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[Fi] What does "Fi" really look like?

INTPness

New member
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
2,157
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
As an INTP, I can describe what my own personal Ti looks like. Being that it's my primary function, it's what I want to do most. It's my "default" mode. When I've been around people all day and interacting, I want to go home and tune everything out and think deeply on a subject, to analyze some sort of system (social, corporate, amongst many). I am able to devour huge amounts of information in short periods of time. For instance, if something happens in my life that is painful or that sets me back (or if I'm just deeply curious), I can go to the bookstore, purchase a good book or two on the subject and just inhale the information until I feel that I have it almost completely understood. The older I get, the more I realize that life has to be lived rather than just "read about in a book". I'm only stating this to describe what the Ti looks like (at least in my world). It's like a deep desire or instinctual need to learn just about everything that I can about something (and often as quickly as humanly possible) until I'm comfortable with my own understanding/competency of that subject. Then I feel like I've got my head around that, I understand it quite well, and I'm on to another venture. It's quite fun...at least for an INTP. But, people who I interact with know me for my Ne. That's what they see. For the most part, they have no clue of what goes on in the Ti realm.

But, I have no clue what Fi (as a PRIMARY function) really looks like or how it operates. ISFP's/INFP's care to comment or offer some insight? Is it similar to what I described but more focused on reflecting on/running things through your own personal value system? What about in relationships? Are you spending your time (when in Fi mode) "feeling" if it's right to be with this person or "feeling" if they really love you? Just curious as to how that inner world works.

Thanks,
A curios INTP
 

Jeremy

New member
Joined
Dec 24, 2008
Messages
426
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
9w1
Fi truly is a shadow process, at least for me. It might be my leading function, but I never truly exercise much control over how it operates or how it works; it's just part of who I am. At the same time, I have a feeling Fi is one of the main reasons INFPs/ISFPs can seem so down at times. Whenever we feel that our "compass" has been led astray by our actions or thoughts, we have a tendency to overthink even small slights against others. As an INFP with 9 as my enneatype, I have this worse than most Fi types; I can revisit situations that happened over 8 years ago (when I was in 9th grade, mind you) and almost start crying because I said something so horribly offensive and wrong. I still wonder if that made people change their opinion of me for the worse.

I also think Fi wants to understand the world, just like the Ti function does. But the method of coming about that understanding is different in a lot of ways, though similar in some. I know personally that I love collecting information about a subject of interest. But I don't just take that information and file it away once I've completed analyzing it. I revisit it, I put my own, unique spin on it, and come to conclusions that when voiced, people often don't understand (or belittle as "too idealistic") It is for this reason that I avoid getting into conversations about political / philosophical debate unless I truly know the person will care about what I have to say; even then, I'll hold back much of what I think, because people can get scared. Of course, being online lets you let some of that energy loose... it's part of the reason I like online communication. Anonymity has its uses.

Fi really wants to see the best in people and situations, though "best" is a subjective term; sometimes, it can lead us to make things "best" for ourselves, and not for others, under the guise of helping them. But most of the time, it is most committed to finding the best situation for everyone, as a means of keeping the peace. I almost lose it when friends of mine are in conflict with one another. It drives me up the wall; I want to fix it, but I always feel like I'll make it worse by saying something.
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
6,743
MBTI Type
ESFP
Enneagram
7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx
fifi_rock_the_tots.jpg
 
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