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Please tell me how it feels like to use your primary functions in everyday life

Lightyear

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Please point me to the thread if something like this already exists.

I am still trying to understand the eight functions Fe, Fi, Te, Se,... and would really like to know how it feels like in everyday life for the person using a specific primary or auxiliary function. I am just tired of reading longwinded, too complicated explanations of the functions, wouldn't it be much easier if people who primarily use a certain function just put into simple words what it for example means to be a primary Fi user in their daily lifes, how they perceive things around them, judge other people etc.

I simply would love to have a collection of eight very readable "experience pieces" about the functions, so that I can understand better the functions that are foreign to me. Would anyone like to share how it feels like to use their primary or auxiliary function?

I personally could probably best describe my auxiliary function Fe since its effects are most noticeable to me while even though it is my main function Ni is still a bit of a mystery to me. I might add a more detailed account of Fe later, I am just really tired now and must go to sleep.
 

EJCC

The Devil of TypoC
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Hm. This is a tough one to answer! I mean, my primary function is such a big part of who I am that it's hard to separate it from everything else (and it's especially hard to separate from my Si - they connect so seamlessly). But I'll try it out, and see if I can leave out the Si-ness.


Extraverted Thinking (as attempted by EJCC, in a series of S-friendly anecdotes):

I'm always thinking about the way things should be. There are definitions in my subconscious that come out whenever I see something being done that just isn't "right". And if it isn't right, I feel like it's my duty to try and fix it. Sometimes that makes me come across as arrogant, or just rude. But as long as it helps in the long run.

I value justice and fairness above all. If I don't think something is being done fairly, I will say so, because it's the right thing to do.

When people don't take my ideas seriously, it upsets me, because to me, it's business of the utmost importance.

I try to be objective. Sometimes I'll argue the other side, even if I don't believe it, and often without realizing that I'm playing devil's advocate. The times that I play devil's advocate are often the times when I hear one side of an argument slammed down and I hear no rational argument from the other side. I just want to know MORE, and I want the debate to be fair.

People have told me that I "don't suffer fools gladly". This is true. When I see people acting in a way that I don't understand, or that seems irrational to me, it frustrates me to no end. (Not sure if that's Te, but whatever.)

If you want to convince me that something is true, show me an article, or a series of charts, from a credible source. If you tell me a fact that sounds wrong to me, and say that you read it somewhere, a response you might hear from me would be "Where did you find it? Show me." I won't believe you, otherwise.
 

/DG/

silentigata ano (profile)
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I simply would love to have a collection of eight very readable "experience pieces" about the functions, so that I can understand better the functions that are foreign to me. Would anyone like to share how it feels like to use their primary or auxiliary function?

That sounds just the exact thing I need. I am so bad at reading the strange definitions and trying to understand. This is such a great idea. Thank you! :happy2:
 

bluebell

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Not sure how typical my version of Ti is, but anyway...

Ti

Ti is building up a huge mental model of the world around me inside my head. The mental model is more real to me than the external world. Information comes in and automatically gets checked against what is already known and slotted in if it fits somewhere.

Sometimes a new piece of information or a new idea requires some parts of the model to be pulled down and rebuilt. Analogy: think of a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle where pieces are continually being slotted in where they fit, but if you get a piece that doesn't fit in anywhere but obviously needs to go in the puzzle, some of the existing pieces are pulled out and rearranged to fit the new piece in. The connections between the pieces are the most important part of the mental model.

It's what I live for, basically.
 

Amargith

Hotel California
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4dw
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sx/so
Extraverted Intuition aka Ne

I go looking for new things, new ideas, new povs. Once of the reasons I'm on this site is to gain more insight into how other people work. I do the same with other projects, research all kinds of material on a subject, from different authors etc, to get a well-rounded point of view. Meanwhile I pick out what I find useful, and keep in the back of my mind those things that didn't seem useful *yet*. I plug it into what I already know and try to link everything I've learned together, also in not so usual ways. This can give some pretty cooky ideas, but occasionally you'll strike gold that way. The goal is to understand how everything relates to one another in any possible way. The result is an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and new info in order to refine your insights, in every area that draws my attention which at times can make me very chaotic, as there are so many new things on so many areas I wanna assimilate all at once.
 

BerberElla

12 and a half weeks
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I'm not even sure if this is an adequate representation of Ne, since like you I'm still trying to get a grip on understanding it, especially Ti which just seems alien to me lol.

But to carry on from what amargith said, my primary way of seeing world is in connections, I see the world as one big puzzle, the humans within it puzzle me the most, I like to learn about them, to see how they connect into the world around them. I like to look at where they come from, where they are going to, what happened in between, and how it fits into where someone else (totally unrelated to them) is going.

The same thing happens with any topic that captivates me, it goes from one epiphany to searching for more hidden connections within that topic and more "a ha" moments as things click in to place.

I like to take something from one place and stick it in another place to see if it will work, if it doesn't work I want to know why, so that I can change it or accept it for what it is. This goes for people too. I like experimenting to gain answers.

You can often find me staring at a tree for example, wondering where it came from, how long it has stood there, what animals depend upon it for survival, what people 200 years before me did whilst they sat in front of it pondering the same question. Will it be here in 200 more years, what will the world look like around this tree, will an apocolypse have happened, if so how.......until my connections take me elsewhere and I'm looking at the sky, wondering what that will look like, and what it has looked like, and all the people who have stood underneath it........and basically on and on, making no sense, just connecting random things for my own bigger picture.


If that makes no sense, it's because it's my thought pattern and that makes no sense to me sometimes too. :blush:
 

Lightyear

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Ti

Ti is building up a huge mental model of the world around me inside my head. The mental model is more real to me than the external world. Information comes in and automatically gets checked against what is already known and slotted in if it fits somewhere.

Sometimes a new piece of information or a new idea requires some parts of the model to be pulled down and rebuilt. Analogy: think of a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle where pieces are continually being slotted in where they fit, but if you get a piece that doesn't fit in anywhere but obviously needs to go in the puzzle, some of the existing pieces are pulled out and rearranged to fit the new piece in. The connections between the pieces are the most important part of the mental model.

Wow, I can relate to that (not sure if it is because of my tertiary Ti) but my mental model is all about people. I am constantly trying to figure people around me out, how they function, why they do certain things etc. MBTI is especially helpful since I can put each person in a certain slot ("She is most likely ESxJ" etc) but I am very, very open to new information, if I see any behaviour that doesn't fit in with my original conclusion I will adjust my mental model of this person quickly.

Ni and Fe

Since I am very aware of peoples' feelings and characteristics I will adjust my behaviour according to whom I am talking to in order to accomodate them and their needs and make them feel comfortable. For example if I realise that someone is upset I will immediately go into "peaceful mode" or "healing mode" in order to smoothen out the situation and if necessary comfort them.

I will also not just collect data about people but voice it if I really like a certain behaviour in order to encourage them, make them feel better about themselves and that preferably one day they might display this positive behaviour again (for example: "How you dealt with this annoying customer was amazing! I am sure I would have lost my patience.") However I will always try to stay as sincere as possible in my praise so that it doesn't lose its power.

I can especially feel my Fe when I am around people that are in some way disadvantaged. Especially while using London Public Transport I am normally rather tough since I try to get to my destination as quickly as possible (London Transport has a bit of a survival of the fittest-feel about it :D) however as soon as I see someone who is older, weaker, disabled, pregnant or in any other way disadvantaged it is as if a switch turns in my head and I'll do anything to accomodate them and make them feel better, even if it just means to offer them a seat, make space so that they can walk past me easier etc. This "switch-turning" almost always works immediately, unless I am really, really exhausted. Even if I am in a big hurry I would feel very bad about for example running into an elderly person (while bumping into young and healthy people doesn't really faze me that much, "They'll survive!")
 

bluebell

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Wow, I can relate to that (not sure if it is because of my tertiary Ti) but my mental model is all about people.

Oh yeah. I should explain what is in my mental model, lest there is confusion. Mine is modelling everything down from the atomic scale up to the entire universe, from the Big Bang (assuming that theory is actually correct) to the present day, including science, psychology, history, evolution, government and political structures, culture (past and present), ecology, climate/weather, industry, international governance etc etc. All interlinked and interconnected and I can zoom in and out at will.

I'm interested in people in the abstract but I'm not so interested in people as individuals unless they have some level of introspection and are happy to have discussions about meta-cognition. Edit: Ack, I wrote that badly. That was in terms of Ti. I am interested in people I like, but that's not a Ti thing.
 

BlackCat

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Fi via INFP

Oh man... where to start?

Well first off I am very much aware of my emotional state at all times. It's like an internal radar. If it changes then an alarm goes off within me, and I can keep track of why and how it changed. I get an emotional reaction from everything in the world, a very specific one actually. This includes to people. Everyone and everything has a specific feel about them, a specific vibe. For me I get consistent vibes from people of the the same a lot of the time, or similar types (like ENTPs and ENFPs, both leading with Ne, I get that "vibe" from them). These vibes are stored within me (with I'm guessing Si), and I can remember how people have been feeling in the past pretty well, and if I compare it to how it is now I can see how they are doing, whether it be that before they were very happy and now they are upset or something else.

The emotional radar is accurate. I'm not going to doubt it. I have absolute faith in my Fi. I don't just get "vibes" from people though, I "feel" their emotions and "feel" how they are currently doing. When I am around someone I can "feel" how they are doing. If they are communicating or conveying some form of body language it's a lot easier. The way I do this is when I focus on one person then I will start to "feel" myself how they are doing. I can adjust my behavior accordingly to accommodate for people's moods.

Fi also deals with "morals". I really don't like how that term is thrown around... but I'll take a shot at it. Fi also deals with how YOU, YOURSELF think that something should be. I think it's all interconnected with the emotional radar in some way and having emotional reactions to everything. If something doesn't match up with how I think it should be then I'll take action in some way to help myself feel better around it (yes I do have an emotional reaction). For example one of my "morals" is to treat everyone equally as a human being until they prove you otherwise. There should be no unjustified hate in the world. This is why I have a huge problem with racism and people judging based on people's types (and not their character) and things like that. If I see something like this happen then I have to assert my feelings or else I'll feel pretty bad. For example if I saw someone use a racial slur against someone then I would probably be fuming and go off on them verbally until the message sets in.

Another thing that Fi makes me is a very VERY subjective person. I don't usually look at things from a detached view, I work the best in general by being attached all of the time. I have specific opinions of everyone, their actions change my views of them, thus changing how much I respect them etc. This is why I'll go to the ends of the earth for some people, and could really care less if some others would be dead or not. The only way that I am not totally subjective is if Ne gets turned on, and I realize things could be different in some way, then I get ideas following that. So in a way I am very subjective, and in another way I am detached and observing how things could be different.

That's all I've got.
 

raz

Let's make this showy!
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Introverted Sensing aka Si

For me, I'm constantly looking for predictable patterns in my life in order to create a reliable routine to be more efficient. There are so many things in life that I have to consistently do, and so many mundane maintenance type things that I feel I can't ignore. So, I strive to find methods to get those things done in an orderly fashion, which is by creating schedules and budgets for myself. Once I see a predictable pattern in something, I'm swift to find a way to implement something into my life that takes advantage of it. The problem with this, though, is I tend to overdo it, and most things have diminishing returns. This is why I've been learning to use my routine creating skills to put more variety into my life while still keeping a routine.

I'm constantly thinking about the things that will be expected from me 1 week, 1 month, 6 months, a year, 5 years, 10 years from now. This is mostly thinking about the way things are traditionally done and what's required to sustain life. In my mind, this is focusing on building a strong work ethic, acquiring an education, becoming experienced in romantic relations to lower the hindrances caused by social interactions, planning out efficient entertainment and basically thinking over the long term in a linear fashion. My focus is on self-sufficiency. Things that help me now won't always be there, so I must learn how to do things on my own. This results in a great deal of autonomy, but at the same time, allows my pride to become a detriment to my well being.

That is Si focused on the present and using information from the past to understand the future for the intent of structure. The focus on the past comes when I'm able to relive vivid sensational experiences in my head which are so intensely strong that I yearn for that event in a way that forces me to attempt to recreate it in the present. An example of me relying on Si would be last night at a park to see fireworks. On the way back to my car, I didn't know where it was. However, if I stopped and focused, I could recreate the experience of pulling into the parking lot in my head. I remembered driving down the main road, coming up to guards, turning to the left, driving over a sidewalk, passing one row of 2 sets of rows of cars, then passing another single row of cars before pulling to the right and parking in between two large vehicles. In doing that, I was able to reassure myself that I was near my car and walked toward it.
 

Mondo

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This is tough for me since I will admit, firsthand, that I am not a strong believer in the functions themselves. While Jung was a brilliant man, I don't think his functions adequately explain the human personality.

However, I come into line with much of the Extraverted Intuition description.
So I'll try...

Extraverted Intuition
I go through life with a laidback attitude- I don't try to lead or control others. Because I am an opportunist at heart- at least when it comes to matters of the mind- I know that life has its own set of problems but I always rely on my own ability to work my way though every solution. I have thousands of ideas in my head which makes me naturally talkative. I feel the need to tell others of my ideas because I know they can help solidify them and without others around, most of my ideas would never actually be put into action- because I am motivated by a somewhat subjective desire to accomplish a certain goal. I don't necessarily desire to do something different for the sake of being different. I seek and demand efficiency and find that Extraverted Intuition helps me out to achieve that goal.
 

Lightyear

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An example of me relying on Si would be last night at a park to see fireworks. On the way back to my car, I didn't know where it was. However, if I stopped and focused, I could recreate the experience of pulling into the parking lot in my head. I remembered driving down the main road, coming up to guards, turning to the left, driving over a sidewalk, passing one row of 2 sets of rows of cars, then passing another single row of cars before pulling to the right and parking in between two large vehicles. In doing that, I was able to reassure myself that I was near my car and walked toward it.

That is hilarious! I would have been so lost in my head while driving into the parking lot that I might have even forgotten which part of the car park I parked my car in and I most certainly wouldn't have remembered how many rows of cars I drove past. Almost photographic memory is cool ey! ;)

I would really love to read an Ni description since I am still pretty confused about mine so if any Introverted Intuition users would like to contribute...
 

BlackCat

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iwakar

crush the fences
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Well, I know what it looks like when a flash-wave of Ni is hitting me. (My INFP boyfriend often interrupts me when I lapse into this state because he's worried something is "upsetting me", which frankly is unbelievably annoying after all these years of him knowing me.) My eyes glaze over and I stare at a random point. I think I look a touch autistic. My eye may involuntarily twitch or I'll do something mindless like scratching my arm lazily in the same spot until it's over with. I do this repeatedly throughout the day. Sometimes it's moments and sometimes it's minutes long, but it happens a lot and it is par for the course with me. People that know me well are pretty much used to it by now save a few obnoxious individuals.

The closest my pattern-predicting ability has ever come to being marketable or immediately useful to someone other than myself is when my boyfriend is bored by a movie and wants a prediction of how it'll probably turn out. Success rate is probably around... /calculates... 65%? Not exactly sure. :tongue: I improve with age. But if you really want to see my brand of (+Fe) Ni at its best, chat with me about the people I'm observing and I'll tell you what I can "guess" about them. It might unnerve you. Of course the trouble is, I won't share my observations with just anyone. All INFJs have their own super secret invisible tree club and they aren't generous with the passes.
 

King sns

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Se (With Fi/Te)

I don't understand Fi well, (which is probably why I score low on tests..) But I think that i'm using it whether I believe so or not.

Stay with me now.

I see the world as it is. Right now, I look around and see my moms beautiful home, a laptop, a dog laying next to the window, the rain outside, a birdfeeder, etc. I taste the coffee, I feel the air, I hear the humming on the refrigerator. Underlying this whole thing, is how I feel about it. Based on what I see right now, I feel relaxed. So, the world is to me what I see and how I feel right this minute. (Often, anyways.)

Next comes what to do about it. So, based on what i'm seeing and feeling right now, I might decide to read a book, take a shower, etc. (This is where Te comes in a little bit.) I might start to think in an hour, a friend is coming over- what are the steps that I need to take to be prepared for her arrival? Buy some snacks? Make some plans? Take a shower. So basically- what do I need to do right now based on what I know?

Sometimes, when it comes to matters of people and relationships, I can look into the past and see connections and look deeper into what's going on- since people are not simply things that can be viewed from the surface only. Like blackcat, with my Fi,(I THINK) I can understand people very well with little information provided- and can kind of read minds and feelings without even knowing how. (This is an exception of where I'm using little five senses information.) Although, I try not to assume anything and get my facts straight.

Usually when making decisions, depending on the importance, I tend to use both thinking and feeling, sensing and intuiting. Getting the whole picture is important to making the best decisions possible. This tends to make me really indecisive but then I end up making the best decisions in the end.

This is where I can run a little deeper. 70% of the time, i'm just working with that original process. Seeing what i'm seeing, feeling what i'm feeling, deciding what to do about it.

The other 30% of the time, its thinking about patterns, goals, big decisions, other people, other things, thinking about the past.

Thats the life of the Se, Fi/Te gal.
 

professor goodstain

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It begins upon entering the wallmart parking lot. i'll always park somewhere towards the outer perimeter. i'm not too lazy to walk an arc along the most distant parking area from the main circus. Although i never forget the general area of where i parked(Ne/Si via mental picture/snapshot), this is a good strategy to allow others to have a better spot(Ni, yes, i wrote Ni-i've got legs that work fine, why be a hypocrite)... and i get the satisfaction of being able to Ne the crap out of the atmosphere from the 'so called' long walk from a parking space to the store and back(Ne:))

From here, i gotta give a specific example from many due to vast differences in experiences there....While inside, i'll notice (while not even looking in that general direction) some jackass cut off a slow old lady. This will induce me to immediately strategize a counter action(Fi). i will trail for about 10 mins while shopping from a list housed in memory. After roughly 10 mins, i'll follow until said jackass stops to look at something/whatever. i will then place my cart at an angle effectively cutting off any possible forward motion of said jackasses cart. From that point i will leave it and walk off about 10 ft to look at something as if to purchase. It has always turned out that said jackass will pull their cart back and move on. But imagine if jackass were to make a stink of it. i would then put up a front full of all kinds of BS that lead them to believe that i didn't even know they were there. After all, that is their language. But what if said jackass takes it even further? Just such a scenerio for a strategy to park the farthest away from the store. i'll leave that for you all to use your own Ni to figure out:)

Where ever you read the word "strategy", make sure to equate it with Ti.
 

Atomic Fiend

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Think of everything relevant the situation you are currently in at once. EVERYTHING.

Keep thinking about it for as long as you're awake. There ya go.
 

Walking Tourist

it's tea time!
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Nov 11, 2008
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esfp
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Fi (the isfp version)

This is challenging because I don't really understand the difference between Fi and Fe.
I am very sensitive to other people's moods and tend to absorb them. If you're happy, I will be happy, too. If you're sad or angry, I will try to not absorb the negative emotions but won't always be successful.
Early in the morning on September 11th, 2001, I felt strong negative vibes coming from somewhere. An hour later, I found out what had happened. I had to turn off the TV after a short amount of time because I am terrifically squeamish. People may say, "I feel your pain," but for me, it's not just words. I really do.
Before the beginning of the current Iraq war, there was a news broadcast showing soldiers attacking straw dummies with bayonets. I had to turn it off. It made me feel ill. My overly active imagination had transformed those dummies into children and old ladies.
I was horrified.
And the war had not even started.
I don't want to experience violence, cruelty, war, and meanness. I don't want anyone else to have to experience those horrors. They offend my beliefs and my values.
When I choose how I am to respond to those things that offend my beliefs and my values, I feel that I need to stay true to who I feel that I am... to say yes to human rights and to life and to act on it.
I don't always understand that things can improve when they are horrible because my sense of the future is tenuous at best.
I am very very expressive so everyone can see how I am responding to the world around me. I cannot hide my feelings at all.
I always want to be surrounded by beauty, to calm down my Fi and to appeal to my Se. As an "artistic" type, I can surround myself with beauty.
And it is good.
But having Fi as a dominant function can be very difficult because I do take so much to heart.
 
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