# How does Fe experience emotions?



## mrgreendots (May 21, 2011)

As an Fi dominant it's hard to imagine how Fe manifests. I've got a few questions, especially for Fe dominants and auxiliary.

-How much do you feel when there's no one around you?

-How do you experience emotions on an internal level?

-How aware are you of your own emotions when you're with other's vs. when you're alone?

-The Fe function has the gift of knowing what to do to improve the mood of a person or a crowd, how well does it work when you're trying to improve your own emotions when alone? Do you seek out others? If so, what do you seek from them in a time of need?

-Do inanimate objects or nature (not including animals) affect your mood?

-Can you describe what it feels like to be very happy compared to being really sad on a physical level (where do you feel the emotion, how is it directed etc.)

Please feel free to add any extra information that might be relevant.

I just can't wrap my head around you Fe's!!


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## bobdaduck (Apr 24, 2010)

Dude, they feel emotions the same as anybody else.

The thing is simply that Fe users express themselves for other people's benefit, and not for their own. Classic example is a Fe user and a Fi user read a funny something on the internet: Fi user laughs at the computer screen even though there is nobody to hear them laughing, whereas a Fe user doesn't laugh because there is nobody to receive the compliment of laughter. Fe user is still amused, just doesn't express it.

Its also important to note that Feeling is not necessarily the same meaning as "emotions".


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## Psithurism (Jun 19, 2013)

bobdaduck said:


> Dude, they feel emotions the same as anybody else.
> 
> The thing is simply that Fe users express themselves for other people's benefit, and not for their own. Classic example is a Fe user and a Fi user read a funny something on the internet: Fi user laughs at the computer screen even though there is nobody to hear them laughing, whereas a Fe user doesn't laugh because there is nobody to receive the compliment of laughter. Fe user is still amused, just doesn't express it.
> 
> Its also important to note that Feeling is not necessarily the same meaning as "emotions".


That example is far too simplistic and problematic but your last line is correct. Feeling, as Jung put it, is simply judging whether something is ''good'' or ''bad'', agreeable or not or discerning moral and ethical value in general. 

The type of logic is simply differentiated by their attitude depending on whether Fe or Fi is valued. Fe is objective (because it orients towards the object seeking to ''align'' with it) and Fi is subjective (because it moves away from the object in order to evaluate it).

Other than that, answering the questions in the OP will easily entail stereotypes.

I feel Socionics makes it less likely to confuse Feeling with emotions by calling it ''Ethics''. There's nothing that makes it impossible for an ESTJ to appear more ''emotional'' (assuming this is even a plausible thing to distinguish) than an INFP.


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## dinkytown (Dec 28, 2013)

Blissful Melancholy said:


> That example is far too simplistic and problematic but your last line is correct. Feeling, as Jung put it, is simply judging whether something is ''good'' or ''bad'', agreeable or not or discerning moral and ethical value in general.
> 
> The type of logic is simply differentiated by their attitude depending on whether Fe or Fi is valued. Fe is objective (because it orients towards the object seeking to ''align'' with it) and Fi is subjective (because it moves away from the object in order to subjectively assess it).
> 
> ...


Agreed with that last part. 

Describing the feeling functions is one area where socionics does a superior job of describing than Myers Briggs.


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## mrgreendots (May 21, 2011)

bobdaduck said:


> Classic example is a Fe user and a Fi user read a funny something on the internet: Fi user laughs at the computer screen even though there is nobody to hear them laughing, whereas a Fe user doesn't laugh because there is nobody to receive the compliment of laughter. Fe user is still amused, just doesn't express it.
> .


I've observed the complete opposite with my sister(INFJ) and I. She laughs a lot more than I do when there's no one around. 
From my observations I got that Fe experiences emotions outwardly while Fi experiences them inwardly. 
What I don't get is that feelings don't seem to be experienced the same. (yes, feelings being different from emotions)
For Fi feelings are like bundles of information. I get a feeling that a picture gives off and I suddenly understand it. It's not the symbolism or the composition, it's just the feeling. Fe doesn't seem to experience feelings as information like that. What do you experience them as? In what way do you value feelings?


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## shakti (Oct 10, 2012)

mrgreendots said:


> As an Fi dominant it's hard to imagine how Fe manifests. I've got a few questions, especially for Fe dominants and auxiliary.
> 
> -How much do you feel when there's no one around you?
> 
> ...


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## kitsu (Feb 13, 2013)

mrgreendots said:


> I've observed the complete opposite with my sister(INFJ) and I. She laughs a lot more than I do when there's no one around.
> From my observations I got that Fe experiences emotions outwardly while Fi experiences them inwardly.
> What I don't get is that feelings don't seem to be experienced the same. (yes, feelings being different from emotions)
> For Fi feelings are like bundles of information. I get a feeling that a picture gives off and I suddenly understand it. It's not the symbolism or the composition, it's just the feeling. Fe doesn't seem to experience feelings as information like that. What do you experience them as? In what way do you value feelings?


Completely agree with this, I find it very hard to connect to Fe types because the emotion doesn't seem "raw" in a sense, it's always directed at things.

For example, when I still lived with my INFJ mother she used to get mad at me for forgetting to do chores all the time (which I can understand, I can be such an airhead). Thing is, she would express it like "how could you do that, you never listen to me", but she's not expressing what she's actually feeling, which would be "I have a much stronger need for orderliness than you do, and I understand that since that's not part of how you function, you often forget, but it's making me feel like you don't respect me enough to think about your impact on my life and therefore there is an imbalance in our relationship, I'm starting to resent you and bitterness is never good" (extrapolated for the sake of illustration)


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## Ritual (Sep 17, 2013)

I may as well throw my two cents in, as someone with fairly underdeveloped Fe I generally don't understand what I'm feeling almost ever, unless I've sat there and talked with others, done some research and really analyzed my psychological state, physical state and mood I can't come to a conclusion. I now know some of them but not all, I guess I always thought of Fe as being able to recognize other peoples emotions more than your own and you try to help the group at large more so than yourself (Not saying Fi users are selfish.).

I've never really been able to pick up on other peoples emotional state unless I get some kind of explicit audio/visual que.



mrgreendots said:


> Fe experiences emotions outwardly while Fi experiences them inwardly.


This is basically you hitting the nail on the head, Fe users are much easier (In my opinion but of course everyones different.) to "read", they show their emotion much more than an Fi user would. My emotions are fairly fucked, one minute something is going on I feel terrible and on the surface you can't tell, then the next they'll hit me again and I cry they kinda have their way with me. 

I've always thought F users probably lead a happier life than Ts but I'm not sure, I'll need more research.


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## Ritual (Sep 17, 2013)

Hurricane said:


> *doesn't seem "raw" in a sense, it's always directed at things.*


Could you please elaborate some more?


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## FallingSlowly (Jul 1, 2013)

Like others already said: Fe has nothing to do with emotions per se, and every type has/experiences emotions. Fe is just about object-oriented value judgment - not more, not less. It doesn't make your emotions deeper or shallower, neither does the Fe-process as such need to involve any emotions at all.

I'll still try to answer your questions, but I'd like to add that they only convey how one particular Fe-user experiences emotions, and I personally wouldn't advise anyone to think "that's what Fe is like" (reasons already given - the way I deal with my emotions doesn't really say much about my Fe judgments).

*-How much do you feel when there's no one around you?*
That really depends. Sometimes nothing, sometimes a lot. It's totally situational. Sometimes, emotions are triggered internally, sometimes through an outer stimulus. I don't feel more or less just because I'm alone.

*-How do you experience emotions on an internal level?*
Deep and sometimes physical. I think I experience emotions in much the same way as every other human being tbh. Sometimes they are really just internalised, sometimes they need to come out, even if I'm alone. 

*-How aware are you of your own emotions when you're with other's vs. when you're alone?*
I am _always_ aware of my emotions. The fact whether I'm alone or with other people plays absolutely no part. The only difference is that I might choose to override my emotions if the situation warrants it, e.g. not to upset other people. I am very aware of other people's emotions, and they often affect my own, but I also seem to be able to affect theirs.

*-The Fe function has the gift of knowing what to do to improve the mood of a person or a crowd, how well does it work when you're trying to improve your own emotions when alone? Do you seek out others? If so, what do you seek from them in a time of need?*
No, I prefer being on my own. I just let them flow and tend not to hold on to them for too long, especially when they're negative/destructive.

*-Do inanimate objects or nature (not including animals) affect your mood?*
Yes, but it depends on the object, situation etc.

*-Can you describe what it feels like to be very happy compared to being really sad on a physical level (where do you feel the emotion, how is it directed etc.)*
Happy: No strong physical sensations apart from higher energy levels and wanting to share/connect with people.

Sad: Stronger physical sensation, often chest/throat. Higher physical tension levels, feeling the need for release (e.g. crying, but usually not physical activity). Definite need to be alone.


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## kitsu (Feb 13, 2013)

Ritual said:


> Could you please elaborate some more?


As a Fi type, my internal world is primarily made up of emotions, I'm very aware of _how_ I'm experiencing things. I have the impression that Fe types don't work like this. I'm not saying they don't experience things, there's a difference between being aware of something and being focused on it. You're aware that there's a poster on the wall, doesn't mean you're looking at it.

Fe attribute their feelings to the external source they're coming from, and Fi attributes its emotions to itself.

The different causal links would be:
Fe: I'm reacting this way because X situation happened
Fi: If I'm reacting this way, it's because I'm of nature Y and that's how I respond to X situation

Basically in my mind my feelings are more "raw" because I'm paying direct attention to the feelings themselves, not what triggered them in the outside world (not one way is essentially better than another, though)

Edit: my use of "experiencing things" here could be confused with sensing, I meant emotions primarily, not sensory experiences


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## Ritual (Sep 17, 2013)

Hurricane said:


> As an Fi type, my internal world is primarily made up of emotions, I'm very aware of _how_ I'm experiencing things. I have the impression that Fe types don't work like this. I'm not saying they don't experience things, there's a difference between being aware of something and being focused on it. You're aware that there's a poster on the wall, doesn't mean you're looking at it.
> 
> Fe attribute their feelings to the external source they're coming from, and Fi attributes its emotions to itself.
> 
> ...


Hmm interesting, thanks for elaborating.


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## Ritual (Sep 17, 2013)

@FallingSlowly you say you're very aware of other peoples emotions? I was just wondering if you knew how to handle someones emotions when you're with them? Like do you understand their emotional "needs"? Whether someone needs "Tough-love" or not etc.

I'm just wondering because it could be helpful for me in the long run.


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## Eudaimonia (Sep 24, 2013)

_This might not be too helpful in understanding Fe because I don't know how typical I am actually.

_*-How much do you feel when there's no one around you?

*I feel more when there is no one around it seems to me because otherwise I feel a bit overwhelmed by others' emotions when I'm in a group and it is very draining to be with people for too long for me.

*-How do you experience emotions on an internal level?*

Wild storm of emotions that I work through daily whether uplifting or damning. I rather deal with them internally because I'm an Introvert to the nth degree.

*-How aware are you of your own emotions when you're with other's vs. when you're alone?
*
When I'm with others my emotions can become muted and sometimes I'm confused by what I'm feeling as opposed to what someone else is feeling. That is why it is good for me to seperate myself from other people to reassess what I'm feeling so I can get a better handle on my feelings and differentiate what are my feelings and what were the feelings I was picking up in the group or the other person. I'm more aware of my own emotions when I'm alone with very little stimulus to distract me.

*-The Fe function has the gift of knowing what to do to improve the mood of a person or a crowd, how well does it work when you're trying to improve your own emotions when alone? Do you seek out others? If so, what do you seek from them in a time of need?
*
I suppose I notice that every little thing that a person says or how they act in a group effects the group on some level. People pick up on cues from others whether they are aware of it or not, so I guess I try to be a bit more positive and try not to be a downer around people. I can work through my own emotions when alone better. I don't normally seek out others. I rather figure out what is happening before I share what I'm feeling. I usually seek intellectual stimulation more than emotional stimulation from friends.

*-Do inanimate objects or nature (not including animals) affect your mood?
*
Most objects don't normally change my mood (I'm not a sentimental person), but I like tall buildings for some reason. I like driving and seeing the scenery change quickly. Nature is calming whether it be the woods or the beach.

*-Can you describe what it feels like to be very happy compared to being really sad on a physical level (where do you feel the emotion, how is it directed etc.)
*
If I'm happy, I feel more energized and peppy. If my mood is less chipper and mellow, then I might be in a neutral or more cerebral mood. If I'm sad, I'm slower and tired normally and I might sleep for a longer period of time and not clean my house... i.e. less productive.

*Please feel free to add any extra information that might be relevant.
*
This is probably a poor example of how I see a difference in Fe versus Fi in my experience which starts with my Grandmother who is an ISFP and she would buy everyone a box of HER favourite chocolates. And, they were good most people would agree.

My ISFJ mother would buy something she thought other people said was their favourite even if she misunderstood or forgot who said what and mixed it up, it was about the other person and not herself. In a way I think my grandmother made things less stressful by handing people a part of herself instead of trying to figure out what each person might want.

Both are fine in my book, but it is how one either looks at values and concentrates on what is going on as a society or group or the individual and the self.

Everyone does all of these on some level but some people will concentrate more on society on the whole or put greater value on the inner quest of the individual.


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## Mammon (Jul 12, 2012)

what is this i dont even


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## Psychopomp (Oct 3, 2012)

What @Eudaimonia said, mostly. The only big difference from this is that all of this tends to fall off or get suppressed with me... like it falls asleep and I just become Ti... and then I'll get this feeling that something is WRONG, and Fe will wake up and panic and cry out OH GOD WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? and scramble around and make a fool of us both.

I am a feeling chameleon, though. I not only have trouble differentiating my own feeling from that of others, especially in serious situation, but I honestly am just as likely to not comprehend a need for a difference at all. 

It is what WE are feeling. And often times I own it so much that even though the who crisis revolves around someone else, nevertheless we are one and I will absorb all the harm and all the relief. 

Sometimes, this is so broad strokes that I will connect with a vibe and an emotion that even the person themselves, especially if they are Fi, aren't even caught up in. 

Simply put, an Fe will want to create a consensus of value judgment. Fi will remain antagonistic to that consensus.
Also, a Te will want to create a consensus of critical logic. Ti will remain antagonistic to that consensus. 

In both cases, the Je function is so objective that it will act as if the most obvious answer is just that, and will tend to see the antagonistic view as just that.


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## Aha (Mar 6, 2014)

I was dating Fe-aux for two years when I was a teenager. It was a draining emotionally experience but, I think, it overdeveloped my Fe (comparing to average ENTP maybe). I sometimes think my Fe is more developed than Ti (but it is not)

*-How much do you feel when there's no one around you?*

Oh a lot. I daydream all the time except when I actually dream and I fantasize a miriad of scenarios and I can feel for any of them. I can even fantisize a scenario and shed a tear for it. And it depends on a music - when I switch it - the scenario changes and I change mood.

*-How do you experience emotions on an internal level?*

When I happy it is the best thing in the Universe - pureness When I sad - it is still a beautiful thing. It contracts something inside and it feels strange but it is an awesome emotion - I love changes.

*-How aware are you of your own emotions when you're with other's vs. when you're alone?*

I am highly aware of them when I alone - I express them in my daydreams or physically or both.
With others - my emotions are erased and there written other things entirely. I feel others mood and I know how to pull strings to change it in accordance to what I want. It is a subtle thing and done almost intuitively without a plan or thought. For the most part it is a change from serious mood to a joker parade. And can be applicable to any situation, whether it to make my words more dramatic or to shush everyone.

*-The Fe function has the gift of knowing what to do to improve the mood of a person or a crowd, how well does it work when you're trying to improve your own emotions when alone? Do you seek out others? If so, what do you seek from them in a time of need?*

I think it is the most "extroverted" in terms of people interaction function. You cannot improve them without external factor (can be a book or music but...pfff). I always hunger for people to speak with. If I am suffocating from emotion I need to speak with a lot of people about any topic. Otherwise it is a stressrisk 

*-Do inanimate objects or nature (not including animals) affect your mood?*

They affect the way my daydreams are going sometimes so it tangibly can affect it

*-Can you describe what it feels like to be very happy compared to being really sad on a physical level (where do you feel the emotion, how is it directed etc.)*

First energizes above the possible maximum imaginable. The second does something to the insides but I feel wonderful and full of extasy.
[HR][/HR]

Now then, there are some values to Fe. But instead of keeping them to yourself you try to put them onto others too. Actually, it is all about that - Fe tries to manipulate others in accordance to what you feel or value. You even willing to shake their entire worldview for that. There is also a dark side to it, of course. In a bad minds it is a powerfull weapon. You better watch out.


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## Aha (Mar 6, 2014)

And this of course:


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## dinkytown (Dec 28, 2013)

Aha said:


> I was dating Fe-aux for two years when I was a teenager. It was a draining emotionally experience but, I think, it overdeveloped my Fe (comparing to average ENTP maybe). I sometimes think my Fe is more developed than Ti (but it is not)


That can happen quite often (leaning more on your tertiary than auxiliary function). Look up Dom-Tert loops.


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## Aha (Mar 6, 2014)

benchwarmer said:


> That can happen quite often (leaning more on your tertiary than auxiliary function). Look up Dom-Tert loops.


Yes, thank you  I expirienced that (Ne-Fe) for a few years in the past. I will write about it in the thread about loops.


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## mrgreendots (May 21, 2011)

May I remind people that I initially just asked for Fe users to help me understand their function.

Until now I just learned about what Fi users and Fe users think about each other and whenever a thread turns in to Fi vs Fe it's just all about defense and superiority.

Can we not derail the thread and just stick to the topic? 

Anyway
@ENTPreneur What you mention about needing to develop Fe if you're Fi and Fi if you're Fe doesn't make much sense to me. I agree that it's good to have both Fe and Fi in a group or whatever else but developing a shadow function may be very difficult with little to no success in the long run because people are always going to see and understand the other function through their own. Dr. AJ Drenth (the guy who made Personalityjunkie) mentioned that a healthy person naturally develops their functional stacking by using their first two functions effectively. This leads to my point that an introverted function doesn't necessarily need to develop it's extroverted counterpart to function properly, it just needs AN extroverted function and the other way around.
Developing and using a person's first two functions properly will usually be enough for a person not to be shallow or self centered.


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## FearAndTrembling (Jun 5, 2013)

mrgreendots said:


> May I remind people that I initially just asked for Fe users to help me understand their function.
> 
> Until now I just learned about what Fi users and Fe users think about each other and whenever a thread turns in to Fi vs Fe it's just all about defense and superiority.
> 
> ...


I think Jung said something similar. The auxiliary acts as a bridge, that soften the transition/lessens resistance. So the auxiliary could be kind of seen as a lynchpin. So if you are Ni, Fe, Ti, Se, and want to develop Se, you use Fe. Or something like that.


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## Kabosu (Mar 31, 2012)

mrgreendots said:


> May I remind people that I initially just asked for Fe users to help me understand their function.
> 
> Until now I just learned about what Fi users and Fe users think about each other and whenever a thread turns in to Fi vs Fe it's just all about defense and superiority.
> 
> ...


When I read more of the responses, it seems like the different F functions tend to clash so much because they're always seeing around each other and don't seem to read on the same page. That's what fascinated me when finally reading the Fi user's responses.


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## Aha (Mar 6, 2014)

This thread became *F*-cist 





But Fe is still cooler


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## FearAndTrembling (Jun 5, 2013)

I wanted to add:

Some people may mistake Fe for what Jung called, passive feeling. Or "intuitive feeling". Like if I see some woman, she just pulls the feeling out of me. But it wasn't actually a value judgement on my part. That kind of feeling is passive, and Jung said it wasn't rational. Which it clearly isn't. Jung made the distinction that a lot feeling is actually irrational. All rational feeling has to involve a value judgement. It can't be involuntary. 

So I think some people assume Fe is passive, and that is why you get the critique of it being superficial, inauthentic, etc.. Because passive feeling is actually those things. Like a conflict breaks out somewhere, and people just assume that because I want to end the conflict, it is because the feeling was "pulled" out of me by the environment involuntarily. The same way a woman pulls it out of me. But it isn't, there were actual values being assessed, and judgement being passed out. They just come from a different perspective and have different goals than Fi. But both are active, rational feeling. I need the environment to awaken my values, because I don't understand them without relations to it, but the environment does not actually create my feelings on the spot.


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## ENTPreneur (Dec 13, 2009)

The F combined with other functions make the behavior.... Fi is naught without its complimentary companion functions etc. My thought is that Fi=Self and Fe is more outer harmony/We, and that the e and i depend on the other functions (come out was such depending on full "Type"). 

I think the clash comes from Fi considering itself as non-intrusive and that Fe:s strategy to stretch out and effect others through questions or behavior is not "genuine" when Fe:ers adapt and change their behavior to accommodate the recipient. Thus Fe is intrusive according to Fi. Fi becomes victim through passivity and Fe becomes culprit through being active.

How to address this...My Fe wish to educate us all and make us wiser. 

Somethings to consider perhaps:
• Fe is a function with an Action strategy: It tries to act to fix things and reach desired outcome (and the desired outcome has lot of leeway/margin - normally not that detailed other than particulars). Fi is passive. But remember that being passive is NOT being without guilt or responsibility, nor does it not effect other people.

• Fe can try to connect to others through understanding and taking others standpoint (or at least not having a rigid one self), not being consistent depending on recipient. The CONSISTENCY IS THE DESIRED OUTCOME! The road there varies due to landscape (personalities to effect). The Self is weaker and the curiosity and acceptance of other values is probably bigger than Fi. See diagram from Aha above in thread. 

• Fe values, though probably not rigid, can be very consistent and often match those of Fi:ers.

• The Fe curiosity and interest put upon interaction probably make us better at reading people as practice makes perfect. 

• Side effect is that Fe needs interaction. The constant adaptation and accommodation to others is seen as shallow to Fi:ers who desires "Truth" and "Consistency". Philosophical arguments of Truth aside, see Fe as an "Accommodation" layer, or Diplomacy communication layer. Fe is more diplomatic. Fi is more absolute due to depending on core values.

• Fi cannot be rationalized in the same way as Fe (Fe is logical/objective per Jung). Fe is pragmatical and does what it has to until it reaches the limits of the strained value system of the Fe-user, when they become as tough as the Fi user.

• Basic problem is that everyone believes that others think like they do... That is what to take from MBTI: It simply is not so... We think differently.... Use differing logics or use different value systems. To understand is to forgive and allows you to adapt. Or is that just Fe?


EDIT: I must say that I am big on Fi too; I cannot stand people without opinions etc. I really think I understand where they are coming from (Fi:ers).... I just think that FOR THE COMMON GOOD, or for the growth as individuals, we cannot allow to be too rigid in value systems (Too judgmental). 

Ne positivity/naivite for ye....


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## Aha (Mar 6, 2014)

FearAndTrembling said:


> I wanted to add:
> 
> Some people may mistake Fe for what Jung called, passive feeling. Or "intuitive feeling".


It reminds me of those situations when I _intutively_ feel/know what and how to say. I do not think about it at all
Maybe it depends on the place of the Fe(dom, aux, tert) and with which function it is _looped_.
As for rationality - I wouldn't call any feeling rational. And I do not understand the concept of the passiveness/activeness of feeling at all. You either extrovert them or not. 

Do you mean that what you feel of others is passive; what you want others to feel from you is active?


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