[MBTI General] EJs and IPs

[Jeremy]

So I just had a random thought that I wanted to see was right or not. I have a pretty good friend who is an ENFJ (confirmed by legit test ), and one day she told me that the main reason that she is an extravert is due to the fact that, when she is alone, she often reflects upon her failures in life. This is partially due to the fact that, when she's with other people, she has something else to focus her attention to - her feeling is allowed to travel outward, through her primary function, as opposed to being forced inward, and therefore moving into her primary shadow function, Fi.

As an INFP, and therefore having the same function order as her but flipped in orientation, I often feel the same thing when I am around too many people for a long period of time. I often begin questioning my own accomplishments when hanging around people who like to flaunt theirs - why don't I do this, or that? I can be most alone, deep inside my negativity, when I am surrounded by people, because my negative Fe is feeding into my Fi and making me feel badly.

Now, obviously, I'm not always sad to be around others - usually it makes me really happy, depending on who it is and how many there are of them . I'm sure this applies for my friend as well - she doesn't always get depressed when she's alone. But is it the fact that, when F types are out of our preferred element, we will begin relying on our "shadow" feeling function? And through that, we feed into our own negativity about ourselves, by using the function in a negative way? You see, INFPs and ENFJs actually have each other's dominant function as their dominant shadow function - INFPs have 5th place Fe, and ENFJs have 5th place Fi.

So that's basically what I'm asking - do other INFPs and ENFJs sometimes feel depressed when they are forced out of their element? F

EDIT: Forgot to add, this also applies to ISFPs and ESFJs as well.

 

[Domino]

You know, I think anyone being forced out of their element ultimately leads to a strong sense of dissatisfaction. When I can't be myself, I get withdrawn and brood on things, like past errors, miscalculations, outcomes I couldn't change, the disappointment of others, and moments where I wasn't proud of myself.

INFPs can be brooders too, though I think a great many NFs in general are prone to it on some level. I have an INFP friend who's been driving herself crazy lately with "what if"s and can't seem to turn off her Ne. I think Ne and Ni brood on different frequencies. Fi and Fe are less abstracted, but I don't know that a certain form of feeling will lead to more/less brooding.

 

[Azseroffs]

Your strongest shadow function is sometime referred to as the opposing function or supporting function because it used in situations when the dom function wants to be heard but can't. This means that introverts use this when they are being hardheaded or in comfortable discussion and extroverts use it when they don't have an outside person/thing to interact with.

With ENFJ or E type in general, I think you may be right. When they can't extrovert their dom function they begin to introvert it in order to support themselves. This can be quite negative for dom Fe, because they are sent into a self analysis of FiPi(FiNi for ENFJ).

INFPs or I types in general are different. They become uncomfortable or somewhat stressed in unfamiliar social gatherings. This makes them look to their relief function which is Si for INFPs. FiSi is a self analysis combination which is why you report the self reflection. This is different for ENFJ who becomes quick to react with very little reflection under stress (FeSe).

There is a possibility that I'm making all this up. lol

 

[Quinlan]

This makes a lot of sense to me, my wife is ESFJ because of her job she has lots of holidays but she gets so bored and sad when she's at home with no one to hang out with, whereas I would kill to have all that free time just to myself.