SolitaryWalker
Tenured roisterer
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2007
- Messages
- 3,504
- MBTI Type
- INTP
- Enneagram
- 5w6
- Instinctual Variant
- so/sx
ENFJ Profile.
Disclaimer: The essay below strives to depict only the unconscious predilections of the Extroverted Feeler and not the personalities which are often associated with this type. As I have argued in my Introductory essay to typology, such notions are unwarranted and irrelevant to the essence of type.
Definitions.
Extroversion: The attitude of defining the self by an external agenda, the external focus of this faculty tends to deem interaction with the external world more important than contemplation.
Introversion: Defining the external environment by internal agenda and internal predilections. The internal focus of this faculty tends to deem contemplation more important than interaction with the external world.
Feeling: Decision making faculty on the basis of personal values.
Thinking: Decision making faculty on the basis of logic and impersonal analysis.
Judgment: Conscious assessment of perceived information. Judgments could be made either through an appeal to impersonal analysis or through an appeal to subjective sentiments and personal values.
Perception: Unconscious collection of information. Perception is necessarily unconscious, an example of this matter can be our most simple sensation of hearing, seeing and touching. Or our imagining of a story being told to us. Our mind inevitably and unconsciously collects information when it is forced to interact with the external world, which it always is. As it is impossible to avoid hearing, smelling or touching as it is equally impossible to avoid attempting to imagine ideas that have been presented to us by others.
I.Extroverted Feeling
What we know about the Extroverted Feeling type is that it is a radically Extroverted Type. This is the case because the dominant function is aimed outwards and it is a judging faculty. The judging aspect of the function intensifies the external focus further. Moreover, we notice that Feeling, unlike thinking is defined by the human element as opposed to the impersonal analysis. Whilst an Extroverted Thinker may easily work on his own endeavor to utilize the external agenda to the end of defining his being, the Extroverted Feeler can only manipulate external personal values. Before we go further with this example we should explain what Extroverted Judgment is and how it functions. As we have before stated, Extroversion is the attitude of defining the self based on the external standard. Thus the Judgment of the extrovert is defined by the external standard. In order for us to investigate Extroverted Feeling, it would be prudent to inquire into Extroverted Thinking first, as it is easier to provide an intellectual account of Thinking than Feeling because the Thinking is more objective in the vernacular sense of the word. Or quite simply, the decisions Thinking will make will be based on logical reasoning which could be externally observed, yet the decision of a Feeler will be based on private, subjective sentiments of the person making the decision. Such a process is not as easily observed.
Hence, an Extroverted Thinker will learn logic from a textbook and accept the problem-solving methodologies that he has learned by default, as he will also accept by default the procedures of handling the external world. This is the case because the deciding factor for the Extrovert is contingent upon the external environment. Thus, the decree of the outer world holds primacy over the internal judgment. Hence, for the Extroverted Thinker, the problem is well solved if there is evidence in the external world to confirm this. It could be the textbook example of how a problem is to be solved which lines up with how the Extroverted Thinker has solved it on paper. It could be the opinion of an expert, or it could be the empirical evidence for the solution of the problem the Extroverted Thinker has had in mind. Yet, unless there is an external factor to confirm the thoughts of the Thinker in question, this type will not see any reason to have confidence in the soundness of his work. One may impugn the integrity of such a thought process and assert that such a Thinker lacks autonomy of mind, that he is tied down to the dictates of external protocol like a dog to a chain, as if he does not have thoughts of his own. Such a claim would be altogether false and profoundly depreciatory. The Extroverted Thinker derives the method of problem solving from the outside, yet he is just as much entitled to his private thoughts as the Introverted Thinker. Again, to emphasize further, the Extroverted Thinker will learn logic and procedures of handling the external world from the textbook, but after he has done so, he is free to use the methodology he has acquired to explore any thought he deems desirable to explore. However, because the deciding factor is external for all extroverts, the Extroverted Thinker cannot have confidence in his own reasoning, however sound it may be in itself unless there is a factor outside of him that may confirm his thoughts. Hence, the thoughts in themselves are autonomous, yet the final conclusion is outside of the province of such a thinker, as this requires an appeal to external circumstances. Despite that the Extroverted Thinker is able to freely explore all ideas, whatever is out of tune with the external standard of soundness. However, the essence of Extroversion insists on conformity of one’s inner thoughts to the external essence. In the cases of extreme neurosis, the Extrovert will have his thoughts match entirely with the external object he observes. However, this is not at all to demean the extrovert, as in the case of the introvert something nearly as sinister shall take place. In the case of the said introvert, all of one’s thoughts shall be equated with the introvert’s ego, or his thought experiments will be made to conform to every whim of his.
However, the point to be made in this case is that the Extrovert’s thinking has a distinctly expressed tendency to pantomime the entities outside of him. If the external agents believe logic is to be done in Newtonian ways and not Leibnizian, so shall be the case, if moral values are to be done by Muslim ethic and not Christian, so shall be the fate of the Extrovert. However, it should not at all be concluded that the extroverted attitude is in any way fatalistic, at least not in any lesser degree than the attitude of the introvert. Perhaps the only difference between the two to be observed is that the introvert can more easily adjust his ways because all that he requires for the adjustment is the will of his own contemplation, yet the Extrovert requires the external inspiration. However, at the very essence of the mechanism, the Extrovert requires action for contemplation and the introvert requires solo time.
However, since we do note that the Extroverted Thinker derives his methodology of thought from the convention, analogously to such a model, the Extroverted Feeler derives his methodology of value judgments from the outside as well. Accordingly, the Extroverted Feeler derives his ways of making value judgments from the external world. This of course, does not at all mean that all of his values shall be equivalent to the values of the external environment, however, this shall be the case for Extroverted Feeler who have not learned the proper judgment in their own right. When object is given ascendancy, the Extroverted Feeler will be moved to conform his feelings to what is considered prudent in eyes of value judgment by his contemporaries and his environment by and large, but would truly have nothing to do with the Feeling of the person of the Extroverted Feeling type as an individual in him or herself. “Overextraverted feeling may satisfy aesthetic expectations, but it does not speak to the heart; it appeals merely to the senses or---worse still ---only to reason. It can provide aesthetic padding for a situation, but there it stops, and beyond that its effect is nil. It has become sterile. If this process goes any further, a curiously contradictory dissocation of feeling results: everything becomes an object of feeling valuations, and innumerable relationships are entered into which are all at variance with each other. As this situation would become quite impossible if the subject received anything like due emphasis, even the last vestiges of real personal standpoint are suppressed. The subject becomes so enmeshed in the network of individual processes that to the observer it seems as though there were merely a feeling process and no longer a subject of feeling. Feeling in this state has lost all human warmth; it gives the impression of being put on, fickle, unreliable, and in the worst cases hysterical.” Psychological Types P. 356.
What we have here is quite the peculiar psychology. In the case of the Introverted Feeler, the true depth and sincerity of Feeling derives from contemplation alone, however, in the case of the Extroverted Feeler with whom our inquiry is concerned, Feeling derives from the outside and action. And of course such a feeling is not determined by the person’s sentiments and private feelings, but by the mindset of the environment external to the extroverted Feeler. The problem with such an approach to personal values is that it renders the person devoid of values of his own and at the very core he is but a mirror image of values of other people and society by and large. Such a type will shrink at no absurdity to promote the agenda favored by his social circle, no matter how clear it is to a sober mind that what he stands for is pernicious. Because the Feeling of this type is defined externally, his feelings and the inner mindset in general requires the approval of the external agent. Or in other words, the Extroverted Feeler will have no reason to believe that his values are good and true or his feelings are valid unless somebody else said so, or there is some example in the external world of such values being sound. He does not try to search his heart, but instead asks, what would other people say about this? He does not ask, how do I feel, but instead asks, how do others feel I should feel?
“Even when it appears to be qualified by a concrete object, it is none the less still under the spell of traditional or generally accepted values of some kind. I may feel moved, for instance, to say that something is “beautiful” or “good”, not because I find it “beautiful” or “good” from my own subjective feeling about it, but because it is fitting and politic to call it so, since a contrary judgment would upset the general feeling situation.” Psychological types P.355
One is tempted to ask whether Extroverted Feeling is pretentious at the very core, or such a functioning requires that the person lies about his true feelings and interests. However, this is not the case, as the Extroverted Feeler naturally conforms his inner mindset to the external object. Or in other words, if everyone feels that the work of Shakespeare is superior to that of Virgil, the Extroverted Feeler will judge this way. He will not do so simply as means to the end of winning the favor of the multitude, but will unconsciously retain such a judgment. It is easy to accuse such individuals of dishonesty and prostitution of opinion, yet such charges strike the Extroverted Feeler as baffling, as to the best of his knowledge the opinion he has voiced is consistent with his true thoughts and feelings. We are led to wonder if such an act of social adjustment even deserves the label of Feeling, since it does not appear to make any value judgments of its own. We should however note that Feeling is a property wholly independent of both Extroversion and Introversion and only in extreme cases of neurosis it is made to conform either to the subject(introversion) or the object (extroversion), but in itself the essence is free. We should also note that Extroverted Feeling conforms to the object only to the extent that Introverted Feeling conforms to the subject. The object could be the authority of renowned individuals in the community and the subject could be the person’s ego. In the case of a problematic Extroverted Feeling, the individual will ignore all value judgments that do not conform to the external agenda and adjust those that could be adjusted to the external agenda. In the healthy case of Extroverted Feeling, the individual will be moved to defend the external standard, but will exercise enough proper judgments to avoid falling slave to such an agenda. Hence, critical analysis of the external agenda will be both possible and desirable for such a type.
Slavery to convention certainly does mar the image of the Extroverted Feeling type, however this hardly gives the Introverted Feeler a break. As has been mentioned in the INTP profile, the Introvert is in danger of shaping the external environment into what his inner vision deems it should be to the point where the introvert is unable to properly collect information about and interact with the external environment. The only advantage that the Introverted Feeler has over his extroverted counterpart is that he can re-examine his values on his own, internal endeavor, whilst the Extroverted Feeler requires external stimuli.
As has been stated many times in this essay, the Extroverted Feeling relies strictly on external factors for decision making, however, we have not yet thoroughly examined the implications of such a mindset. Since the character is compelled to act by the object and not the subject, he is not directly influenced by pure thought or pure motive. But the object is interposed between the person’s thoughts and actions. Or in other words, unlike the Introverted Feeler who could look at a person from a distance and collect the ambience of his mood, the Extroverted Feeler needs a direct cue of action to see how the person feels. Hence, in such a case he would look at the person’s eyebrows, lips, body language and other aspects of physiognomy to determine how the person feels. One shall ask, why does the Extroverted Feeler have such ideas concerning determining the other person’s subjective Feelings. This is because he accepts external entities by default. He has been told that the smiling symbolizes happiness and moves forward to equate such a gesture with happiness every time he sees a smile. This is exactly the same mechanism as that of the Extroverted Thinker accepting ways of handling logic and mathematics by default. We should however note that the Extroverted Judger does indeed have indirect access to ideas as he is able to experience genuine empathy after seeing a smile on one’s face and such a feeling within him is not at all different from that of the Introverted Judger who accesses the idea directly. Individualistic thought is possible for the Extroverted Judger on the account of his reflection upon the subjective mindsets he experiences within and not the external actions that he associates with such mindsets. This, however, is quite difficult as in order for his inner mindsets to be deemed valid, he needs confirmation in the external world. The more individualistic the Extroverted Feeler becomes the less confirmation of the external world he shall need and the more he will rely on his inner subjective mindset. However, the Extroverted Feeler does lack the internal or subjective judgment, which we refer to as Introverted Feeling, hence he is not capable of making such assessments directly. However, he has Introverted perception which could give him confidence in his inner mindset, especially if the Introverted Perception is represented by Introverted Intuition which is decidedly more idea oriented and individualistically oriented than Introverted Sensation. One danger to watch out for the Extroverted Feeler is that if he has not properly developed his introverted side, he shall have no reliable way of establishing sound personal values and maintaining loyalty to them unless he sees direct approval for such a mindset.
A striking example of this phenomenon would be the Extroverted Feeler who simply does not know what he values or what he ought to do unless he sees people supporting him at the given moment, and is unable to retain the values in the face of the change of social climate, which he has held nearly and dearly hitherto. The change in moral attitudes observed in Russian Christian Peasants at the time of Bolshevik Revolution (1917) is the case in point. They have abandoned the Biblical gospels in favor of the Communistic message preached by the Bolsheviks. Accordingly, because such a type lacks all inner conscience all things are permissible for him as long as people are not watching. He will stop at no cruelty or baseness to get his way on the stage devoid of audience.
Also because the final value judgment is made based on comparison of the subjective mindset to the external object and ultimately conformity of the former to the latter, the Extroverted Feeler who has not properly developed his Introverted faculties will retain a black and white view of the world. As he is unable to make assessments for himself, he thinks that the case is either the project either does match what is set as a representation of exemplary work or it does not. Another danger for such a malfunctioning Extrovert is that he will loose his focus on the inner identity and will define himself based on strictly external entities. This is indeed a danger for any extrovert, however one to be much emphasized for the Extroverted judger as this type has an intense focus on the external environment. Also the element of external judgment pressures the individual in possession of such a type to make assessments of the external world directly. This gives the extrovert an impression that he can control the external world, and very strikingly, in the case of the Extroverted Judger he may fall into the trap of believing that what he controls is part of himself, since he has a very strong tendency to base his notion of the self on external entities. Such characters will go as far as needed to acquire and retain power until they are reproached by a greater power, such problems are the result of a lack of inner conscience due to the lack of affinity with the introverted aspect of the psyche.
A.Establishment of Personal values
“As a result of upbringing her feeling has developed into an adjusted function subject to conscious control. Except in extreme cases, her feeling has a personal quality, even though she may have repressed the subjective factor to a large extent. Her personality appears adjusted in relation to external conditions. ” Psychological Types, P. 356
As we have established before, Extroversion derives its identity from the outside. Hence, the Extroverted Feeler comes to value honesty or compassion for example not because in his or her own judgment such values are sound or that they appeal to his unconscious mindset but because people around him endorse such values and exhort the Extroverted Feeler to do so as well. All of the subjective factor concerning this type is subjugated to the values and maxims others Feel the Extroverted Feeler ought to value. This is especially the case for Thinking. All of thoughts of this type are subjugated to better fit the feelings this type is most comfortable with entertaining. “Nothing disturbs feeling so much as thinking. It is therefore understandable that in this type thinking will be kept in abeyance as much as possible. This does not mean that the woman does not at all; on the contrary, she may think a great deal and very cleverly, but her thinking is never sui generic---it is an Epimethean appendage to her feeling. What she cannot feel, she cannot consciously think. “But I can’t think what I don’t feel, “ such a type said to me once in indignant tones. So far as her feeling allows, she can think very well, but every conclusion, however logical, that might lead to disturbance of feeling is rejected at the outset. It is simply not thought. Thus everything that fits in with objective values is good, and is loved, and everything else seems to her to exist in a world apart. ” Psychological Types P.357
We know that the Introverted Thinking is integral to the true and inner identity of the ENFJ because it is an introverted faculty. Since the Extroverted Feeling is in full command of the psyche of this type, the inner identity of the type is to be shaped in any way the Extroverted Feeling desires. Accordingly, logical outcomes which are in line with Extroverted Feeling are embraced and those that are not are either rejected at the outset or the logical reasoning of such outcome is twisted to better fit the agenda of Extroverted Feeling.
“But a chance comes over the picture when the importance of the object reaches still a higher level. As already explained, the subject becomes so assimilated to the object that the subject of feeling is completely engulfed. Feeling loses its personal quality, and becomes feeling for its own sake; the personality seems wholly dissolved in the feeling of the moment. But since actual life is a constant succession of situations that evoke different and even contradictory feelings, the personality gets split up into as many different feeling states. At one moment is this, at another something quite different---to all appearances, for in reality such a multiple personality is impossible. ” Psychological Types P. 357
Now we are led to ask the question of what objective values are. At this point in our inquiry it seems very clear that such values of the Extroverted Feeler derive wholly from the outside. This is an act of adjusting the inner thoughts, feelings and hunches to external circumstances. One can think of the inner values of the Extroverted Feeler as an empty vessel to be filled with whatever the external situation requires. Since the Extroverted Feeler has such a very strong tendency to derive identity from without, it is highly likely that he may get confused about what identity to maintain as external situation often tends to fickle. The Extroverted Feeler may incur much confusion about what roles to maintain and how. As before mentioned, such acts of assimilation often tempt observers of this type to question the sincerity of their motives, yet the Extroverted Feeler tends to be baffled by such charges because to the best of his knowledge his motives are in line with what he professes to be. He is often unable to see the contradictions in his behavior because his incessant activity and interaction with the external world prevent him from simply stopping to think and his lack of proper Thinking faculties seduce him into self-deception and faulty reasoning which merely confirm his feelings. Since morality is derived almost entirely from the outside for this type, he can easily fall into the trap that what he is doing is good and right as long as he is doing what he is supposed to, or that his immediate observers approve of his behavior. He may even forget that what he is doing today may please the current crowd he inhabits, yet strongly displease the crowd he was surrounded by yesterday as today’s behavior is irreconcilable with yesterday’s. In pathological cases such types may succumb to borderline personality disorder, which to a great extent is associated with a lack of inner identity, or a multiple personality disorder which again stems from the same root.
Disclaimer: The essay below strives to depict only the unconscious predilections of the Extroverted Feeler and not the personalities which are often associated with this type. As I have argued in my Introductory essay to typology, such notions are unwarranted and irrelevant to the essence of type.
Definitions.
Extroversion: The attitude of defining the self by an external agenda, the external focus of this faculty tends to deem interaction with the external world more important than contemplation.
Introversion: Defining the external environment by internal agenda and internal predilections. The internal focus of this faculty tends to deem contemplation more important than interaction with the external world.
Feeling: Decision making faculty on the basis of personal values.
Thinking: Decision making faculty on the basis of logic and impersonal analysis.
Judgment: Conscious assessment of perceived information. Judgments could be made either through an appeal to impersonal analysis or through an appeal to subjective sentiments and personal values.
Perception: Unconscious collection of information. Perception is necessarily unconscious, an example of this matter can be our most simple sensation of hearing, seeing and touching. Or our imagining of a story being told to us. Our mind inevitably and unconsciously collects information when it is forced to interact with the external world, which it always is. As it is impossible to avoid hearing, smelling or touching as it is equally impossible to avoid attempting to imagine ideas that have been presented to us by others.
I.Extroverted Feeling
What we know about the Extroverted Feeling type is that it is a radically Extroverted Type. This is the case because the dominant function is aimed outwards and it is a judging faculty. The judging aspect of the function intensifies the external focus further. Moreover, we notice that Feeling, unlike thinking is defined by the human element as opposed to the impersonal analysis. Whilst an Extroverted Thinker may easily work on his own endeavor to utilize the external agenda to the end of defining his being, the Extroverted Feeler can only manipulate external personal values. Before we go further with this example we should explain what Extroverted Judgment is and how it functions. As we have before stated, Extroversion is the attitude of defining the self based on the external standard. Thus the Judgment of the extrovert is defined by the external standard. In order for us to investigate Extroverted Feeling, it would be prudent to inquire into Extroverted Thinking first, as it is easier to provide an intellectual account of Thinking than Feeling because the Thinking is more objective in the vernacular sense of the word. Or quite simply, the decisions Thinking will make will be based on logical reasoning which could be externally observed, yet the decision of a Feeler will be based on private, subjective sentiments of the person making the decision. Such a process is not as easily observed.
Hence, an Extroverted Thinker will learn logic from a textbook and accept the problem-solving methodologies that he has learned by default, as he will also accept by default the procedures of handling the external world. This is the case because the deciding factor for the Extrovert is contingent upon the external environment. Thus, the decree of the outer world holds primacy over the internal judgment. Hence, for the Extroverted Thinker, the problem is well solved if there is evidence in the external world to confirm this. It could be the textbook example of how a problem is to be solved which lines up with how the Extroverted Thinker has solved it on paper. It could be the opinion of an expert, or it could be the empirical evidence for the solution of the problem the Extroverted Thinker has had in mind. Yet, unless there is an external factor to confirm the thoughts of the Thinker in question, this type will not see any reason to have confidence in the soundness of his work. One may impugn the integrity of such a thought process and assert that such a Thinker lacks autonomy of mind, that he is tied down to the dictates of external protocol like a dog to a chain, as if he does not have thoughts of his own. Such a claim would be altogether false and profoundly depreciatory. The Extroverted Thinker derives the method of problem solving from the outside, yet he is just as much entitled to his private thoughts as the Introverted Thinker. Again, to emphasize further, the Extroverted Thinker will learn logic and procedures of handling the external world from the textbook, but after he has done so, he is free to use the methodology he has acquired to explore any thought he deems desirable to explore. However, because the deciding factor is external for all extroverts, the Extroverted Thinker cannot have confidence in his own reasoning, however sound it may be in itself unless there is a factor outside of him that may confirm his thoughts. Hence, the thoughts in themselves are autonomous, yet the final conclusion is outside of the province of such a thinker, as this requires an appeal to external circumstances. Despite that the Extroverted Thinker is able to freely explore all ideas, whatever is out of tune with the external standard of soundness. However, the essence of Extroversion insists on conformity of one’s inner thoughts to the external essence. In the cases of extreme neurosis, the Extrovert will have his thoughts match entirely with the external object he observes. However, this is not at all to demean the extrovert, as in the case of the introvert something nearly as sinister shall take place. In the case of the said introvert, all of one’s thoughts shall be equated with the introvert’s ego, or his thought experiments will be made to conform to every whim of his.
However, the point to be made in this case is that the Extrovert’s thinking has a distinctly expressed tendency to pantomime the entities outside of him. If the external agents believe logic is to be done in Newtonian ways and not Leibnizian, so shall be the case, if moral values are to be done by Muslim ethic and not Christian, so shall be the fate of the Extrovert. However, it should not at all be concluded that the extroverted attitude is in any way fatalistic, at least not in any lesser degree than the attitude of the introvert. Perhaps the only difference between the two to be observed is that the introvert can more easily adjust his ways because all that he requires for the adjustment is the will of his own contemplation, yet the Extrovert requires the external inspiration. However, at the very essence of the mechanism, the Extrovert requires action for contemplation and the introvert requires solo time.
However, since we do note that the Extroverted Thinker derives his methodology of thought from the convention, analogously to such a model, the Extroverted Feeler derives his methodology of value judgments from the outside as well. Accordingly, the Extroverted Feeler derives his ways of making value judgments from the external world. This of course, does not at all mean that all of his values shall be equivalent to the values of the external environment, however, this shall be the case for Extroverted Feeler who have not learned the proper judgment in their own right. When object is given ascendancy, the Extroverted Feeler will be moved to conform his feelings to what is considered prudent in eyes of value judgment by his contemporaries and his environment by and large, but would truly have nothing to do with the Feeling of the person of the Extroverted Feeling type as an individual in him or herself. “Overextraverted feeling may satisfy aesthetic expectations, but it does not speak to the heart; it appeals merely to the senses or---worse still ---only to reason. It can provide aesthetic padding for a situation, but there it stops, and beyond that its effect is nil. It has become sterile. If this process goes any further, a curiously contradictory dissocation of feeling results: everything becomes an object of feeling valuations, and innumerable relationships are entered into which are all at variance with each other. As this situation would become quite impossible if the subject received anything like due emphasis, even the last vestiges of real personal standpoint are suppressed. The subject becomes so enmeshed in the network of individual processes that to the observer it seems as though there were merely a feeling process and no longer a subject of feeling. Feeling in this state has lost all human warmth; it gives the impression of being put on, fickle, unreliable, and in the worst cases hysterical.” Psychological Types P. 356.
What we have here is quite the peculiar psychology. In the case of the Introverted Feeler, the true depth and sincerity of Feeling derives from contemplation alone, however, in the case of the Extroverted Feeler with whom our inquiry is concerned, Feeling derives from the outside and action. And of course such a feeling is not determined by the person’s sentiments and private feelings, but by the mindset of the environment external to the extroverted Feeler. The problem with such an approach to personal values is that it renders the person devoid of values of his own and at the very core he is but a mirror image of values of other people and society by and large. Such a type will shrink at no absurdity to promote the agenda favored by his social circle, no matter how clear it is to a sober mind that what he stands for is pernicious. Because the Feeling of this type is defined externally, his feelings and the inner mindset in general requires the approval of the external agent. Or in other words, the Extroverted Feeler will have no reason to believe that his values are good and true or his feelings are valid unless somebody else said so, or there is some example in the external world of such values being sound. He does not try to search his heart, but instead asks, what would other people say about this? He does not ask, how do I feel, but instead asks, how do others feel I should feel?
“Even when it appears to be qualified by a concrete object, it is none the less still under the spell of traditional or generally accepted values of some kind. I may feel moved, for instance, to say that something is “beautiful” or “good”, not because I find it “beautiful” or “good” from my own subjective feeling about it, but because it is fitting and politic to call it so, since a contrary judgment would upset the general feeling situation.” Psychological types P.355
One is tempted to ask whether Extroverted Feeling is pretentious at the very core, or such a functioning requires that the person lies about his true feelings and interests. However, this is not the case, as the Extroverted Feeler naturally conforms his inner mindset to the external object. Or in other words, if everyone feels that the work of Shakespeare is superior to that of Virgil, the Extroverted Feeler will judge this way. He will not do so simply as means to the end of winning the favor of the multitude, but will unconsciously retain such a judgment. It is easy to accuse such individuals of dishonesty and prostitution of opinion, yet such charges strike the Extroverted Feeler as baffling, as to the best of his knowledge the opinion he has voiced is consistent with his true thoughts and feelings. We are led to wonder if such an act of social adjustment even deserves the label of Feeling, since it does not appear to make any value judgments of its own. We should however note that Feeling is a property wholly independent of both Extroversion and Introversion and only in extreme cases of neurosis it is made to conform either to the subject(introversion) or the object (extroversion), but in itself the essence is free. We should also note that Extroverted Feeling conforms to the object only to the extent that Introverted Feeling conforms to the subject. The object could be the authority of renowned individuals in the community and the subject could be the person’s ego. In the case of a problematic Extroverted Feeling, the individual will ignore all value judgments that do not conform to the external agenda and adjust those that could be adjusted to the external agenda. In the healthy case of Extroverted Feeling, the individual will be moved to defend the external standard, but will exercise enough proper judgments to avoid falling slave to such an agenda. Hence, critical analysis of the external agenda will be both possible and desirable for such a type.
Slavery to convention certainly does mar the image of the Extroverted Feeling type, however this hardly gives the Introverted Feeler a break. As has been mentioned in the INTP profile, the Introvert is in danger of shaping the external environment into what his inner vision deems it should be to the point where the introvert is unable to properly collect information about and interact with the external environment. The only advantage that the Introverted Feeler has over his extroverted counterpart is that he can re-examine his values on his own, internal endeavor, whilst the Extroverted Feeler requires external stimuli.
As has been stated many times in this essay, the Extroverted Feeling relies strictly on external factors for decision making, however, we have not yet thoroughly examined the implications of such a mindset. Since the character is compelled to act by the object and not the subject, he is not directly influenced by pure thought or pure motive. But the object is interposed between the person’s thoughts and actions. Or in other words, unlike the Introverted Feeler who could look at a person from a distance and collect the ambience of his mood, the Extroverted Feeler needs a direct cue of action to see how the person feels. Hence, in such a case he would look at the person’s eyebrows, lips, body language and other aspects of physiognomy to determine how the person feels. One shall ask, why does the Extroverted Feeler have such ideas concerning determining the other person’s subjective Feelings. This is because he accepts external entities by default. He has been told that the smiling symbolizes happiness and moves forward to equate such a gesture with happiness every time he sees a smile. This is exactly the same mechanism as that of the Extroverted Thinker accepting ways of handling logic and mathematics by default. We should however note that the Extroverted Judger does indeed have indirect access to ideas as he is able to experience genuine empathy after seeing a smile on one’s face and such a feeling within him is not at all different from that of the Introverted Judger who accesses the idea directly. Individualistic thought is possible for the Extroverted Judger on the account of his reflection upon the subjective mindsets he experiences within and not the external actions that he associates with such mindsets. This, however, is quite difficult as in order for his inner mindsets to be deemed valid, he needs confirmation in the external world. The more individualistic the Extroverted Feeler becomes the less confirmation of the external world he shall need and the more he will rely on his inner subjective mindset. However, the Extroverted Feeler does lack the internal or subjective judgment, which we refer to as Introverted Feeling, hence he is not capable of making such assessments directly. However, he has Introverted perception which could give him confidence in his inner mindset, especially if the Introverted Perception is represented by Introverted Intuition which is decidedly more idea oriented and individualistically oriented than Introverted Sensation. One danger to watch out for the Extroverted Feeler is that if he has not properly developed his introverted side, he shall have no reliable way of establishing sound personal values and maintaining loyalty to them unless he sees direct approval for such a mindset.
A striking example of this phenomenon would be the Extroverted Feeler who simply does not know what he values or what he ought to do unless he sees people supporting him at the given moment, and is unable to retain the values in the face of the change of social climate, which he has held nearly and dearly hitherto. The change in moral attitudes observed in Russian Christian Peasants at the time of Bolshevik Revolution (1917) is the case in point. They have abandoned the Biblical gospels in favor of the Communistic message preached by the Bolsheviks. Accordingly, because such a type lacks all inner conscience all things are permissible for him as long as people are not watching. He will stop at no cruelty or baseness to get his way on the stage devoid of audience.
Also because the final value judgment is made based on comparison of the subjective mindset to the external object and ultimately conformity of the former to the latter, the Extroverted Feeler who has not properly developed his Introverted faculties will retain a black and white view of the world. As he is unable to make assessments for himself, he thinks that the case is either the project either does match what is set as a representation of exemplary work or it does not. Another danger for such a malfunctioning Extrovert is that he will loose his focus on the inner identity and will define himself based on strictly external entities. This is indeed a danger for any extrovert, however one to be much emphasized for the Extroverted judger as this type has an intense focus on the external environment. Also the element of external judgment pressures the individual in possession of such a type to make assessments of the external world directly. This gives the extrovert an impression that he can control the external world, and very strikingly, in the case of the Extroverted Judger he may fall into the trap of believing that what he controls is part of himself, since he has a very strong tendency to base his notion of the self on external entities. Such characters will go as far as needed to acquire and retain power until they are reproached by a greater power, such problems are the result of a lack of inner conscience due to the lack of affinity with the introverted aspect of the psyche.
A.Establishment of Personal values
“As a result of upbringing her feeling has developed into an adjusted function subject to conscious control. Except in extreme cases, her feeling has a personal quality, even though she may have repressed the subjective factor to a large extent. Her personality appears adjusted in relation to external conditions. ” Psychological Types, P. 356
As we have established before, Extroversion derives its identity from the outside. Hence, the Extroverted Feeler comes to value honesty or compassion for example not because in his or her own judgment such values are sound or that they appeal to his unconscious mindset but because people around him endorse such values and exhort the Extroverted Feeler to do so as well. All of the subjective factor concerning this type is subjugated to the values and maxims others Feel the Extroverted Feeler ought to value. This is especially the case for Thinking. All of thoughts of this type are subjugated to better fit the feelings this type is most comfortable with entertaining. “Nothing disturbs feeling so much as thinking. It is therefore understandable that in this type thinking will be kept in abeyance as much as possible. This does not mean that the woman does not at all; on the contrary, she may think a great deal and very cleverly, but her thinking is never sui generic---it is an Epimethean appendage to her feeling. What she cannot feel, she cannot consciously think. “But I can’t think what I don’t feel, “ such a type said to me once in indignant tones. So far as her feeling allows, she can think very well, but every conclusion, however logical, that might lead to disturbance of feeling is rejected at the outset. It is simply not thought. Thus everything that fits in with objective values is good, and is loved, and everything else seems to her to exist in a world apart. ” Psychological Types P.357
We know that the Introverted Thinking is integral to the true and inner identity of the ENFJ because it is an introverted faculty. Since the Extroverted Feeling is in full command of the psyche of this type, the inner identity of the type is to be shaped in any way the Extroverted Feeling desires. Accordingly, logical outcomes which are in line with Extroverted Feeling are embraced and those that are not are either rejected at the outset or the logical reasoning of such outcome is twisted to better fit the agenda of Extroverted Feeling.
“But a chance comes over the picture when the importance of the object reaches still a higher level. As already explained, the subject becomes so assimilated to the object that the subject of feeling is completely engulfed. Feeling loses its personal quality, and becomes feeling for its own sake; the personality seems wholly dissolved in the feeling of the moment. But since actual life is a constant succession of situations that evoke different and even contradictory feelings, the personality gets split up into as many different feeling states. At one moment is this, at another something quite different---to all appearances, for in reality such a multiple personality is impossible. ” Psychological Types P. 357
Now we are led to ask the question of what objective values are. At this point in our inquiry it seems very clear that such values of the Extroverted Feeler derive wholly from the outside. This is an act of adjusting the inner thoughts, feelings and hunches to external circumstances. One can think of the inner values of the Extroverted Feeler as an empty vessel to be filled with whatever the external situation requires. Since the Extroverted Feeler has such a very strong tendency to derive identity from without, it is highly likely that he may get confused about what identity to maintain as external situation often tends to fickle. The Extroverted Feeler may incur much confusion about what roles to maintain and how. As before mentioned, such acts of assimilation often tempt observers of this type to question the sincerity of their motives, yet the Extroverted Feeler tends to be baffled by such charges because to the best of his knowledge his motives are in line with what he professes to be. He is often unable to see the contradictions in his behavior because his incessant activity and interaction with the external world prevent him from simply stopping to think and his lack of proper Thinking faculties seduce him into self-deception and faulty reasoning which merely confirm his feelings. Since morality is derived almost entirely from the outside for this type, he can easily fall into the trap that what he is doing is good and right as long as he is doing what he is supposed to, or that his immediate observers approve of his behavior. He may even forget that what he is doing today may please the current crowd he inhabits, yet strongly displease the crowd he was surrounded by yesterday as today’s behavior is irreconcilable with yesterday’s. In pathological cases such types may succumb to borderline personality disorder, which to a great extent is associated with a lack of inner identity, or a multiple personality disorder which again stems from the same root.