Fi is self-centered.

[Eric B]

vvv

I think I said this in the Fe thread, [http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50854&p=1685212&viewfull=1#post1685212] but the more negative side of the [Fi] function, such as "self-centeredness" or "fakeness" is more likely to appear in the tertiary or inferior (or lower) manifestation of the function. The person is really a Thinking type, and Feeling is a more vulnerable area, so it comes off like that.

When it is preferred, it is (hopefully) more mature, so that both attitudes can achieve pretty much the same things, which will be focused on people (self and others) either way. They just go about it in different ways.

The whole "Fi=self-centered" sentiment seems to hail largely from one circle in type theory, which seems to include NTJ's (with one posing as an NFJ, and making much of how self-involved and "irritating" to a supposed Fe perspective Fi is) who project their own experience of Fi onto the whole function.
Nardi (INTJ) might be an example of this (have to check his book again), and I don't know what type the Hartzlers are, but I know their numbered function trait descriptions/exercises generally portray Fi as having such a strong wall of defense against influence of others. (This had seemed to contradict other descriptions I had seen of FP types).

I realized that this was more the way Fi manifests in TJ's (Thus actually supporting their ever-so-directive and structure focused Te), and it will likely only manifest that way for an FP, when a really important value is really at stake. Or perhaps, if they are really pushed too far.
Those descriptions are tending to overgeneralize this side of it. Otherwise, it tends to make them more acquiescent to others, at least at times. (Likewise, the FP's Te supports this by making them more likely to yield to others' Te).

 

[Eric B]

v v v

Fi cares about people's feelings too. (That's Feeling in general that does!) The difference is the standard of consideration. Fe cares by simply, directly referencing the other person's expressed feelings or a group consensus. Fi cares by referencing a universal sense of feeling that is internalized, and then from that, realizing the other person's likely state in a given situation. Both then will reach out and care.

And this is where the cognitive process tests will often get hung up, since they are based on definitions of Fe=caring about others; Fi=being in touch with your own feelings. Both of which have a grain of truth, but miss the full detail of what causes that. Hence, you could identify with both definitions, and come out high in both Fi and Fe. These tests do not measure J/P, which is the real definer of the preferred judgment attitude according to the original MBTI setup.