# Fe vs Fi



## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

Years ago, I happened to be walking down a street with a friend when I spotted an old wooden board lying by the side of the walkway, the nails driven through it pointed up so that anyone walking past might accidentally step on it and injure himself. That was the thought and picture that went through my mind. So I stopped, reached down, and turned the board over so the nails pointed into the ground. Seeing this, my friend said, "you're a moral person". 

Was this Fe or Fi that prompted me to do this? Or neither?


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## Modal Soul (Jun 16, 2013)

good question


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## PaladinX (Feb 20, 2013)

ae1905 said:


> Years ago, I happened to be walking down a street with a friend when I spotted an old wooden board lying by the side of the walkway, the nails driven through it pointed up so that anyone walking past might accidentally step on it and injure himself. That was the thought and picture that went through my mind. So I stopped, reached down, and turned the board over so the nails pointed into the ground. Seeing this, my friend said, "you're a moral person".
> 
> Was this Fe or Fi that prompted me to do this? Or neither?


Why did you do it?


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

PaladinX said:


> Why did you do it?


As I said, when I saw the nails I immediately thought of someone else stepping on that and it made me cringe. It was also simple to do. So I turned the nails over.

But as long as I can remember I've had an awareness of others. For example, in traffic, I usually act to make the flow of traffic work for everyone, not just for myself. In elections, I've always considered what would be good for my country before thinking of what might be good for me. Politically, I've always leaned left and been sympathetic to the less advantaged. 

I don't want to paint myself as a saint, because I'm certainly not that. I _am _selfish, too, maybe sometimes to a fault. But I do have this awareness of a greater good, of something bigger than myself. But I think it may be Ti objectivity and not Fe greater social good. INTPs can be quite dispassionate and this awareness of something bigger may be a byproduct of that attitude.


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## ai.tran.75 (Feb 26, 2014)

ae1905 said:


> Years ago, I happened to be walking down a street with a friend when I spotted an old wooden board lying by the side of the walkway, the nails driven through it pointed up so that anyone walking past might accidentally step on it and injure himself. That was the thought and picture that went through my mind. So I stopped, reached down, and turned the board over so the nails pointed into the ground. Seeing this, my friend said, "you're a moral person".
> 
> Was this Fe or Fi that prompted me to do this? Or neither?


I would think neither- but sounds more FE 

FE - I should turn this board over in case the next person step on it

Fi- whoa what if this happened to me - I should turn this board over in case the next person step on it 

However with that said I don't think turning the board over deals with Fi or FE .


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## uncertain (May 26, 2012)

I don't think it's Fe or Fi. Sounds more like perceiving.


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## Satan Claus (Aug 6, 2013)

Maybe just common sense? Why did you feel or think that flipping the board would be necessary?


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

uncertain said:


> I don't think it's Fe or Fi. Sounds more like perceiving.


Perception of the board doesn't lead to an action without the idea, "injury to other people is bad". The question I'm asking is, does this question come from Fe or Fi? Or something else? Why do we _care _if other people are injured by the nails?


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

Satan Claus said:


> Maybe just common sense? Why did you feel or think that flipping the board would be necessary?


The board was lying along a walkway; someone could have stepped on it, say at night, or fell on it. 

What is common sense? How does that explain my actions? Unpack that for me.


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## uncertain (May 26, 2012)

ae1905 said:


> Perception of the board doesn't lead to an action without the idea, "injury to other people is bad". The question I'm asking is, does this question come from Fe or Fi? Or something else? Why do we _care _if other people are injured by the nails?


Both type can think "injury to other people is bad." I definitely do but I don't exactly know why.
http://personalitycafe.com/isfp-forum-artists/280234-confrontation.html

I guess the difference is I would never do injury to other people, but my mind won't necessarily go so far to remove the thing that's potentially dangerous to others. Well maybe that's Se vs Ne because if I see that board I wouldn't have thought that others may step on it. But I think I would try to stop it if someone is beating up another person. I don't know.


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## jinhong91 (Apr 29, 2014)

I think it's more Fe than Fi. Fe tends to care more about others broadly. Fi might care deeply about others if the Fi user has gone through and understands, from what I know about Fi anyways.

Can't say for sure since there has not been a lot of discourse regarding board turning for the greater good.


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

uncertain said:


> Both type can think "injury to other people is bad." I definitely do but I don't exactly know why.
> http://personalitycafe.com/isfp-forum-artists/280234-confrontation.html
> 
> I guess the difference is I would never do injury to other people, but *my mind won't necessarily go so far to remove the thing that's potentially dangerous to others.* Well maybe that's Se vs Ne because if I see that board I wouldn't have thought that others may step on it. But I think I would try to stop it if someone is beating up another person. I don't know.


So after the idea, "injury to others is bad", there has to be the thought, "I should stop bad things from happening to others".

Is Fe more likely than Fi to think this way?


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## ai.tran.75 (Feb 26, 2014)

ae1905 said:


> So after the idea, "injury to others is bad", there has to be the thought, "I should stop bad things from happening to others".
> 
> Is Fe more likely than Fi to think this way?


I wouldn't think so - but an Fi would go through the thoughts of is this my business first before jumping in as to an Fe would react faster .


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

jinhong91 said:


> I think it's more Fe than Fi. Fe tends to care more about others broadly.* Fi might care deeply about others if the Fi user has gone through and understands, *from what I know about Fi anyways.
> 
> Can't say for sure since there has not been a lot of discourse regarding board turning for the greater good.


Yes, on another thread a Fi user described Fe empathy as "feeling what others feel" and Fi empathy as "imagining yourself in others' shoes and what they feel". So if Fi can't imagine being in others' shoes, then it can't empathize. If empathy is necessary for caring, then this might explain why Fe would care more than Fi.

I had another experience where someone told me of some troubles in his life and my reaction was, "what should I _do _to help this person?". I talked to some Fi users whose reactions were, "that's too bad, but he has to fix it himself".


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

ae1905 said:


> Yes, on another thread a Fi user described Fe empathy as "feeling what others feel" and Fi empathy as "imagining yourself in others' shoes and what they feel". So* if Fi can't imagine being in others' shoes*, then it can't empathize. If empathy is necessary for caring, then this might explain why Fe would care more than Fi.
> 
> I had another experience where someone told me of some troubles in his life and my reaction was, "what should I _do _to help this person?". I talked to some Fi users whose reactions were, "that's too bad, but he has to fix it himself".


So if Fi thinks someone is different than himself, then he might not so readily empathize or, maybe, care. Fe, otoh, may simply feel what the other person feels and react to that, and maybe only later think about their differences. 

So Fi is _person first then feelings_; Fe is _feelings first then (maybe) person_.

Does this sound right?


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

ai.tran.75 said:


> I wouldn't think so - but an Fi would go through the thoughts of is this my business first before jumping in as to an Fe would react faster .


OK, but "is this my business?" is another way of saying "should _I_ help--ie, should _I_ stop bad things from happening?" So where Fe answers in the affirmative or just assumes it "should stop bad things from happening", Fi stops to _question _if it should help--ie, Fi is less likely to to think it should stop bad things from happening and more likely to think it is someone else's problem and not theirs.


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

ai.tran.75 said:


> I wouldn't think so - but an Fi would go through the thoughts of is this my business first before jumping in as to an Fe would react faster .


So when you stop to consider if it is your business, is that a Fi process or a Te process--ie, is it feelings or thoughts, "I don't want or feel like getting involved" or "if I get involved x, y, and z will happen"?


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## AvalancheOfApples (Oct 1, 2014)

Any type could do this, but if I was to say which was most likely I'd say a mix of Fe (consideration for others) and Ne (seeing possibilities in the external situation). I know I, an INTP, sometimes do things like this - remove a glass bottle from the road etc. I expect ISFJs do it most.


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## ae1905 (Jun 7, 2014)

AvalancheOfApples said:


> Any type could do this, but if I was to say which was most likely I'd say a mix of Fe (consideration for others) and Ne (seeing possibilities in the external situation). I know I, an INTP, sometimes do things like this - *remove a glass bottle from the road *etc. I expect ISFJs do it most.


ha, I've done that, too!...for me, it's the idea someone might be injured by something I could easily prevent


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## AvalancheOfApples (Oct 1, 2014)

ae1905 said:


> ha, I've done that, too!...for me, it's the idea someone might be injured by something I could easily prevent


Yes. I wouldn't say this kind of thing is particularly important to me though. I have to be in a pretty odd mood, and I need to be alone (and not being watched), in order to do these kinds of acts.


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