# Which inferior function is the worst to have take control?



## J Squirrel (Jun 2, 2012)

I'm sure we've all been incredibly stressed/tired and experienced our inferior function taking control at some point. Undoubtedly, no matter what function it is, the experience sucks. I was thinking though, which of the functions would be the worst to be in the grip of?


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## Herp (Nov 25, 2010)

I guess that for everyone, their own expressions of the inferior will have a greater negative weight attributed to it, since it goes against the most preffered way of the ego.

That being said, Ne is a pest for me, because it's about relying and pursuing possibilities, without much regard for what it is, but for what it could be. This leaves me distressed, because I must know what it is in order to guide myself and adapt/protect. Jumping from thing to thing makes me feel like there's no sense of progression, which eventually means that I'm going too wrong in my life.

However, in a positive influence of the inferior, I can see that jumping from things to things makes me notice that I'm no longer stuck in a rut, experiencing what is there to experience at its fullest. I feel attracted to those who can make me travel through the unknown, while providing me safety that everything will be fine, even if I don't know what's going to happen.


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

I think it depends on the situation which inferior function would be the worst.
The grip can be highly beneficial in many situations.
Like when an Ti user overwhelms me with nitpicky stuff I can go pure Te result oriented and factual on his ass.
Saving myself from major mental pain.


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## niss (Apr 25, 2010)

Herp said:


> I guess that for everyone, their own expressions of the inferior will have a greater negative weight attributed to it, since it goes against the most preferred way of the ego.
> 
> That being said, Ne is a pest for me, because it's about relying and pursuing possibilities, without much regard for what it is, but for what it could be. This leaves me distressed, because I must know what it is in order to guide myself and adapt/protect. Jumping from thing to thing makes me feel like there's no sense of progression, which eventually means that I'm going too wrong in my life.
> 
> However, in a positive influence of the inferior, I can see that jumping from things to things makes me notice that I'm no longer stuck in a rut, experiencing what is there to experience at its fullest. I feel attracted to those who can make me travel through the unknown, while providing me safety that everything will be fine, even if I don't know what's going to happen.


Excellent answer.


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## tanstaafl28 (Sep 10, 2012)

Herp said:


> I guess that for everyone, their own expressions of the inferior will have a greater negative weight attributed to it, since it goes against the most preferred way of the ego.
> 
> That being said, Ne is a pest for me, because it's about relying and pursuing possibilities, without much regard for what it is, but for what it could be. This leaves me distressed, because I must know what it is in order to guide myself and adapt/protect. Jumping from thing to thing makes me feel like there's no sense of progression, which eventually means that I'm going too wrong in my life.
> 
> However, in a positive influence of the inferior, I can see that jumping from things to things makes me notice that I'm no longer stuck in a rut, experiencing what is there to experience at its fullest. I feel attracted to those who can make me travel through the unknown, while providing me safety that everything will be fine, even if I don't know what's going to happen.


 @Herp,

I had to chuckle at this because my wife is an ISTJ, so you know she sees Ne as messy, intangible, ineffecient, and it produces "questionable results." 

On the other hand, I look at her Si as being overly rigid, tedious, narrow-minded, and unimaginative. I recognize the "tried-and-true" methodology as being useful for some things, but it can also become the definition of_ insanity _- Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

When I fall back to Si, I feel trapped in an endless loop of mind numbing details without any room for the possibilites. It's like being caught in an elevator that's stuck between floors. Mental claustrophobia.


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## niss (Apr 25, 2010)

tanstaafl28 said:


> @Herp,
> 
> I had to chuckle at this because my wife is an ISTJ, so you know she sees Ne as messy, intangible, ineffecient, and it produces "questionable results."
> 
> ...


Exactly.

I'm married to SWMBO, the ENFP. She is great at seeing the bigger picture and keeping me from spinning my wheels when I get high-centered.

When she gets to Si, she becomes this very negative, narrowly-focused, controlling individual that can't get anything accomplished. Completely boxed in, she is immobilized by the lack of possibilities.

When I get to Ne, I become a very irresponsible, negative-possibilities, unregulated individual that is completely immobilized by all of the negative possibilities I foresee. So much so that I can begin to yield to hyperventilation, high blood pressure, and an increased heart rate.

She has been a life saver, so many times.


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## Ellis Bell (Mar 16, 2012)

Oh goodness, all you inferior-Ne users sound exactly like my mom does on the odd occasion. Her mind is so orderly and detail-oriented, but when she gets unhappy or stressed out about something, she starts imaging the worst possible scenarios, some not even realistic. Eg, when I was in college and didn't call for a couple of days, she'd start imagining that I was in a heroin den or something.

Having inferior Fe, being in the grip ( or close to it) means that I start seeing that people have ulterior motives--even someone saying "hello" can trigger thoughts of "well, what does that person want from me?" Or I start having unpleasant thoughts about people. Or I'll allow emotion to build up inside myself, so that I end up letting it go at the most inopportune time (which usually leads to a "huh, what was that?" response from other people). It's usually Se that brings me back from the precipice--if I get out and take a walk or go for a run, I can restore equilibrium, then I can regain access to the more detached perspective of Ti.

But to get back to the original question, it definitely depends on the individual, how they react to stress, and the amount that they react. With any inferior function, it's like the filter's been turned off and the floodgates for the negative stuff have opened. One of the key things I think with any inferior function is learning to recognize it when it presents itself, so that when it pops up, you can deal with it better. I think that what @Herp says is certainly true; for example, if I can surrender to Fe (in a good way), I can get out of the eternal over analysis patterns I get into, at least for a short while. But being my dominant function, Ti will always try to step in and take control.


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## cyamitide (Jul 8, 2010)

Inferior Ne looks very weird when it finally surfaces. Inferior Fi can prompt emotional-angry outbreaks, inferior Fe can make a previously stoic person melt into a puddle. I don't know what inferior Si looks like, its outbreaks seem softer than others.


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## StaceofBass (Jul 1, 2012)

There are times when I honestly like my inferior Te...becoming stressed at work and going full Te mode on customers is hilarious. Yeah using logic and sarcasm is fun especially when it pisses them off. *trollface*

The times when I hate my Te are when I get into arguments with family...I get very cold, calculating, and mean...it's like I don't care what I say anymore. Te is a monster in these cases and I try to keep it in check


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## Thalassa (Jun 10, 2010)

My inferior Te can really scare people sometimes, not scared like I'm going to slit their throat, but sudden cold-hearted dictator isn't fun for people who are expecting me to be affectionate and accepting. I am really fucking mean in the grip of Te, I lose all sight of my feelings and the other person's feelings, and suddenly everything is about winning. 

I'll just sit there and systematically analyze and tear someone down. My ESFJ ex said he couldn't even come close to my ability to precisely and coldly deconstruct him as a human being, just break him down into little pieces, the way I insult people in Te mode is truly hurtful, I guess, because it sounds very efficient and scientific and calculated and true. It's also way too specific, so it makes people very uncomfortable.

I was already discussing in another thread how I've had an ISTJ respond to this, with complete and utter ..emo shock, almost, like seriously telling me that I'm meaner to him than anyone he knows or something.

Other than that, I just become very bossy and Sergeant Major-ish, like "things have to be THIS WAY. NOW. STFU and get off your ass and help me." 

I've heard that inferior Se is pretty bad, too, because it can lead to violence.


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## Vanishing Point (Oct 2, 2012)

fourtines said:


> I've heard that inferior Se is pretty bad, too, because it can lead to violence.


I've found it often leads me to Tequila and a massive hangover.


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## silhouesque (Aug 29, 2012)

I'm sure every inferior function, when extreme enough in its degree of non-development, is really bad and generally it's probably the degree to which a function is inferior that makes things bad instead of the particular function that's inferior.

However, I do suspect having inferior Se is particularly difficult because it's the function that does the most obvious thing: help you exist and navigate through the physical world. If Se is inferior, your problem would -- amongst many other problem -- be extremely visible and obvious to everyone, which would make it very hard for you to fit into society. Another problem is, if you can't even survive physically, then it kind of doesn't matter how much of a genius you are with your dominant Ni. Which is probably why so many intuitive geniuses have huge (and very obvious) problems.


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## snowbell (Apr 2, 2012)

Herp said:


> *I guess that for everyone, their own expressions of the inferior will have a greater negative weight attributed to it, since it goes against the most preffered way of the ego.*
> 
> That being said, Ne is a pest for me, because it's about relying and pursuing possibilities, without much regard for what it is, but for what it could be. This leaves me distressed, because I must know what it is in order to guide myself and adapt/protect. Jumping from thing to thing makes me feel like there's no sense of progression, which eventually means that I'm going too wrong in my life.
> 
> However, in a positive influence of the inferior, I can see that jumping from things to things makes me notice that I'm no longer stuck in a rut, experiencing what is there to experience at its fullest. I feel attracted to those who can make me travel through the unknown, while providing me safety that everything will be fine, even if I don't know what's going to happen.


Well said.



StaceofBass said:


> There are times when I honestly like my inferior Te...becoming stressed at work and going full Te mode on customers is hilarious. Yeah using logic and sarcasm is fun especially when it pisses them off. *trollface*
> 
> The times when I hate my Te are when I get into arguments with family...I get very cold, calculating, and mean...it's like I don't care what I say anymore. Te is a monster in these cases and I try to keep it in check


Same. It honestly feels like a part of me has died and something else has taken over, especially considering that so many of my guiding principles are things like "let others be, live and let live, your liberties end where mine begin, etc". so to start dictating to others without seemingly figuring out what they themselves wish to do is anathema, basically. No doubt it can be useful, and I understand that systems, in order to function, often have to forgo the needs of the individual, and also that showing emotion in arguments or debates can be a very bad thing, but usually it... Yeah. It's not nice lol. 

I also wonder what having inferior Ne must be like: it must be horrible, though: constantly seeing the worst in all sorts of things, and possibly being super depressed as a result of it...


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## Elyasis (Jan 4, 2012)

fourtines said:


> I've heard that inferior Se is pretty bad, too, because it can lead to violence.


Well, I wouldn't say it _doesn't_ lead to violence. But I've managed to rein that sucker in. Mostly going away from what is making me lose my cool. I think any of these inferior grip problems can and do have workarounds if you admit you can do something about them.

Then I have to go somewhere quiet and dark for awhile. Because the Se means I'm noticing so much more. But all that does is compound how out of control I almost got.

I clean when stressed. Even if I'm late for something.


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## Swordsman of Mana (Jan 7, 2011)

I would say inferior Se would be pretty scary, but cool at the same time.


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## Scelerat (Oct 21, 2012)

Inferior SE can be fun and it can be a pain in the ass. I actually enjoy indulging in food, good whiskey, on occasion being more extroverted and aware of sensation. I don't so much like the tendency to retain the INTJ scathing remark tendency, combined with a lot of anger.


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## Helios (May 30, 2012)

Inferior Se in heavy doses can be pretty bad in my experience. However, I have found that if you apply it to something useful there are less regrets.


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## Glenda Gnome Starr (May 12, 2011)

My inferior Te is highly irritating. I become bossy and fussy and nitpicky to the point at which I want to tell myself (and everyone else) to shut up. I am usually good about not giving in to my temptation to be a verbal editor. When I am in the grip of inferior Te, I give into that temptation, and I criticize other people's use of bad grammar (which keeps me busy for quite some time because of the pervasiveness of English-language abuse). I want to reorganize everything and everyone, and I become annoyingly like a control freak. My inferior Te wants me to become a Little Dictator but, at some point, it gets tired and goes away.


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## Muser (Jul 17, 2011)

Inferior Fe can be quite a monster. 
At times, there's a lot of "I'm depressed...so depressed. Forever alone" which I think has gone to a point where I've hardened up and believe "Blah, I don't _need_ to connect with others."
(When healthy, I seek people/family time and try to put myself in a position where I get to utilise my Fe. It's as though my Ti decides "Yes, this is necessary and it will do you good.")


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## skylessclouds (8 mo ago)

cyamitide said:


> Inferior Ne looks very weird when it finally surfaces. Inferior Fi can prompt emotional-angry outbreaks, inferior Fe can make a previously stoic person melt into a puddle. I don't know what inferior Si looks like, its outbreaks seem softer than others.


ohh bestie haha!~ *no.*
usually whenever it does at least for me, I start feeling motivation (not in a good way) to just organize everything and give up in my life and creativity to just follow in a cycle like a robot which my fi usually prevents me to do luckily. but often times its just my inner body quite litterally feeling uncomfortable like id have the urge to bang my head in every corner I see or just ascend my soul off my physical body. basically getting intrusive thoughts that are physical which can get really disturbing sometimes. and it really isn't as peaceful as you think.


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## Sakuzuki_99 (12 mo ago)

My inferior Fi makes me be like this:

When I am under a high amount of stress my Fi tends to take over and I feel lost. Suddenly I gain self-awareness, become a typical moralistic freak, my feelings take over my mind and I can't process things logically. It always consists of me withdrawing from people and just express my feelings by writing or whatever. 
I hate Fi because when I fall into the grip I become an overly emotional irrational girl who looks edgy to others. Also, Fi is a feeling function and feelings are irrational. It does not fit with my dominant Te mindset. Oh yeah, in Fi grips I can't accomplish anything, I just complain about my feelings. 
The only good thing about Fi grip is that I gain a bit of self-awareness and I become more authentic (even though being authentic is a flaw). 
Other than that, I despise my Fi and every thing related to Fi. I'd prefer having Fe in my stack (even being a Fe dom is better than being a Fi user). Thank God it is just my inferior function, I don't know how would I survive with it being my dominant or inferior. 

Maybe I hate Fi because it's my inferior, because that's the only function I dislike


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## Ohndot (Apr 12, 2015)

I think there are a lot of misconceptions about inferior Fe. A mature low Fe person at least can appeal to their Ti or Se to know what's at stake if they screw up. (Assuming they're not compromised in some way) Usually I'm just mellow and polite. The problems happen when inhibitions are lowered by drinking, etc.. Then inappropriate jokes or other raucous behavior might appear as a failed attempt at comradery. It doesn't make me mean as much as makes an ass out of me if I overdo it. Basically it's this: Sometimes I'd like to connect with everybody, but suck at it.

Exhaustion, overexertion, complaining, or nagging are a few that can make me a little prickly. "Shut up." "Go to bed." "Because I don't want to." Stuff like that.


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## Ohndot (Apr 12, 2015)

Sakuzuki_99 said:


> My inferior Fi makes me be like this:
> 
> When I am under a high amount of stress my Fi tends to take over and I feel lost. Suddenly I gain self-awareness, become a typical moralistic freak, my feelings take over my mind and I can't process things logically. It always consists of me withdrawing from people and just express my feelings by writing or whatever.
> I hate Fi because when I fall into the grip I become an overly emotional irrational girl who looks edgy to others. Also, Fi is a feeling function and feelings are irrational. It does not fit with my dominant Te mindset. Oh yeah, in Fi grips I can't accomplish anything, I just complain about my feelings.
> ...


Do you admire Fi in others who do it better than you? My sister is an INFP and she always seems to know what she wants and likes. Very clear sense about what she thinks is "right". I can appreciate high Fe and how suave it can be.


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## tarmonk (Nov 21, 2017)

Sakuzuki_99 said:


> My inferior Fi makes me be like this:
> 
> When I am under a high amount of stress my Fi tends to take over and I feel lost. Suddenly I gain self-awareness, become a typical moralistic freak, my feelings take over my mind and I can't process things logically. It always consists of me withdrawing from people and just express my feelings by writing or whatever.
> I hate Fi because when I fall into the grip I become an overly emotional irrational girl who looks edgy to others. Also, Fi is a feeling function and feelings are irrational. It does not fit with my dominant Te mindset. Oh yeah, in Fi grips I can't accomplish anything, I just complain about my feelings.
> ...


Are you sure this is inferior F you describe above that you experience?  Doesn't sound like that to me - could be some other form of F or completely something else (even not a type related thing) or you might have mistyped yourself.

I consider myself Fi inferior too but this above doesn't make much sense to me: F is as rational judging mechanism as T, T doesn't stand for logic, there's actually no such thing as grip and even less would the grip (if it existed) give anyone better self awareness.

What is actual inferior Fi: when I start to get "bad guts" or even preventively suspect they could appear, wipe them off or start to depersonalize situation so that they couldn't arise even by design. Avoiding vulnerability and bad "guts" bc you don't know how to process them - this is one of TJ trademarks. But yet it's not a struggle in any meaning. Have discussed this topic with other TJs and they've seen it more or less the same way.

We don't really "use" F in any meaningful way as it carries too little information to be effectively deciphered (and could conflict dom if done so), yet it does affect every thought in some ways, tho we don't "hate" it in ourselves and in others either who are able to take advantage of its features


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## islandlight (Aug 13, 2013)

I'm not sure whether this has to do with Fe grip or not: As a teenager and young adult I was "overly" sensitive and emotional. Crying uncontrollably over slight reprimands or over nothing at all.

So now (and for many years) I refuse to cry, except when my fiance died. Crying is the end of the line, an admission that I've really lost it. Some friends say crying is cathartic and healthy, but I just hate it.


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## Ohndot (Apr 12, 2015)

islandlight said:


> Crying is the end of the line


Exactly. At that point I know I've been totally knocked off kilter.


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## Sakuzuki_99 (12 mo ago)

tarmonk said:


> Are you sure this is inferior F you describe above that you experience?  Doesn't sound like that to me - could be some other form of F or completely something else (even not a type related thing) or you might have mistyped yourself.
> 
> I consider myself Fi inferior too but this above doesn't make much sense to me: F is as rational judging mechanism as T, T doesn't stand for logic, there's actually no such thing as grip and even less would the grip (if it existed) give anyone better self awareness.
> 
> ...


I kinds see it the same way as you, but my view of feeling vs thinking is (kinda) very radical. I know feeling functions are rational functions, it's just that I disregard feelings, preferring to rely on the logic my Te provides, not the one by Fi. I suck at self awareness, emotional intelligence, understanding of feelings processing feelings, making emotional judgements, etc. When I mentioned the Fi grip I meant times when my amounts of stress oare VERY high and the "I suddenly gain more self awareness" meant that I'm normally disconnected from my feelings, but when high stress strikes my feelings kick in and, since I'm experiencing my feelings, I know what I'm feeling. Of course, my defense mechanism when this happens is withdrawing from them


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## Sakuzuki_99 (12 mo ago)

tarmonk said:


> Are you sure this is inferior F you describe above that you experience?  Doesn't sound like that to me - could be some other form of F or completely something else (even not a type related thing) or you might have mistyped yourself.
> 
> I consider myself Fi inferior too but this above doesn't make much sense to me: F is as rational judging mechanism as T, T doesn't stand for logic, there's actually no such thing as grip and even less would the grip (if it existed) give anyone better self awareness.
> 
> ...


And I don't use Fi in a meaningful way. In fact, I avoid relying too much on Fi (Fi judgements still show up in my head, but I quickly "avoid" them by withdrawing from them). When I get bad "guts" that come from Fi (Fi "guts" and Se or Ni "guts" are different, at least from what I've observed) I have to talk about that with other people because I can't process them by themselves, I'm kinda dependant on others' emotional intelligence to get by.


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## Sakuzuki_99 (12 mo ago)

tarmonk said:


> Are you sure this is inferior F you describe above that you experience?  Doesn't sound like that to me - could be some other form of F or completely something else (even not a type related thing) or you might have mistyped yourself.
> 
> I consider myself Fi inferior too but this above doesn't make much sense to me: F is as rational judging mechanism as T, T doesn't stand for logic, there's actually no such thing as grip and even less would the grip (if it existed) give anyone better self awareness.
> 
> ...


And assuming I were a mistype, what type would you suggest I was?


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## Sakuzuki_99 (12 mo ago)

Ohndot said:


> Do you admire Fi in others who do it better than you? My sister is an INFP and she always seems to know what she wants and likes. Very clear sense about what she thinks is "right". I can appreciate high Fe and how suave it can be.


Yeah, I admire the self-awareness they have, how they don't depend on others' perceptions, how they don't have trouble with their identity, etc. What I despise about Fi is that, rather than making judgments and decisions based on objective logic, objectives facts or what will work best, they judge and make decisions based on their values and their feelings


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## tarmonk (Nov 21, 2017)

Sakuzuki_99 said:


> And assuming I were a mistype, what type would you suggest I was?


Too little information to tell. I'm not saying you're mistyped, but just seemed different how I see the same phenomenon you explained


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