradual build-up, but is there a certain thing that keeps rearing its head into you that eventually corners you into that place?
If you’d rather not say, that’s okay too. 🙂
The part about you self-isolating doesn’t tell me (personally) too much since people can technically indulge or grip alone, and I feel like most people, especially if it’s an Ne or Se grip. No idea though. Just my two cents. 🙂
I guess another question I can ask you is: Was there a time in your life when you were under so much stress that it kind of broke you and suddenly it felt like you were on the other side of the tunnel and it’s like you were both relieved/ at peace but also confused on what was going on?
Sorry for the late reply. I think this is a great question, and I’d like to dive a bit deeper. I’ll do my best to answer your questions the best I can.
You asked what kind of things put me in an extreme state of stress. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure because I rarely reach that level of stress. However, if I had to guess, it seems to happen during times when I’m taking my life more seriously or trying to accomplish something important to me or help someone. It’s usually when I envision a future path that I’m working towards or something I believe will significantly benefit me in the long run.
It could also be tied to goals I have a very strong conviction about, where I’ve convinced myself that achieving this will help me reach a place where everything works out as planned or has a great benefit. This might explain why my friend mentioned that I go into deep isolation when things get really bad, and a sort of tunnel vision mode. I think I get to a point where I really obsess over completing a goal, ignoring my usual signs that my approach might not be working at all. when I would typically try something else or find another solution. In my mind, I’m thinking it has to work because I’ve done a lot of research and have analyzed the patterns I just need to be more patient and it will work.
As for your last question, there was one time when something strange happened. I’m not sure if it was a breaking point, but it was odd. One day, I noticed this empty void feeling like a sense of nothingness. I can’t really describe it; maybe it was depression I’m not sure, but it felt like sitting in a dark room without feeling mad, happy or any strong emotions. It was strange. This happened around a time when I was going through a lot in my life and doing all the things I said earlier before, such as binging on anime, Junk food, video games, and not leaving the house for maybe once every couple weeks. I had also failed bad at doing something big I thought would change my life during those times.
I will say one last thing. This is all of my perception of what I think is happening to me which gets me in that state of the extreme stress you was asking for. Outside looking in I can’t say for sure If what I am describing is totally accurate but hopefully it helps you.
Hi, to the creators. I was reading the grip stress for the types again, and I noticed a small mistake in the ISTJ and ISFJ section. The last sentence had, ‘all that the same time.’ I understand the main point, but I wasn’t sure if you guys usually correct those small mistakes when found or if you leave them alone when it’s something minor like that. I just wanted to point it out in case it wasn’t already apparent. I have learned a lot and enjoy reading the different aspects of each personality type. Looking forward to more in the future.
We usually fix typos when they’re brought to our attention. Thank you!