An ENTP's perspective on the judging functions

The Judging Functions

Jung calls the judging functions the "rational" functions. He calls them "rational" because they are the functions we use to construct arguments.

Before I begin, I would like to say that none of the functions exist in a vacuum. All of the functions exist within all of us and are accessible to all of us. It is a matter of individual preference.

There are two kinds of arguments available to the human psyche: thinking and feeling.

Feeling in this context refers to the arguments constructed around human emotion of which there are two directions: extroverted and introverted.

Extroverted Feeling
Extroverted Feeling (Fe) is the function that assesses the mood of a room, feels what other people feel, watches a film, identifies with the central character, and wants that character to succeed. Fe is the empathy function. Fe is the function that constructs arguments based on how others are feeling and generally seeks to connect with other people's struggles, joys, triumphs, and/or failures. Fe is the function that connects one person to another.

Fe primaries exemplify warmth and emotional understanding. Fe primaries generally use their warmth to generate warm and loving social environments. For this reason Fe primaries often make compassionate and considerate bosses, friends, parents, etc.

Common enneagram types: 2, 6,
also: 4, 3, 9, 1

Introverted Feeling
Introverted Feeling (Fi) is the function that assesses one's personal emotional and ethical data. These arguments are framed around the central questions:
Who do I want to be? Who am I? What do I like? What do I want to do?
Are my actions consistent with what I believe to be good?
Am I behaving in a way that I believe to be good? What are the emotional implications of that statement? What does that mean to me? Would this make me happy in the long run?

The Fi function absorbs emotional data from world around and creates a framework of how the actions affect the above questions. Because Fi is introverted, it is less directly visible than Fe. The kindness and warmth of the Fi is demonstrated more indirectly through enthusiasm and compassionate understanding than through direct connection of Fe. Because of the complexity of Fi's inner emotional framework, Fi users are among those with gifts for aesthetics and social subtlety.

Common enneagram types: 4, 7, 9
also: 2, 3, 6

Thinking in this context refers to the arguments constructed around human logic of which there are two directions: extroverted and introverted.

Extroverted Thinking
Extroverted Thinking (Te) checks for logical consistency and efficiency in the external world. Te is a function which seeks to structure information and the world in such a way that the argument is agreed to by societal standards. Just like Fe assesses the mood of a room, Te assesses the room in terms of: the arguments being made, the order and structure of the room, and the acceptability of the arguments being made in the room. Te looks for efficiency, order, proof (did you back up your claims?). Te is the realm of standard operating procedures, guidelines, and accepted schools of thought. Te likes to make big theories that encompass methods of organizing and sorting the external world. Te likes to keep track of data and facts.

For this reason, Te primaries are among those who are gifted in the art of scheduling, fact keeping, timeliness, efficiency, order, and structure. Thus, making them gifted teachers, engineers, bureaucrats, soldiers, generals, CEOs, business people, etc.

Common enneagram types: 1, 3, 6, 8
also: 5

Introverted Thinking
Introverted Thinking (Ti) while Te is the method of structuring the external world, Ti is primarily concerned with structuring the internal world. Ti users are not nearly as concerned with the structure and order of the room at large. Rather, the structure, consistency, and logic of the external world is taken in by Ti where it is broken down into pieces and folded into the internal framework of how the external world works which allows Ti users to recall the information quickly when needed. Ti boils arguments, information, and facts down to their most simplified form. Ti users typically have a more difficult time proving how and where they arrived at their conclusions as they are incorporating all the fact data they have boiled down to arrive there. Ti is individual logic rather than societal logic. Ti doesn't concern itself with standard operating procedures and prefers to do and say what makes logical sense to the Ti user.

Ti users have been among some of the most renowned and insightful theorists, writers, and scientists.

Common enneagram types: 5, 3, 8
also: 6, 7

I personally use the template "How would I feel if ___" on as much as possible, yes, I've even done it on inanimate objects. If my action makes someone feel something that I wouldn't like to feel, I apply the same template again atop of that to correct whatever wasn't working. Though I suspect that NFPs more actively reevaluate their Fi-templates where as SFPs more often prefer to reevaluate their Fi-framework once it actually becomes a potential problem.

I use the template because I automatically assume that the most important feelings of an individual is below the surface -- which actually do speak in favor for why NFPs and SFPs generally are considered to have a natural affinity for understanding people.

Originally Posted by marzipan01

The Fi function sucks in emotional data of the world around it

I posted this because I misread this part and got a negative association with "sucks", so I'm suggesting "absorbs" as a better verb in this context.

Originally Posted by marzipan01

The Judging Functions

Jung calls the judging functions the "rational" functions. He calls them "rational" because they are the functions we use to construct arguments.

Before I begin, I would like to say that none of the functions exist in a vacuum. All of the functions exist within all of us and are accessible to all of us. It is a matter of individual preference.

Before you began, you did two things that I greatly appreciate: 1, you divulged how on earth the feeling functions can be considered "rational," and 2, I completely agree that everybody can use all eight cognitive functions, and that, just as we have preferences in type, we have preferences for function use/order. I can't help but laugh at those that say "theory states you only use four functions, so you use four functions." Misguided Ti, probably Ti-Si loop is responsible, IMHO.

Originally Posted by benr3600

I can't help but laugh at those that say "theory states you only use four functions, so you use four functions." Misguided Ti, probably Ti-Si loop is responsible, IMHO.

How do I use Ne instead of Se? I'd like to be Ne for a day just to see how it is.

I like your perspective and agree with you for the most part..

Originally Posted by Inguz

How do I use Ne instead of Se? I'd like to be Ne for a day just to see how it is.

Same way I use Si to learn from mistakes. Pretty much anything you do that could be considered ex nihilo creativity is using Ne. You can't be "Ne dom for a day," but when you have to, you use it. It comes down to a preference, it's as simple as that. I'd like to use Se more often to increase my practical intelligence/observancy, but it's not really one of those things I can just will myself to do.

Originally Posted by benr3600

Same way I use Si to learn from mistakes. Pretty much anything you do that could be considered ex nihilo creativity is using Ne. You can't be "Ne dom for a day," but when you have to, you use it. It comes down to a preference, it's as simple as that. I'd like to use Se more often to increase my practical intelligence/observancy, but it's not really one of those things I can just will myself to do.

I use Fi to learn from mistakes. So what you're saying is that SP artists use Ne alot...?

Not all mistakes are done WRT interpersonal relations/morals :)

Maybe not alot, but probably a bit more often than MBTI theory would suggest. It would still be a shadow function. Just like I use Fe and Ti at times, but predominantly use Fi and Te day to day.

Extroverted Feeling
Extroverted Feeling (Fe) is the function that assesses the mood of a room, feels what other people feel, watches a film, identifies with the central character, and wants that character to succeed. Fe is the empathy function. Fe is the function that constructs arguments based on how others are feeling, how actions might make others feel, and generally seeks to connect with other people's struggles, joys, triumphs, and/or failures. Fe is the function that connects one person to another.

Fe primaries exemplify warmth and emotional understanding. Fe primaries generally use their warmth to generate warm and loving social environments. Fe primaries are among those gifted in keeping track of their loved ones' emotional data (so and so likes this, or Shelly has band practice on Thursday, etc.) For this reason Fe primaries often make gifted coordinators, and organizers of people. Compassionate and considerate bosses, friends, parents, etc.

The bolded parts are more FeNi --- and underlined parts are more FeSi.

Keeping track of emotional, or any data related to another person really is actually pretty hard for FeNi ... and it's just as hard for FeSi to predict how actions will make others feel until and unless they've been in a similar situation, or have experienced a similar situation. FeSi individuals can get better or worse at this as this grow older, but FeNi individuals are inherently highly apt at predicting.

The problem area for FeNi is trusting intuition, and therefore not relying on it.

Originally Posted by Inguz

I posted this because I misread this part and got a negative association with "sucks", so I'm suggesting "absorbs" as a better verb in this context.

I imagine introverted functions as black holes so that was where I derived the word "sucks" (as in "sucked into the vortex" or "sucked into the Fi vacuum") but I fixed it. I came to this perception of the introverted functions while reading Hobbes whose primary function is Ti and I felt as if the words formed whirl pools that were sucking me into every sentence on the page as I read. I assume that if you had issues with it, other Fi users might be offended by it as well. So, thank you. :)

How do I use Ne instead of Se? I'd like to be Ne for a day just to see how it is.

My next thread is going to be about perceiving functions. I'm hoping that this question will be satisfied there some time later tonight.