Mal12345
Permabanned
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2011
- Messages
- 14,532
- MBTI Type
- IxTP
- Enneagram
- 5w4
- Instinctual Variant
- sx/sp
I agree.
As someone with Fe inferior who often scores high on Fi on function tests, I'm often confused about which one fits better. According to function theory and if I'm correctly typed as INTP, I should be an Fe "user" yet I don't fit with everything under Fe.
Maybe an Fe inferior "user," whatever that means. If Fe-dom means "conforming to norms of society," the IXTP is the non-conformist. So in that sense, Fe-inferior means just the opposite of Fe-dom. It is an anti-Fe user. But function tests only account for Dominant traits. They don't ask questions about anything other than dominant traits.
I'm not as open about showing emotions and usually I'm not comfortable showing much emotion unless its with close family members or friends or if I'm under alot of stress, where the Fe inferior takes over. Like the Fi users, I try to only show the emotions I want to show to others.
Like the Fe types, other peoples' emotions can definitely affect how I feel. If you act grumpy around me, it will put me in a bad mood. I tend to be sympathetic of other peoples' hard luck stories. I try to do the socially acceptable thing when someone is under distress yet sometimes I feel awkward doing so. For example if someone tells me a loved one dies, I will do the standard "I'm sorry about your loss and try to sound all sad but there's always this anxiety that people will be able to see right through me and that I'm not being sincere.
Regarding facial expressions, I'm somewhat of a mixed bag. I've been told that I tend to come across as rather 'flat' to others. Yet I've also been told that I have a nice warm smile and sparkling eyes- which I think might be more Fe. I'm also affected by others' enthusiasm. When others around me are enthusiastic and the interest is mutual, I will show more of that in my face I think.
So is what I've said typical of INTP?
Sounds like it. Those of this type know they are "different," indicating that they are aware of society and the roles they should be playing. But those roles feel false or inauthentic. Your inferior function wants to assert itself so that you "fit in," but social anxiety results whether or not you make the effort.
You didn't ask about the next thing, but the answer to the anxiety is to make the effort. Then fall down, then get back up again and keep trying until you get it right. Society is always going to be with us, and since we can't be hermits, developing the inferior function is the only other way it will stop being a source of anxiety.