I see my Introvert Feeling thought process as primarily focused on concepts of the ideal. So yeah, it is "imaginary", but not in the way I suspect that INTJ meant
. I associate Fi-dom thinking more with existential thought than being people-oriented. I spend little time thinking directly about people, at least in realistic terms. I think about people more in general terms. When someone I know does pop into my head, it's to play some role in a daydream, which often turns out to be my mind working out some concept of what would be good (or very, very bad). The reactions I have to these thoughts or daydreams are often stronger than real life interactions; which is how I think Fi produces Feelings that grow intensively, as opposed to extensively as Fe feelings do (to paraphrase Jung). Maybe that's nuts, but posts on INFP boards assure me it's quite common for a Fi-dom.
It's interesting how some do have a very saccharine view of Fi, or see it as maudlin, nonsensical thinking. Their own Feeling, particularly their Fi, is that way.
I think this quote sums it up:
Lenore Thompson said:
The situation [of Fi being seen as irrational] is complicated by the fact that only 6% of Americans use Introverted Feeling as their primary approach to life. This means that a great many types associate this function largely with its bottom-rung potential for impressionism and sentimentality.
When it comes to other people, I feel like I'm approaching them iNtuitively most of the time. I'm not making evaluations of any kind. I take a wait & see attitude, I make connections, I consider possibilities. I can be quite detached when discussing someone else's emotions. It doesn't affect my own, but it does set my brain running to consider what it means. I suppose around here is where a Fi train of thought kicks in. I start to compare my internal concepts to the context and see how they apply, and then I am able to relate, to offer comfort, and basically be touched by another person. When I was younger, I was hard to move emotionally; I actually think it is Ne development that has increased my empathetic side. I can see ways that my feelings relate to reality.
However, when I find myself empathizing, I do not consider how
I would feel in a situation. Instead, I imagine myself as that person, and I imagine how they feel. It's kind of like simulating someone else in your head.
The supposed self-absorbed aspect of Fi is not really selfish. When you spend a lot of time examining your inner world & how you feel, it gives you a template for the internal realm of all people. I've used this metaphor recently, so not to sound like a broken record (too late!), but I think it makes the concept clear: the Fi-dom's fascination with self is like dissecting a frog. You dissect one frog, & now you have a general understanding of what those frogs are like inside. The better the understanding, the better you may be able to cure any physical ills of such a frog. Fi works like that; I know what it is to be human, to need, to feel, to experience emotion in the most nuanced ways, and I have vivid imagination, and all of this helps me grasp how other people feel, and how to help them feel better. I dissect myself to understand the inner workings of all people. Jung basically says the great similarity of people internally is what allows Fi feelings to be communicated at all, as generally they are quite difficult to articulate in ways others will grasp or accept as valid, but the big exception is when they hit on points nearly all humans relate to on some base level.
I've also said many times that I see Fi as creating models of the ideal (via fantasy) much as Ti creates frameworks of logic. What this does is allow you to identify core principles of what is significant/necessary/good/perfect/etc, especially in relation to being human. This doesn't mean a Fi-dom has set rules for what is good; that is waaaaaaay too specific. We're talking basic ideas, ideas that can very much be applied to suit an individual & molded to fit a context; the Fi-dom reasons on the core needs behind everyone's preference, where they all cross at some point.
To briefly touch on the difference in Fi in ENFPs & INFPs, I like this comment from Lenore Thompson, as I see Fi-aux types as more obviously "people-oriented" and Fi-doms as more "thought/idea-oriented", even though function order might imply the opposite to some.
Lenore Thompson said:
It's instructive to compare these types (INFPs) to ENFPs, who share the same two functions but understand life very differently. ENFPs rely on iNtuition to gauge the nature of the external context and Feeling to recognize the value of the people in it.
INFPs approach reality from the other way around. Introverted Feeling prompts them to hold unconditional human value, and they use iNtuition to figure out what that means in terms of their existential context.