SLI

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The SLI, or Sensory Logical Introvert, is a socionics type corresponding to the IP temperament and the delta quadra.

Some typical manifestations of SLI information processing are described on this page.

   

SLIs are focused, in principle, on their personal experiences in the world and exude a sense of calmness. Calmness in this context refers to the orientation of SLIs to attend to the internal demands that affect them, and to avoid being perturbed by the external world, especially the aspects of the external world that are outside of their control. This calmness is often outwardly visible -- they ignore the superfluous experiences that worry others, avoid speculating about things which cannot be known, and do not see the point of worrying about things outside of their control. While this calmness can sometimes be tangible and visible in SLIs, its existence is more as an abstract ideal of     than a pervasive reality. Which is to say, SLIs also are susceptible to be ill-tempered and overwrought (within the moment) about the external demands in the world that face them.

The aesthetic ideals of SLIs tend to be a bit eccentric and in some instances are outright bizarre. SLIs are often not concerned with maintaining appearances or upholding the aesthetics of others. They can be rather spartan in their living needs, requiring little luxury as opposed to functional items -- although if they decide an item is necessary, they often do not hesitate to buy the best product possible. They often have very moderate, comfortable dress. They are, however, often proactive in matters pertaining to the functionality of their living conditions. SLIs are stereotypically apt at do-it-yourself mechanical matters. SLIs commonly engage in personal mechanical projects and do not shy away from the use of their own hands. They are typically in tune with the physical experience of their environment; many SLIs are constantly aware of physical sensations that surround them and how they affect them, and SLIs often seek to surround themselves with nature, eschewing the unsightly morass of industrial society.

SLIs can sometimes seem to have a very personal and quiet attentiveness to their own well-being and understand the signals that their bodies send them. This does not mean that SLIs are always well versed in medicine or medicinal remedies, but rather that they are attuned and responsive to the natural self-regulatory messages that their bodies send, such as stress, which SLIs do not often appear to suffer from (rather their lifestyle emphasizes "calmness"). Nor does this mean that SLIs always make entirely healthy decisions; sometimes the demands of their internal state can outweigh health concerns, such as in the case of a craving for potato chips. It is, however, not uncharacteristic for an SLI to self-correct aspects of their lifestyle in order to improve their physical state. In contrast to     types, this is rarely motivated by a forcible desire to improve one's health, but is instead merely a response to greater attention devoted to the effect of environment on the SLI's internal physical state (One SLI I know refused to use a loud graphics card in his computer, because its fan was too loud and he was unwilling to tolerate such an environment. He replaced the card with a quieter model). SLIs can communicate their physical experiences and take concern in the health of others, but often tend to be somewhat reclusive in their interests and do not usually spontaneously do so unless requested.

SLIs can be good at mapping out their environment. They have a tendency to explore and pay attention to their surroundings and sometimes naturally know what is located where. Once they've developed a functional lifestyle, they can be hesitant to change it, but they have the ability to exhibit a detailed awareness of where different goods and services can be procured in the surrounding vicinity.

   

SLIs are often practical, direct, and formal in their demeanor. Typically SLIs possess a dry, matter-of-fact method of discourse, and value clarity and directness of communication. SLIs generally focus on communicating accurate information and neglect dealing with emotional aspects or motives in conversation.

SLIs are often very pragmatic. They often possess a great deal of practical knowledge, potentially including mechanical knowledge, skill with tools, managing one's finances, technical abilities, historical knowledge, medical/scientific knowledge, or a myriad of other topics. Often SLIs focus extensively on developing practical knowledge that facilitates functional, efficient lifestyles and often take an active role in crafting their own living environments. They enjoy such processes as analyzing and comparing of different goods and services and generally do not delegate such tasks to others, instead preferring to take an active, personal role in their decisions.

SLIs are generally uncomfortable taking no action if their living environment or their immediate surroundings are not operating with a sense of efficiency. An SLI might be inclined to see unnecessary waste of resources (such as energy, water, money, or living space) as an unacceptable circumstance. Some SLIs strive towards a lifestyle in which everything operates smoothly and waste is eliminated. Even SLIs that are not so extreme usually are disposed to acting on their internal concerns, and have a deeply subject-oriented relationship towards effecting tangible and effectual changes to improve or make satisfactory their surrounding environment.

   

SLIs are capable in the areas of mental abstraction, the use of their imagination, and making sense of patterns and phenomena around them. Usually, however, SLIs do not spend much time in fantasy worlds or inside their own heads, instead preferring to focus on the richness of their physical experience.

SLIs often feel a need to maintain some amount of autonomy over their lifestyles so that they are not bound by others' schedules or demands. They generally dislike hurriedness and prefer to operate on their own terms. They dislike relying on others or on the outcomes of various surrounding events that they have no control of; they instead often prefer to take an active, personal role in projects of importance to them.

In general, SLIs are less interested in information that is abstract or removed from their experience; they instead focus on what they have experienced or what has affected them directly. In some cases this can lead to overanalysis, misrepresentations of relative importance, and scattered understanding. They are prone to occasionally harbor doubts about the fullness of their mental representations of abstractions, hypotheticals, or situations that they are not directly involved in, which they do not really know how to resolve.

   

SLIs are generally somewhat reclusive and fairly emotionally stoic. In situations where they are expected to engage emotionally, they can appear cold, dull, or antagonistic. In many cases they do not see the point of and prefer to avoid such situations as those with loud, rowdy behavior and prefer to subsist in more relaxed environments.

SLIs can be largely oblivious to social conventions. They generally do not try to follow the crowd unless there is some practical reason to do so. They are prone to dislike the spotlight and to prefer to travel on the less beaten path. They are often quite individualistic; they do not naturally seek the approval of others and are mostly self-subsistent in their activities. Much of the time they do not necessarily dislike spending time with others, but are perfectly content to do things that do not require interacting with others and are prone to somewhat neglect the importance of emotionally-based interaction. For this reason they can be perceived as exhibiting antisocial tendencies.

SLIs' are minimally aware of others' emotional responses and tend to speak in straightforward language. Sometimes they can appear aggressive and respond critically on issues in which they hold strong opinions. This can lead to the perception of SLIs as hostile and, on occasion, arrogant or uncompromising. Often, however, SLIs do not act in such a fashion; such aggressiveness is usually limited to issues in which SLIs are very opinionated -- these can include events in which their lifestyle has been threatened, or if something they require is functioning improperly in a way they do not fully understand.

   

So is the suggestive function important or isn't it?

SLIs typically depend most extensively on firsthand experience to learn about things around them. They often seek to be pragmatic individuals who are generally down-to-earth and unaware of hidden meanings. They often do not emphasize unique aspects of their character, instead preferring the background and directing their attention towards the goings-on of their immediate environment.

SLIs can tend towards an overly bland and conservative lifestyle. They often lack spontaneity and may exhibit the sentiment that something is missing and that little in their lives is novel and interesting. They appreciate people who exhibit a well-developed imagination, spontaneity, and new ideas. Such people often broaden the SLI's perspectives and give them a myriad of new experiences to draw upon. They are often recruited as willing collaborators into the constant unusual pursuits of IEEs.

   

SLIs are usually not focused on and are often unaware of emotional considerations in conversation. They are generally not good at reading people's emotional states and are often not inclined to perceive or speculate about others' underlying emotional states or motivations that are not obvious from their behavior. This can sometimes make them appear uncaring and insensitive.

Some SLIs do not consciously acknowledge the importance of their own emotions, and many try not to allow their emotional states to influence their decisions or pragmatic focuses. Nonetheless, SLIs are not immune to emotional influence, but they often do not realize how strong their emotions can be until they experience them.

SLIs are usually not very gregarious and have difficulty establishing new interpersonal connections. They tend to value established attachments very deeply, but often they are not focused on emotional bonds; instead, their lifestyle leads them towards a path of relatively peaceful seclusion, and they may understate the importance of people in their lives or be disinterested in trying to pursue connections with others.

Though SLIs are usually respectful and good-natured people, they do not always show this side of themselves. Depending on circumstances they can appear self-righteous and stubborn. This most commonly happens when they perceive that someone is behaving in an obviously insincere manner or hindering their goals or their lifestyle.

   

SLIs are not usually extensively focused on power politics or hierarchies, exercising control over others, or outwardly flaunting their status or strength. They usually regard such matters with utter disinterest, and may feel bothered by environments where such expressions of power are the norm.

SLIs tend to be very placid and demonstrate their aggression on infrequent basis. Usually this aggression is not spontaneous or pent-up, but rather a response to something or someone in their environment that is violating their expectations or causing damage to the immediate environment, such as a malfunctioning piece of equipment or a person who is carelessly interfering with existing resources. Mostly, however, SLIs are fairly laid-back and accepting of events around them. SLIs may feel a need to control their living environment with a fair amount of autonomy, but rarely are inclined to exert control over others with whom they interact.

   

SLIs often like to philosophize and analyze life, but they use logical categories situationally rather than searching for a single cohesive structure for understanding the world. They tend to feel that life is difficult to categorize and should simply be experienced for what it is. Often the information that they focus on is loosely structured and instead falls within such disciplines as the realm of current events, science, practical knowledge, or the SLI's field of expertise.

This article incorporates text from Wikisocion, the free Socionics wiki.