First Know Yourself
Objective typing adheres to a certain standard. It’s based on a scientific approach. It’s about what you can prove.
I studied mathematics and conducted research for 10 years in total. Proving things was my bread and butter. It’s literally how I put food on the table for 5 years. I thought I knew what I was doing.
I was wrong.
Well—I was also half-right. Knowing my type for more than three years has taught me that I have proper conscious access to half of my mind. However, until I got typed and started practising typing myself, I was not aware of the other missing half.
My type is Ti/Se-CS/P(B). I am Savior ST Consume first and Savior NT Sleep second. I can safely say that my analytical side is well-developed. SF Play and NF Blast are my Demon Animals. My emotional awareness is lagging in comparison.
This missing piece isn’t all that important for mathematical proofs. But it’s crucial for proving coins in objective typing.
You don’t see reality as it is. You filter everything through your own perspective.
How are you supposed to know another person if you don’t even know yourself? How can you understand others if you don’t understand yourself?
Quick Expectations
I expected to pick up objective typing quickly and without much of a struggle. In their weekly classes, Shan and Dave make it look fast, fun, and easy. I knew I was a smart guy. It couldn’t possibly be that hard.
But not all proofs are created equal. Mathematical proofs are easy. I can do that all day long.
Well—it wasn’t easy in the beginning. Far from it. It took me years to understand what it means to prove something and how to do it. Years of blood, sweat, and tears that came with anxiety-ridden exams.
The same story is repeating itself with typing. What does it mean to prove a coin and how do you do it? I don’t think most people know. I don’t know how many people deeply ponder that question.
In some ways, typing is more complex than mathematics. You need to gather sensory observations and make guesses to interpret them. So far, so similar. But then there’s a fuck ton of emotions, vibes, and unspoken words. This is where it gets difficult for me.
Fe is my last function and NF Blast my last Animal. It’s the hardest thing for me to consciously pick up someone’s emotional state and base a solid argument on that.
I’d love to take someone’s words at face value or have a straightforward checklist for typing. However, this is not how it works. It couldn’t possibly be.
Don’t Believe the Liar Words
You cannot track someone’s personality type based on their words because everyone can say anything. Words lie. Emotional patterns don’t.
As weird as it sounds, what you can objectively track is someone’s subjective experience of the world.
In other words, typing is about recognising someone’s Saviors and Demons. But the key to someone else’s emotional state is your own:
How are you feeling while watching them?
Are you calm, open, and curious?
Are you willing to take the time to see the person for who they are?
Or are you impatient and just want to get it done?
Are you forcing the type you want to see?
If your state is messed up, you mess up everything else. You cherry-pick the observations and make ludicrous interpretations. You think you’re finished when you should return to the drawing board. You convince yourself of total bullshit.
It’s not too different from life in general.
I often know more than I’m consciously able to access. I think that’s true for all of us. It’s the nature of our Demons.
There’s this voice in the back of my mind that’s trying to warn me. “Are you sure they’re Savior Blast? Then where are the Blaster lessons? Do they really leave a void when it comes to Consume?” Some part of me usually knows.
The pressure is on me, and only on me, to stay calm and listen. You often only recognise the right Savior once you start looking for it. Are you able to remain open until you find the right interpretation that fits everywhere? Are you patient enough to not force a type and wait until you have proof?
Starting to practice objective typing revealed that I didn’t know myself. I didn’t know how much my view of the world was clouded by my subjective emotional patterns.
How can I recognise someone else’s patterns if I’m unaware of mine?—Well, I can’t.
Hacks Won’t Save You
It’s still a challenge for me to gain emotional awareness and control of my state. I need to learn to listen to all parts of myself to truly hear others.
At the end of the day, I need to put pressure on myself to get there. I’m alone responsible for this. No clever hack or magic bullet can absolve me from this responsibility.
However, there are tools I can use for support. Reminders and intentionally set-up roadblocks to slow down my mind and question my guesses.
It all starts with well-structured typing notes. When you type a person, have a place in your notes to write down your initial bias.
Who do they remind you of?
What’s their vibe like?
Do they look like someone you know?
Do you want them to be a certain type?
Take note of your vibe while you watch them.
Do you feel calm and relaxed?
Do you want to get it over and done with?
What’s your gut reaction while typing them?
Do you like them or dislike them?
Even the time of day is a factor to consider. What time works best for you? When is your mind calm and unoccupied with other tasks and responsibilities? Truly getting to know someone requires nothing less than your full attention.
Don’t jump ahead. Go slow. Write down the sensory of your observations. What do they say? What is their emotional state? Keep your observations apart from your interpretations. Why they say the things they say needs to be a separate category in your notes.
Make as many guesses to explain an observation as you can think of and see what stacks up over time. Any interpretation can fit if you take an observation out of context. But which interpretation fits always? What are their consistent emotional patterns?
Always do your cross-checks. If you think you see a particular Savior, do you also see the corresponding Demon? Don’t rush it. Wait for it. Consider every clue you picked up along the way. Listen to the questioning voice in the back of your mind.
Take notes. Have a checklist. They help. But in the end, you need to tame your mind. It all comes down to knowing yourself.
