Thinking and Memorization

Post Reply New Topic

Thinking, as well as talking feels very strange to me. I may be under the impression that my way of thinking is different, but that may not be. I would like you WPers to describe your thinking process. What happens in your mind at any given moment?
It is only when I process stimuli that I commence the common version of "thinking." I find it very hard to express my feelings and articulate my thoughts unless I have a memorized picture or video.
I always hear people asking the question "Can you ever stop thinking?" The answer is always no - This worries me. I don't understand the need to express your feelings about everything. When I'm "thinking" about my interest it is usually accompanied by a physicial object. That physical object usually commences a very strenuous thinking process.

Tell me if this makes sense. I'm going to try my best to articulate my thinking process:
When a topic is brought up, one of these below choices happens:
a. I don't understand the question, therefore cannot comment.
b. Instantly answer, I don't physically think anything in my mind...it just kind of works it's way out.
c. Think about something for extrememly long ammounts of time, resulting in incorrect answers.
d. Listening to the topic, I catch an error. Maybe it's something that doesn't make sense. I'm stuck on that portion of the topic...then get behind.
e. A very long, complex answer is compiled in large increments of time. This usually requires me to use the following "Um, uh, like...etc," resulting in a not very intelligent outcome.
f. I don't listen, or am distracted by thoughts of intrest.
g. No inner thoughts.
Although, the most frequent answer is 'e'.

Memorization
I am far better at remembering places I've gone, landscapes and desgins of houses, where things were previous to the occasion, and details than actual conversation. I can remember virtually every design of every house I've been in since I was a child, even telling you where and what small details were. I remember full disney videos, but I can't remember dialogue.

I'm beginning to think that I'm overanalyzing myself, as always, but this is really bothering me.

Since we process most efficiently visually that is the “world” we are usually in. It feels more like “experiencing” than NT’s version of thinking since such a large portion of our processing in non-linear, much of the time we to not have to “talk ourselves” through the step by step linear process that NTs do.

a. If the question is presented in an auditory (or written form, since we convert it to an auditory form) then it is not surprising that we do not understand it sometimes (particularly if not interested in the question or we have something more interesting going on in our visual mind)
b. That’s the efficiency of the non-linear mind.
c. Sound like you are using linear process to second-guess you non-linear mind.
d. Yes once there is a logic fault in the “presentation” the validity of the rest of the topic is in question until the “fault” is corrected. Since we are non-discriminatory in our accumulation of information we do not want to accept faulty information.
e. If you have perfectionist tendencies and have a “mature” thought process you realize that very few things are absolutes so using qualifiers is appropriate. We often have to “translate” from visual format to verbal so there is a little delay so the “um” thing is often used to fill the gap
f. See a
g. How about “pictures” they are our way of “thinking” (this does not mean that you see a photographic picture or movie all the time, just that that is the “impression” you have when thinking.

Yes this is the visual thing. Conversations are primarily a social and auditory thing so it does not “imprint” like visual information

bookwormde

I find it very difficult to memorize things. I try to remember it, and I do, but I just can never recall it on command. My memories usually come up randomly, which is why people say I am random. Someone could ask me something, and I do not know the answer until about 5 days later, I finally remember it.

As far as thinking, I see things visually. It is like I am looking at a picture right in front of me usually. I commonly associate feelings with my thoughts, like when I imagine a computer, I generally also feel an ache in my hands from typing, and I see the screen in front of me. Or when I am thinking of coldness, I start feeling cold, and memories of being cold start to play back in my mind's eye.
I find it hard to put feeling and sight to abstract ideas, such as love. When I think of love, I start to feel tingly all over, like being touched by a thousand feathers all over myself, and after that, it is as if my mind goes blank, absolutely blank, but I feel a warmth upon my arms, strangely.

What I am trying to say, is although I have a different sort of memory and way of thinking that I have met, it is what makes me unique, and what allows me to recall so many things randomly. I have once been told that if I am followed with a tape recorder for a month, you will be able to finish college.

Interesting post.

The only way I can describe my thought process is a barrage of images floating by, usually in scenes or more rarely, static images. I'm lousy at math, but I am able to remember a long string of numbers, mainly because I can remember the 'shape' of the numbers rather than the numbers singularly. If asked a complex question, like you, I have to sit there for a moment to work out my answer before speaking (unless it's a previously stored 'factoid' that leaps right to the surface for whatever reason). I overanalyze everything, particularly conversations (both potential conversations and those that have already happened) and examine them from every possible angle to measure what I did wrong or how to avoid a potential problem with another person. This can be very tiring and more often than not, when I try to anticipate a conversation, I usually end up saying the wrong thing anyway. I can't count the nmber of times I've had to backtrack and re-explain myself because I didn't say what I'd intended to start with.

One would think that being a 'visual' person that I'd easily pick up on visual clues when presented with a problem, but somehow I don't. I usually misread everything, then spend hours obsessing on how I could have acted or reacted differently. Ask me how to fix a problem I've dealt with before, and I might come up with an acceptable answer. Throw me a sudden curveball and even I don't know what will come out, but I can bet my last dollar that it will be wrong.