Are you two ladies talking about Z's avatar, or someone else's?
And you never saw the face immediately?
Wow, what's the difference for you between Fe and Fi facial expressions?Fi facial expressions? Those are really easy.
I dunno, gotta ton of Ne though.
I understand Ne, Ti, and Fe. I have no idea what Te is, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with buildings. The S-family I don't understand at all. Si? Se? Am I in Spanish class? And I don't really get Si v. Fi. If Se is the way you feel outside stuff like the floor, wouldn't Si be the way you feel your feelings? But isn't that Fi? Fee Fi Fo Fum, less function, more...tequila.
There is this one function called Ni. Whenever I try to describe it, I end up with Ne or Si.
I have a theory. There are only seven mental functions: N, Ti, Fe, Si, Te, Fi and Se. (presented here in the order I use them) People split N up in Ne and Ni to make things symmetrical and the theory more beautiful; but really they are one and the same.
Or they are linked this strongly you can't discern them.
I do think Ni is difficult to understand entirely as an Ne-user. To me, Ne seems expansive and continual... it's always generating possibilities that lead away from the current focus of attention.
Ni seems to be more connective, sudden and intermittent (at least to me). It suddenly links things from different contexts together, showing a pattern and a meaning that wasn't apparent before. I'm reminded of these trash sculptures:
Where a seemingly random assemblage of junk suddenly has pattern and meaning when seen from the right perspective. Different pieces of information suddenly align and what appeared difficult and messy suddenly makes sense.
I was careful to say "to me." I'm an Ne user, so my grasp of Ni is clearly going to be more tenuous, and it's going likely be less reliable (assuming I have access to it at all). My only real understanding can come from applying written descriptions to introspection, so I'm not going to have the same perspective as an Ni-dom. So, to me, Ne is constantly generating things, but Ni needs a kind of detachment, a waiting emptiness to fill. An Ni-dom probably has a different perspective.
Maybe it's unfair to say it always leads away, but because it is associative it does tend to lead from one association to another. It typically moves further and further away from the starting point unless some pruning or redirection happens. One can sometimes see this in an Ne-heavy conversation, where not only are there digressions, but the digressions have digressions and the original starting topic is never returned to (if anyone bothers to remember it).
In contrast, Ni seems more likely to incorporate the current focus into a larger perspective or chain of associations.
They are both expansive, but I think Ne generates options from the point of focus, while Ni expands the perspective to see the point in context.
Perhaps intermittent wasn't the best word. It does, to me, seem more bursty, with a sudden insight connecting a whole chain of associations and placing things into a larger perspective. Ne seems more continuous, with each chunk of perceived association smaller. Ni seems more inherently cross contextual (although clearly both can associate between contexts).
Again, I'm not an Ni-dom, so I don't know if they perceive Ni as being more continuous or not.
Btw, Trinity, sorry for kinda hi-jacking your thread with all this Ni-related talk...
The visuals, the meaning, all came at once?I just sucked everything into my skull at once. Lol.
That's incredibly interesting. I wouldn't know a difference if I saw one. I suppose I read body language and facial cues enough, but how are you deciphering an Fi "look" from an "Fe" one?I cant read the intent of Fe facial expressions. Like in that instance I thought the guy was gay-she said he thought I was totally hot. An ENTP I thought felt emo-instead that look means he wants to hook up. It's real odd. But Te/Fi users-I know exactly what they need/want/are thinking. I can just look at them and respond innately.
I didnt actually try to use Fi to read/comfort people until this last year honestly. I would watch them and pick up on the subtle changes, but not do anything. Mostly as I always hung with entps who dont want you doing anything-When they get tweaky-you just give them space.
But given I can sort the Fi/Te users now-it's like magic. I know exactly what they need innately.