First of all, I think Eric B made a good post
here:
Eric B said:
Sherlock is on to the right idea. The correlators try to map Big 5 directly onto the four MBTI dichotmomies, and while I/E is an obvious match for Extraversion and S/N to Openness, (and new special MBTI form factor Comfort-Discomfort made to match Neuroticism), the other two actually match Keirsey's directive/informative (Agreeableness) and pragmatic/cooperative (Conscientiousness). These do not always correspond to T/F. For S's they do, but for N's it is actually J/P. (Which is assumed to always be Conscientiousness).
Still, I would argue that Fi generally comes across as less critical than Ti, and even less so than Fe (although Fe can also be very expressively warm, of course). In my opinion, the reason Fi has such a reputation for stubbornness is that it seems to come out of nowhere. Fi-types are generally very agreeable... until we are very much not. It's surprising if you don't know that aspect of the person, but it's hardly the normal operating mode. Anyone who thinks Fi = (rebellion + stubbornness) is ignoring much of the nature of Fi.
Looking at some of the MBTI Step III developmental scales:
Harmony: Reflects an agreeable attitude toward people, with a high value placed on getting along with others and maintaining good feeling about people. From most Harmonious to least:
(From Table 7.35)
ISFJ 4.16
ISFP 4.09
ESFJ 3.84
ESFP 3.82
INFP 3.51
ENFJ 3.39
INFJ 3.39
ENFP 3.23
ISTJ 3.01
ISTP 2.99
ESTJ 2.83
ESTJ 2.61
INTJ 2.43
INTP 2.28
ENTJ 2.14
ENTP 2.10
Flexibility: Reflects adaptability to evolving circumstances along with a preference for environments that accept and encourage such an approach, rather than those with rigid demands. A person scoring high on Flexibility is adapting to changing circumstances and able to "go with the flow." From most Flexible to least:
(from Table 7.30)
INFP 4.19
INTP 4.09
ENFP 3.99
ISFP 3.86
ENTP 3.77
ISTP 3.74
ESFP 3.58
ESTP 3.58
INFJ 2.73
INTJ 2.71
ENFJ 2.64
ISFJ 2.54
ENTJ 2.48
ISTJ 2.48
ESFJ 2.40
ESTJ 2.24
Self Focus: Reflects a tendency to consider one's own interests ahead of any consideration of others' interests and to view things primarily in terms of their impact on oneself.
(from Table 7.41)
ESTP 7.33
ISTP 7.30
ESTJ 7.29
ISTJ 7.27
ESFP 7.25
ENTP 7.15
ISFP 7.14
ENTJ 7.13
ESFJ 7.09
ISFJ 7.06
INTJ 7.04
INTP 6.99
ENFJ 6.83
ENFP 6.71
INFJ 6.66
INFP 6.63
Stubbornness: Indicates a tendency to resist changing one's view or course of action, regardless of emerging new information or valid objections of others. It is important to take type into account in assessing the meaning of this scale. For example, an INTJ has a natural proclivity to be stubborn. But for a Perceiving type, stubbornness may interact with an emphasize other type characteristics that can create difficulties for the person.
(from Table 7.44)
ISTP 1.37
ESTP 1.30
ENTP 1.23
INTP 1.21
ISTJ 1.18
INTJ 1.17
ESTJ 1.13
ISFP 1.08
ESFP 1.04
ISFJ 1.02
ENFP 0.99
ESFJ 0.95
INFP 0.95
INFJ 0.93
ENFJ 0.88
So I think where types fall on these different scales is interesting, since several of them capture qualities would affect how agreeable/disagreeable one is. And, of course, the scale ratings should be taken with many grains of salt... it's a newer instrument, limitations of self-reporting, etc, etc.
Even if the scale ratings reflect any kind of reality, they don't tell the whole story. While IFPs tend to rank low on "self-focus", for example, it's also true that we are plenty capable of rationalizing what we want.
Still, I think the business world highly values Te-related skills (as evidenced by most top-level managers)... and to a lesser extend Fe (people oriented roles) and Ti (technical and faster paced fields). Fi comes in a distant fourth, generally... since its benefits are fairly meta.