Fe Fall

I think it is probably due to the Extraverted nature of it, in general. Fi are more subdued in appearance compared to Fe, and therefore are perceived less intrusive.

The disdain for Fe comes in from the fact that it represents the opposite of Ti, sort of. Objective emotion versus subjective logic. One tries to create rules for everyone, one tries to find the best path in a situation. Fi is the same in this way, it is individualized, thus making it, even though... retarded, more relatable.

tangosthenes said:

The disdain for Fe comes in from the fact that it represents the opposite of Ti, sort of. Objective emotion versus subjective logic. One tries to create rules for everyone, one tries to find the best path in a situation. Fi is the same in this way, it is individualized, thus making it, even though... retarded, more relatable.

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I'm not sure I've heard it phrased this way before. It makes perfect sense. Also, the reason for wanting to know the rules of play with inferior Fe. And why INFJs can sometimes get so antsy if the rules aren't spelled out. And, and, and. It all suddenly makes sense. Thanks!

*Lavishes oodles of Fe all over tangosthenes*

I want some Fi, primarily for its role as a catalyst in creative endeavors. It would enable me to populate the fictional word I've thought up with actual living, breathing characters. Maybe to write a novel, something I'm afraid I will never do, even though I want to.

Our Fe is like the tiny legs on a whale. Nobody wants that. I read in a profile that INTPs' Fe will urge them to frequently use niceness words like hi and thank you and there you go my friend enjoy your meal goodbye, but those words seem to have so little energy put into them as to be vacuous. I have to agree with that. It's an empty ritual, but I feel I have to do it, and I get annoyed when other people don't say at least a few courteous words to a cashier, for example.

My thoughts about it are basically what's been said already, but I wanted to write something to help me think more.


I understand Fe to be a set of processes which motivate and help you to become aware of the emotions and feelings other people are having, not merely for the purposes of seeking stimulation and understanding (which Ti plus Ne by themselves are happy to do in as neutral a way as possible), but also with a goal of increasing or maintaining harmony between people.

The problem for the INTP is that the task of maintaining harmony is a very prescriptive one, yet we feel its pull right there in our stack. Some things definitely seem to promote harmony, and some things definitely don't. But Ti+Ne desire complete freedom for their strategy of ascertaining what's true. If they operate only within the bounds of what Fe believes is kosher, they risk failing to pursue tangents that may have led to more complete understanding. Then, there's the simple mechanics that promoting harmony is a never ending, time-consuming task. If the INTP is spending all their time being a caring shoulder or activity partner for all the people they love, they'll end up with no time for their Ti (which is always hungry for time), and they'll be miserable.

So when I have a lot of Fe being projected at me, it can be disconcerting. I can't help but reciprocate some and confront the fact that, in general, I like people and want them to be happy, and want to be a part of what makes them happy. This gets a giant frowny face from Ti. Ti: “You are going to become overly influenced by a bunch of external gunk and be unable to service my needs!”

When I see a lot of Fi, on the other hand, it is far less likely to draw me out of my default Ti+Ne mode. I'll usually just find it confusing and want to analyze it, like anything else I find confusing and want to analyze. It doesn't cause me to suddenly drop my dominant processing mode.

So basically:
-Fi can confuse me and sometimes really irritate me because of my (current and hopefully not indefinite) inability to understand it, but it doesn't make me drop my preferred ways of interacting with the world.
-Fe is something I understand much better, and so find value in, as I feel its slight pull in everything I do. But when I find myself in situations where I'm drawn into expressing it a lot, or becoming primarily motivated by it, I begin to neglect my strongest processes. So, sometimes I find the pull of Fe terrifying.
-Both of them can become sticking points for different reasons. The one that bugs me more at the moment will probably be the last one I ran into issues with.

Ti and Fi are concordant - they are both internal means of making judgements. There is just one principle difference: One uses subjective criteria, the other objective.

Fe on the other hand, is not internalized. Not only does it use subjective values exclusively, it also sees the world in 'should be's. To Ti, this line of thinking does not really compute - chatting to someone you don't care about achieves nothing, why exert the energy?

Fe on the other hand, sees self-entertainment, making someone feel good about themselves and establishment of an emotional bond. Ti values none of these things, seeing them as trite and entirely irrelevant to it's decision making process.

Although it's not going to be primarily used, a healthy Ti user should be able to weigh up subjective criteria when making a decision - and vice versa. I think Ti has more to gain from Fi than Fe.