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Are there many furries that veiw yiff

submitted by Yiffus
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Last week I wrote an article titled Are You an Introvert or an Extrovert? It was written partly in response to a new definition of introvert that has cropped up in the last five years or so, where introverts are loosely defined as people who ‘gain energy’ when alone and ‘expend energy’ when around other people.

It’s a compelling way of looking at things, and it’s helped people shift books with titles like Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. The author of that book (Susan Cain) gave a TED talk exploring the idea, and it’s been loosely adapted into webcomics and other sharable media. It has been a successful meme.

People find it easy to identify as an “introvert” using this new definition. My article was about how such self-diagnosis can be harmful, but I don’t want to repeat myself here. I think that labels are important, but that some labels are damaging. (Previously, I tackled another potentially harmful label, which is also subject to rampant self-diagnosis within the furry community, in an articled titled No, You Don’t Have Asperger’s.)

In my enthusiasm to talk about labels and self-identity, I failed to define what “introvert” actually means. This article remedies that oversight, and talks about how introversion ties into the furry condition. And, yes, there is a simple one-question quiz at the end which will help you understand where you sit on the introvert-extrovert spectrum.

In general, introversion is a tendency to be internally focussed, as opposed to externally focussed. So if you are lost, consulting a map would be an introverted act, whereas asking for directions would be an extroverted act. People who are introverted can be shy (and extroverted people can be outgoing) but this is not always the case.

Modern psychology uses a personality model that originated with our good friend Karl Jung. Personalities are measured using a model called the Big Five, which considers there to be five key, measurable personality traits, one of which is Extraversion*. People fall somewhere on a spectrum, with “very introverted” and “very extroverted” at the extremes.

* Blame America Dept.: In American English (which is the basis of Big Five jargon), “extrovert” and its derivatives are spelt** with an “a”, as in “extravert”. I accept that there are spelling differences in American English (and that American English is often more logical) but why oh why change “extrovert” but not “introvert”? It makes no sense.

** Note to Americans: this is what the rest of the English-speaking universe uses instead of your provincial neologism “spelled”.

Anyway. Deep breath.

Researchers prefer the Big Five because the measured personality traits (of a single person) don’t change much with mood, time of day, or any other factor. People change in personality up to about age 30, and are pretty much fixed beyond that point. (Clinical research on personality is underway with furries as well: the International Anthropomorphic Research Project uses the Big Five.)

The Big Five has replaced Myers-Briggs as the personality model du jour, but the difference is only really important if you’re a researcher. Most people are more familiar with Myers-Briggs (that’s the one that tells you you’re INTP, or whatever), and there are a lot of simple, free, multiple-choice Myers-Briggs quizzes hosted around the internet (like here). These quizzes are reasonably useful: no substitute for an assessment by a professional, but better than, say, a quiz on OkCupid titled Which Power Ranger Are You?

None of these personality models make any reference to gaining/expending energy in social/non-social situations. The idea that an introvert, say, expends energy in social situations and then must ‘recharge’ has nothing to do with personality, as least from a scientific point of view.

We humans are social beings. Yet socializing, or even being around people, can be stressful. Non-verbal communication is a huge part of the social experience, and we rely on body language and other subtle social cues, which require mental processing and accordingly a lot of conscious and unconscious effort. It can be exhausting, and it’s worse if we’re somewhere unfamiliar, or if we’re feeling anxious. So meeting new people in a foreign place can be tiring, while watching TV at home with a close family member is usually easy.

It’s worth adding that all humans have a need to socialize, to some extent. The amount of social contact required for mental health varies from person to person. Happily, we live in a world where social contact is easy enough to find (online, for example), so it’s rarely a problem, at least among the computer literate.

The idea that we expend energy in social situations isn’t clinically meaningful, but it is useful as a tool to help us think about ourselves. There is a lot of value in thinking about ourselves and our own behaviour; this is one of the ways we grow and improve. I think that the “energy model” of socializing helps us understand our unconscious motivations (although I think that “introvert” as a label can be harmful).

We consider ourselves to be furries, which means that (for most of us) we perceive ourselves as animal-people. We create versions of ourselves from scratch, each of us with at least one (virtual) physical body and (virtual) personality. And research from the IARP (link) suggests that our furry selves are significantly different—indeed, happier and more mature—than our non-furry selves. I think that furry can be seen as an exploration of who we really are. I think that we are, collectively, doing ourselves a lot of personal and mental good.

A therapist will often use a simple personality test as a tool. This might be a Myers-Briggs test, or a question like “if you were an animal, what animal would you be?” The therapist’s intent is to get the client thinking about themselves: a follow-up question might be “what is it that attracts you to wolves?”*

* Furry joke answer: “foxes, duh”.

In a therapeutic environment, there isn’t any real value in personality profiling. The therapist doesn’t care that you’re ENTJ, or that you feel you would be a macro silver wolf centaur with thunderbolts in your fur and teardrops that taste like Irn-Bru. It’s just a conversation starter. Yet it’s a very useful tool in the therapist’s kit: therapy is a lot more than “just conversation”.

Furry gives us a framework to continually converse with ourselves. We can challenge ourselves with new ideas, we can road-test behaviour, we can think and rethink who (or what) we really are. Furry can be a kind of self-administered therapy. We can think about it ourselves (if we are feeling introverted) or we can chat with others (if we are feeling extroverted). We’re a group of very lucky animal-people.

***

Are You an Introvert? A One-Question Quiz

Question 1

Think back to a time where you emotionally reacted to a negative event. This may have been a break-up, or the death of someone close to you, or a sudden health scare. Pretend you are watching a video of yourself during this difficult time.

Watch the video and observe how you cope. Do you spend time on your own, trying to manage your thoughts? Or do you look for support from other people, in person or online?

Undoubtedly you did both. Both are always required, for all people.

If you (mostly) unplugged your internet and refused to answer your phone, you are more introverted. If you (mostly) sought help from others, you are more extroverted.

Welcome to Season 5 Episode 4 - B. In this episode we're reading your feedback on the Fringe furs discussiuon Season 5, Ep4 – Feedback - Welcome to Season 5 Episode 4 - B. In this episode we're reading your feedback on the Fringe furs discussiuon

I'm looking for someone to talk to. Just to explore my feelings about this. I don't know anyone else who is a furry.

submitted by super_weasel_
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No, we haven't disappeared! We've been here all along, just under your footpaw! Can't blame a panda or a cheetah for trying life as ultra-mini-micros for a while now, can you? Well, the good news is, now we're back to where the audio recording equipment can pick up the sounds of our voices, and we're joined by Freder this week to talk about the new macro/micro-themed magazine Loom that he's put together, as well as have a discussion about macro and micro ergonomics. And don't worry, Size Matters will always be with you... in your heart. Because we've shrunk down, invaded your blood stream, and are taking a tour! Episode 8 (2013-09-30)

hello,

I am still new to all of this, but got curious recently and not yet sure, but would like to figure out what my fursona is. Can anyone help?

submitted by yotalover
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I'm looking to buy a partial suit of a bear (surprise :P) I was hoping the good Furs of reddit could recommend a fursuit builder that is reputable, affordable, and Canadian (so I don't have to deal with customs). I would also like a builder that doesn't only do "toony" style suits.

submitted by Look_Its_A_Bear
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Okay everyone! It's time for HardCore MineCraft again! This Tuesday afternoon I'm going to be setting up a party to go in and try to survive. I'll be playing for as long as I'm still alive, or until i'm the only one left alive in our group. We'll be meeting up on Skype at around 4pm West Coast time, and starting the expedition at around 5.

If you are interested, reply to me here, leave a message, leave your Skype contact info...

Finally, get more details about the server it'self here: http://hcsmp.com/

submitted by HappyWulf
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submitted by khast
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submitted by Vv_King_Croc_vV
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Trailers have begun to show up in the theaters for The Nut Job, a new animated GCI feature coming out this January. It’s based on a 2005 original animated short by director Peter Lepeniotis (Disney’s Dinosaur, Fantasia 2000) called Surly Squirrel (which you can still view on YouTube). The Nut Job tells the story of Surly (now here voiced by Will Arnett) and how he gathers together a rag-tag band of rodents with the intent of knocking over a local nut store. Needless to say, things become much more complicated — as you can see in the trailer. Interestingly, this project has been brought about almost entirely by independent studios and smaller companies. The film was produced by Toonbox Entertainment,  Red Rover International,  and Gulfstream Pictures, and is being distributed by Open Road Films.

image c. 2013 Toonbox Entertainment

submitted by Greaser_Shepherd
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submitted by TophLion
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submitted by The_Babe
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submitted by popgoeskia
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This has been a topic of curiosity running though my mind recently. I honestly have no clue if there's any sort of correlation or not. Personally, I'm not, though I've been considering it lately for ethical reasons.

Are you both a furry and a vegetarian/vegan? Does one have anything to do with the other for you? Or are you not vegetarian or vegan? And does your furry life have anything to do with that?

Honestly curious.

submitted by Kirean
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submitted by HappyWulf
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submitted by FuzzyKrogan
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This guy is my most recent sketch (a request from another site). Fire away!

qualitynot 100%guaranteedc:

edit: okay I've done more than three, and am willing to do a few more :P

submitted by EmbarrassingShit
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