Facets of Fi

[lamp]

Do FPs (primary Fi) define Fi much differently than TJs (inferior Fi)?

I could be wrong here, because I have not actually read a description of Fi in a while, but Fi as described by Authority seems to be overly morality-centric.

When I talk about Fi I am more inclined to talk about ephemeral artsy shit and moods. Stuff like how the weather is making me feel and how a certain artist is really hitting the spot with a certain piece of work.

INTJs (tertiary Fi), for example, seem more likely to verbalize the morality side of Fi. Stuff like mating with an equal and issues of compromised character integrity.

Of course, it is not totally one-sided: sometimes INTJs talk about how they like the lighting in the parking lot at night and I talk about 'morality', but generally I seem to be in tune with a different (part of) Fi than INTJs are.







The forest and the trees:
So maybe somebody is missing the big picture. Take me and the INTJ, and jump to Te now (ENFP has tertiary Te). I am probably more organized than our example INTJ of similar age. Organization and systemization is a very Te thing (I think). But how can I be more 'Te' than an INTJ? One conclusion is that I made a logical error somewhere and misappropriated my time; I was organizing while the INTJ was doing something more important. So why am I more organized than someone with 'greater' Te? Do people with inferior functions express those functions differently than people who possess those specific primary functions (tertiary Fi versus auxilary Fi; tertiary Te versus auxilary Te)?



I have started two topics here. But let us talk about Fi first. Or not.

 

[JustHer]

Yeah Fi kind of just pops up once in a while and says "This is bad!" and so we try to Te something about it. Then it goes away.

Otherwise no weather, artsy, mood junk for me.

 

[murkrow]

Fi for me is like this:

Positive - I love it! It's like me! I will protect it and champion it!

or

Negative - It disgusts me! It's of low stock! Exterminate it.

 

[Andy]

I do very little moralising or "ephemeral artsy shit and moods". Tertiary Fi simply improves my ability to notice people moods/emotional needs and make allowances for them when I act. Or just exploit them, depending on how much I like the person in question. It doesn't necessarily make me very sympathetic towards those needs - i just know they exist. I'd hardly decribe myself as a master manipulator, nor especially empathic, but I do have my moments of insight.

 

[JustHer]

Exterminate it.

ROARRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

[Kra]

Fi is simply the source of internal reactions that Ni expands upon, and then passes to Te for classification/execution/elimination.

Fi can be a source of inspiration, a catalyst, or an alarm all in an average day for me.

 

[murkrow]

I like Kra.

 

[lamp]

I like justxher's avatar

edit - amusingly, I had a feeling that wherever this thread got posted, it would be moved. I don't know what it is with this forum, but about half the time I have problems deciding which location is appropriate to post various things.

 

[Thalassa]

I would be extremely interested in knowing how NTJs experience their Fi.

In response to the OP, I would say that I do both, and they're intrinsic parts of my personality. My Fi is very artistic/emotional but also can be equally morality-critic, as you have stated that your INTJ friend does. I think of Te as a vitally important function to develop in regards to Fi in NFPs (sorry I'm not trying to exclude Sensors, I'm just touching on what I relate to) so that our ideals match up a little more with what is practical in the real world.

 

[Eric B]

Take me and the INTJ, and jump to Te now (ENFP has tertiary Te). I am probably more organized than our example INTJ of similar age. Organization and systemization is a very Te thing (I think). But how can I be more 'Te' than an INTJ? One conclusion is that I made a logical error somewhere and misappropriated my time; I was organizing while the INTJ was doing something more important. So why am I more organized than someone with 'greater' Te? Do people with inferior functions express those functions differently than people who possess those specific primary functions (tertiary Fi versus auxilary Fi; tertiary Te versus auxilary Te)?

The tertiary function is said to "inflate" itself. It is vulnerable and tries to prove itself, where the dom. and aux. are more mature and likely do not have to prove themselves as much. So that is why you might seem more organized than a TJ, and likewise, their Fi will come off differently than yours.

 

[BlueSprout]

I don't have much of a brain for expressing these things, especially tonight, but I'll give it a try. I'll include when Ne and Si compound Fi, because for me they often do. This is from the NP perspective, obviously.

Dominant Fi is:
- Being able to feel the same emotion (anger, sadness, anxiety, compassion) in a million different ways and all at once. No two moods (I wouldn't say 'feelings' as I always experience multiple and overlapping feelings at any given time) are the same. Some combinations of feelings can evoke previous moods (which can be powerful in conjunction with Si nostalgia for me), but they are never truly identical.
- When feelings don't just overlap, but are fluid, ephemeral and too complex to verbalize.
- Testing feelings for consistency and motives for integrity the way that Ti tests ideas for veracity and arguments for logic. Spending hours locked in your own head, examining your own train of thought, studying your subjective 'truth', symbolizing your internal and external life. (With my Ne, the possibilities for exploration become nearly endless, and my internal life becomes a tapestry of real events, reconstructed pasts, imagined futures and just plain fantasy).
- That feeling that nags you when you have had a thought or taken an action contrary to your values and the probing investigation that follows.
- The sense of deep satisfaction when you have done the 'right' thing. 'Right' can mean doing what is emotionally fulfilling (like pursuing a long sought dream) or ethically/morally correct according to internalized values.
- When moods are triggered by immediate environments, abstract ideas/ideals and mundane conversations. Everything that goes on around me is absorbed into Fi, which is affected depending on a number of factors. For instance, some smell that evokes a Si-based nostalgic memory can arouse Fi. The same goes for an idea that Ne finds intriguing and wants to play with.