[tangential]

For those of you who are strong N's but borderline T/F, are there times when you feel quite strongly T and other times strongly F? And, (I am curious) which you prefer, to be more T or more F, or more precisely, the pros and cons of both.

[ertertwert]

While I am technically an F, I don't use it like one. I only use Fe to pick up on other people's reactions and feelings so that I can better state my case. Both my Ni and Ti are extremely dominant (I took a test to see how often I use all 8 of my functions and I had those tied).

[penchant]

I'm to very strong on Ni and Ti (and also Te), but not so much on Fe, despite it being my auxiliary. It comes from not using it enough I guess, and being in T mode makes me feel very unbalanced and self-absorbed, so I can't say I enjoy it. Using F makes my life more complete, but NiFe is still very introspective. Plus, I am not always confident extroverting, so that makes me shy away from my Fe at times.

Both me and ertertwert are INFJs. I think function order makes a lot of a difference here, and that just going by the MBTI dichotomies is not enough, so don't draw any conclusions based on only us two. And if you have the time, spend some of it looking up the concept of Cognitive Functions and how it relates to MBTI.

[rowingineden]

I always feel like F is my core, but sometimes (in overall development, in mood, or in certain situations) I have stronger T behavior/tendencies. Certainly, my F and T are always present and moderate because of each other.

You could see this as a functions thing:
Fi - strong emotional/moral/personal center
Te - moderates Fi with objectivity and logic

[sunblocker]

I was definitely an F as a child, and so I think I do have that emotionality at my core. Also, my thinking is less linear than a T, so I'm pretty sure I'm an F. But I have a very T-like love of knowledge, prefer logical decisions over emotional ones, and I usually don't get overly emotional about things. At least not lately. But yeah, it's definitely a spectrum. I've begun mentally placing people on a chart where the y axis is intuition and sensing and the x axis is thinking and feeling. It's a nice way to entertain myself.

[SubterraneanHomesickAlien]

I'm almost directly in between the two. It is certainly possible to be in the middle like that, but it would be unusual if one were to have both as a primary means of decision-making. For instance, my Fi is sort of crippled... it's always just sitting there, but I never actually use it for anything. If I used both my Ti and Fi to make a decision, I'd get nothing done... oh wait, I get nothing done anyways. Nevermind

[KateAusten]

I'm generally more T when I'm more depressed or isolated. At my best I'm more F. My functions test said I use Fi more than Ti, and I agree -- I'm generally internally preoccupied with emotions and principles, not analysis or thinking.

It depends on the situation too. When I'm making decisions for myself, I'm more likely to follow my heart, I don't really get making pro-con lists for major decisions and such things. When I'm giving feedback to others, I'm more likely to try to be objective than to say whatever makes them feel better or automatically take their side. I suppose internally I'm more F but my T comes out more externally?

[Raichan]

When it comes to politics, I can suddenly switch to T mode.

[blackandindie]

While I am technically an F, I don't use it like one. I only use Fe to pick up on other people's reactions and feelings so that I can better state my case. Both my Ni and Ti are extremely dominant (I took a test to see how often I use all 8 of my functions and I had those tied).

Me in a nutshell. Thanks for that.

[BewilderBeast]

I've only done 1 "group" MBTI test, and a number of online ones, so I don't know much about "functional preferences" or whatever. HOWEVER, I always come up extremely close on my F and T scores. In fact, my day job involves working as a finance worker (T type job) in the community sector (F type sector). For me, I think it works like this:

When there's a problem that DOESN'T involve people (such as sorting out a statistical data collection system), I'm quite a happy T worker. When there's a problem that DOES involve people (such as mediating between work collegues with a personality clash), I use the F very effectively.

I do wonder if having very close T- F scores is what makes me quite good at explaining T type concepts (such as balance sheets and budgets) to F type people (the social workers I work with).

In fact, for years I thought I was a T (mostly ENTP). I'm now pretty sure I'm an F. I've finally reached this decision mainly because the work I want to do and most of my recreational pursuits are much more F oriented. I find that when I'm doing something for the enjoyment of it, I behave much more like an F. When I do something for a purpose, I behave more like a T. This means that for the years I pursued classical singing as a potential career, I would unwittingly sabotage myself by over-analysing and over-thinking the process and technique of singing (very T of me - this is major reason I thought I was a T for so long). As soon as I abandoned the dream of a full-time singing career, I started singing much better as I allowed myself to enjoy (therefore feel) the act of performing and of communicating with an audience.

Generally, I think of myself as an NP rather than an NT or NF. N and P are easily my two strongest preferences. That seems to allow for a multitude of sins!