# Feelers: Do You Believe Feeling Is A Superior Function To Thinking?



## R2-D2 (Mar 6, 2010)

inspired by the "Thinkers: Do You Believe Thinking Is A Superior Function To Feeling?" thread:



Lightning said:


> I think the poll would be more meaningful and interesting if there were an option that said feeling is superior to thinking.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

To say one is superior to the other is kinda blank and narrow minded...A thinker may prefer to use T and a feeler may prefer to use F, but I can't really say one is superior to the other...What I want to do in life is create a balance and be able to call on both...I don't think there should be any arguments over any of the functions being superior xD


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## Danse Macabre (Oct 30, 2009)

Yeah, I think that nice balance between the two is best. A strong preference of either is impractical without the other to balance it out.


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## OmarFW (Apr 8, 2010)

i hope this thread doesn't go crazy like the other one :frustrating:

though i'm interested to see how many F's believe that being an F is indeed superior. a lot of T's seem to believe they are superior according to the other poll. not the majority but a good amount nonetheless


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## lirulin (Apr 16, 2010)

OmarFW said:


> i hope this thread doesn't go crazy like the other one :frustrating:
> 
> though i'm interested to see how many F's believe that being an F is indeed superior. a lot of T's seem to believe they are superior according to the other poll. not the majority but a good amount nonetheless


And a good bunch of those said it was a personal value and didn't say it was absolutist.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

It erupted...that says something.


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## Blue Butterfly (Sep 19, 2009)

I am a feeler and I have never made a major mistake in my life. And I use my feelings to make most of my decisions. In fact when something does go wrong with a decision I made it is because I used to my thinking before making the decision.


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## deepestblue (Apr 18, 2010)

Queen of Leaves said:


> To say one is superior to the other is kinda blank and narrow minded...A thinker may prefer to use T and a feeler may prefer to use F, but I can't really say one is superior to the other...What I want to do in life is create a balance and be able to call on both...I don't think there should be any arguments over any of the functions being superior xD


I agree. I do have to say that sometimes I wish I could turn my mind off, and turn it on again when I need it.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

Cake said:


> I am a feeler and I have never made a major mistake in my life. And I use my feelings to make most of my decisions. In fact when something does go wrong with a decision I made it is because I used to my thinking before making the decision.


Couldn't that maybe be your intuition at work a bit?


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## marked174 (Feb 24, 2010)

Feelings are most definitely superior to thoughts, but only when feelings remain submissive to thoughts.


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## OrangeAppled (Jun 26, 2009)

Nah. I wouldn't trade my feeling for thinking though :wink:


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## Blue Butterfly (Sep 19, 2009)

Queen of Leaves said:


> Couldn't that maybe be your intuition at work a bit?



Could be. I know I can just "feel" when something is right or wrong. I always could even as a small child.


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## snail (Oct 13, 2008)

I suppose if I didn't think it was superior, at least for me, I would be a Thinker. The poll had a typo, but I assume it meant to say "Do you believe Feeling is a superior function" instead of having "Thinking" twice. Despite voting yes, I do not consider Thinkers inferior. All my vote means is that I trust the Feeling preference more, and believe it would be less dangerous to have feeling without thinking than to have thinking without feeling, if I had to choose the lesser evil. Balance, of course, would be ideal.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

Cake said:


> Could be. I know I can just "feel" when something is right or wrong. I always could even as a small child.


Yeah..I'm pretty sure that's more NF than just F in general

Personally, I love being a feeler, but it would take really knowing what being a thinker and being a feeler means to determine which is actually superior...if either is actually superior.


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## R2-D2 (Mar 6, 2010)

snail said:


> The poll had a typo, but I assume it meant to say "Do you believe Feeling is a superior function" instead of having "Thinking" twice.


yes. how do i fix it???!!?! :sad:

EDIT: the wonderful screamofconscious fixed it for us. thanks, scream!!! it was going to drive an OCD INTP mad... :crazy:


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## R2-D2 (Mar 6, 2010)

snail said:


> I trust the Feeling preference more, and believe it would be less dangerous to have feeling without thinking than to have thinking without feeling, if I had to choose the lesser evil.


this is interesting. i recall seeing something similar to this in the other thread, except in favor of thinking (too lazy to look up who or where)...

so if it comes down to choosing between the two at their worst, mob violence (F's) over psychopathy (T's)? (hat tip to Eylrid for the useful paradigm.)


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## The Psychonaut (Oct 29, 2009)

Cake said:


> Could be. I know I can just "feel" when something is right or wrong. I always could even as a small child.


i think that you are just acting according to your conscience, therefor you wouldnt feel you ever made any wrong decisions, because none of them made you feel bad or guilty about it.

or is that what you meant to begin with? if it is, we have different definitions of right and wrong choices. but then again, we are supposed to arent we?


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## kdm1984 (Jul 8, 2009)

I wish I were a Thinker, to be honest. I think that's why I came out INTJ the first time I took one of the MBTI tests.

My INTP beloved says he's learned a lot from me about being more sensitive to other people's feelings, though, so I guess there are some benefits. He likes my feeliness and finds it fascinating.


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## Lady K (Oct 13, 2009)

I already posted my feelings about whether or not Thinking is superior to Feeling in the other thread.. which I suppose I didn't belong in, being a Feeler. I don't think either is better than the other - they both have their merits and flaws. However, I have sometimes wished to either be a Thinker, or that feelings just didn't exist. They can be hard to manage sometimes. Thinking isn't all it's cracked up to be though - I've seen many a Thinker fly off the handle. It's like they forget rage is an emotion too.


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## walkawaysun09 (Mar 13, 2010)

Both have a purpose, and reason for existing, if feeling or thinking were truly such an inferior function, would all of those types if they were inferior, wouldn't they not be successful enough in life to procreate/survive, and we'd be left with none of them?

I do admit, when I am depressed or in a situation where I don't feel the most confidence in my NF combination, I will resort to thinking with some form of rational logic on things to try and figure it out. In the end, though, if there's a situation where logic would tell me to preserve myself and how I appear to the outward people as opposed to helping a friend/family member, I flip off said thoughts and do it anyway, because that's how I roll.


Great poll, now if only I could use that INTP hunting tactic to confirm or deny a few potentials...*goes off to ponder the ethical repercussions of such things*


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## heartturnedtoporcelain (Apr 9, 2010)

Again, neither is better. I just I were slightly more T - more of personal balance issue than anything else.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

I have to say, analyzing experiences I've had, F is much better for me to rely on...Especially with things that involve reading people...Outcomes I see for certain situations involving my perception of people don't really make sense to my NT sister, and yet they're always correct


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## Enkidu (Apr 19, 2010)

I'm no feeler but I am actively trying to develop this side of myself. It's two sides of a coin in my opinion. You seem deficient if you approach every situation in the same way. My own experience has taught me that I get into trouble if I don't feel every once in a while. :dry:


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## thehigher (Apr 20, 2009)

marked174 said:


> Feelings are most definitely superior to thoughts, but only when feelings remain submissive to thoughts.


What do you mean? This is really interesting.


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## napoleon227 (Jan 17, 2010)

I've worked for years to achieve balance and I'm proud of the fact that I can usually use both functions equally well when making a decision. I think that balance is the key.

Sometimes I have a strong "feel" about something and when that happens I listen to my gut, but never ignore reason or facts. On the other hand, sometimes I can't get a good read on a situation and have ambiguous feelings about it, then I need to rationalize it. If I rely too much on feelings then I will tend to make misjudgments because of the bias of my own emotional baggage, and if I rely too much on thinking then I will tend to make good sound decisions ...that don't make me happy.

Either way, I'm NOT afraid to make mistakes, that fact alone helps tremendously.


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## NightSkyGirl (Apr 11, 2010)

Personally, I don't believe one is superior to the other. I personally admire Thinkers. I've learned interesting new ways of looking at things from an INTP I know and he has said the same thing about me. If I were to believe my way was superior I wouldn't be open to many other opinions from people who are different and that's just too much of a small world to live in.


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## NightSkyGirl (Apr 11, 2010)

napoleon227 said:


> I've worked for years to achieve balance and I'm proud of the fact that I can usually use both functions equally well when making a decision. I think that balance is the key.
> 
> Sometimes I have a strong "feel" about something and when that happens I listen to my gut, but never ignore reason or facts. On the other hand, sometimes I can't get a good read on a situation and have ambiguous feelings about it, then I need to rationalize it. If I rely too much on feelings then I will tend to make misjudgments because of the bias of my own emotional baggage, and if I rely too much on thinking then I will tend to make good sound decisions ...that don't make me happy.
> 
> Either way, I'm NOT afraid to make mistakes, that fact alone helps tremendously.


Couldn't agree more!


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## marked174 (Feb 24, 2010)

thehigher said:


> What do you mean? This is really interesting.


 I believe thinking should be used to determine, direct, and distinguish a person's decisions, and feeling should be used to adapt, ground, and deliver those decisions. I think that feeling is more important, but without thinking, the results would be disastrous.


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## Narrator (Oct 11, 2009)

I would say both are as flawed as each other...Not that one of them is superior, or that they're equal...They're different functions, different realms, value doesn't come into it on such a general basis...It's rediculous we consider functions like this.

The most enlightened individuals I've ever met have a healthy use of both and no assumptions about one being superior to the other.


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## conscius (Apr 20, 2010)

I get quite similar scores between F and T but am slightly more F overall. I really don't know the answer. Should I rely on my feelings in answering this or on logic?


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## Thorgar (Apr 3, 2010)

The question, in both polls, is silly. Like asking "Is a toaster better than a blender?"


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## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

You use a fork to eat potatoes and a spoon to eat soup. Some people eat more soup than potatoes but will eat them on occasion, some people eat more potatoes than soup but will eat it on occasion.


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## Korvyna (Dec 4, 2009)

I used to wish I was more of a T... I believe this is my results were always skewed just slightly more towards the T... Now, I've accepted my F and am quite pleased with it actually. I don't believe one is more superior to the other. We'll always need both for balance.... Can you imagine a world where everyone is a T? Or a world where everyone is an F? :wink:


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## Stars (Jul 23, 2009)

Interesting. 67% of respondents in this thread said "Thinking and Feeling are equal", compared to only 52% in the thread I started. We'll see how this develops as more people post in the thread.

Also, why can I not shake this feeling telling me that alot of respondents in this thread don't actually know what "Thinking" and "Feeling" actually mean?


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

Feeling is far superior. If everyone in the world was a feeler, it would decidedly be a better place.


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## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

Crystall said:


> Feeling is far superior. If everyone in the world was a feeler, it would decidedly be a better place.


Perhaps, but there is a reason why some people have one preference and some people have another - there is a need for a balance of strengths in society. Like Art compliments Science, like reading compliments writing, Feeling compliments Thinking.


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## thehigher (Apr 20, 2009)

psh yea feeling is way better. If you are a thinker.... you know that 1 +1 = 2. If you are a feeler.... you can be like.... naw man I want it to be 11.... and because you feel like it should be a 11.... it's right. That's what's up. XD

(I don't actually think feeling is better)


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

skycloud86 said:


> Perhaps, but there is a reason why some people have one preference and some people have another - there is a need for a balance of strengths in society. Like Art compliments Science, like reading compliments writing, Feeling compliments Thinking.


I disagree. I don't believe there should be a need for balance when it comes to valuing justice over mercy, and having a complete disregard for other people's emotions.


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## thehigher (Apr 20, 2009)

Crystall said:


> I disagree. I don't believe there should be a need for balance when it comes to valuing justice over mercy, and having a complete disregard for other people's emotions.


lol thinking doesn't completely disregard people's emotions. Some people try to though... but that isn't synonymous to a thinker. Feelers can disregard people's emotions too.


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## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

Crystall said:


> I disagree. I don't believe there should be a need for balance when it comes to valuing justice over mercy, and having a complete disregard for other people's emotions.


But you do think that there should be some justice as well as mercy?


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

thehigher said:


> lol thinking doesn't completely disregard people's emotions. Some people try to though... but that isn't synonymous to a thinker. Feelers can disregard people's emotions too.


I'm using extreme examples to prove a point. 



skycloud86 said:


> But you do think that there should be some justice as well as mercy?


Mercy is justice to me. Bam. And I'd rather grow up, and have my children grow up in a world where there were no people who valued justice over mercy, than a cold world without feelers.


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## skycloud86 (Jul 15, 2009)

Crystall said:


> Mercy is justice to me. Bam. And I'd rather grow up, and have my children grow up in a world where there were no people who valued justice over mercy, than a cold world without feelers.


That suggests that Thinkers cannot be merciful and are only just, as well as suggesting that a world without thinkers would irrational and illogical.


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## Crystall (Mar 30, 2010)

skycloud86 said:


> That suggests that Thinkers cannot be merciful and are only just, as well as suggesting that a world without thinkers would irrational and illogical.


I absolutely never said that! Thinkers and feelers are every bit as logical and they are every bit as able to be merciful. That has nothing to do with the MBTI principle of Thinkers vs Feelers! 
Look, what it all boils down to is the fact that a thinker and a feeler faced with the same choice will most often choose to adopt two different views (individual differences on the spectrum and other variables must obviously also be taken into account) . But let me generalize here for a moment and say that in this scenario thinkers will make their decisions based on their own perception of what is right, just and fair. Feelers will do the same, they will look at the logical facts of what is right, what is just, and what would logically be fair. However, after doing so the feelers will then go on to also considering what is best for all the people involved, and to what extent the decision of right and wrong will affect them. Only then will the feeler makes his or her decision. Based on the exact same facts, the exact same logic, but also with his or her own moral principles taken into account. This is not to say that the feeler will always choose to do what he or she perceives to be morally just, or that his or her perception of moral justice is the same as anyone else's, only that it IS part of the feeler's decision making process. Similarly, I'm not saying that a thinker will consistently neglect to consider other people's feelings, merely that they can,and consequently often do.


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## Kitten (Mar 28, 2010)

I believe F and T are equal, and that it really differs person to person - it just depends on which characteristics people value more. :3

But then again, I also view that about ALL the MBTI letter types. XD Each has their good and bad sides, and depending on who you are, what you might consider "good" about a certain type, another person might consider "bad", and vice versa. :3


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## missred (Feb 17, 2010)

i see both functions as two different forms of the same substance. 
you can prefer one over the other but the 'superior' one will always be what you are most adapt to using


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## Jonny0207 (Apr 27, 2010)

I'd say that it's more related to your personal preferences, although they are NOT equal, not all types are equal, althoguh saying one is "better" than the other is narrowminded, although I'd have to say that usually thinking is better. Becoming over-emotional about decisions can result in inaccurate decisions, and irational ones. On the other hand, overly thinking is negative as well. It can result in becoming a robot and choosing choices that result in a decrease of happiness and personality.

All in all, I wouldn't trade my Ti for neither Fe or Fi, and I believe that it's more effective most of the time, when countered by a balanced F, although that F stays a minority.
(I have a well developed F, more than most people I know, though my T is more developed than that, and I make my decision makings on it)


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## DarklyValentine (Mar 4, 2010)

Wicked is in philsofical mood this fine, if slightly chilly, eve. Indeed he has his bottle chilling for wine nite
Dont you have to think to feel _ i could be wrong here
To emotionally detach requires thinking prowess.

Didnt,captain pugwash or twas it bill shakespeare or someone say I think therefore I am. And everything that would logically follow, be a cascade of that function.

_*slipper note who the hell is Rene Descartes.
_


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## waterviolet (Apr 28, 2010)

Who has the right to say that one is superior over the other? Best case scenario would be a perfect balance between the two but I'm sure that rarely if ever happens. Both qualities are equally as important.


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## Teen Rose (Aug 4, 2018)

In reality thinkers are lucky to be born this way. Feelers are at a disadvantage for no fault of theirs. I saw feelers struggle and thinkers achieve alot and benefit over feelers. Thinkers(mostly those who don't know types but even those who know) also mock feelers saying they lack logic and yet go on to say how they also have more emotions than feelers. This world is for thinkers. They say there are more feelers which is as wrong as saying there are many INFPs.


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## Teen Rose (Aug 4, 2018)

Vaka said:


> Couldn't that maybe be your intuition at work a bit?


We actually can access any function with ease. Our type is just our natural flow. Or atleast INFPs can become any other type for a while.


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## ReliK (Feb 24, 2019)

Not superior. Though, it does seem like most of us are initially instinctive, feeling beings, before such feelings are abstracted into morals and principles, before we are heavily conditioned and before we establish thought systems. It also seems that, feeling drives thought. For instance, when the thinkers (or any type) want order over chaos, to make sense of things, want decisions to be rational or systems to work well, what drives such? If not a desire to feel secure? When we want to improve society, or accomplish stuff, is that not connected to a deeper need to feel meaningful, to alleviate others or our own, suffering? My feelings are my life compass, for sure. How did I know to pursue one career over the other, one companion over another, where and how to live, what to do with my time, without speaking to my heart? Surely, the thinkiest of thinkers, the most mechanical tic-toc minds, have feelings too.. even if they are highly unaware of presence and manifestation.

It's also very interesting that meditation and the significant number of benefits that arise from doing so (well-being, neuro-chemicals, neuroplasticity, growth of brain matter, etc.) relies on the absence of both thoughts and feelings. 

So, if we need to put something in the 'superior' slot, my vote would be for meditation.


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## HIX (Aug 20, 2018)

The problem is that it shouldn't even be called feeling. In socionics it's refereed to as Ethics which is more accurate I think.


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## Charus (May 31, 2017)

Eh, the "I actually wish I was a Thinker. I'd like myself more" poll vote option feels very relatable.



Hicks said:


> The problem is that it shouldn't even be called feeling. In socionics it's refereed to as Ethics which is more accurate I think.


Neither I do like how it is portrayed in MBTI. MBTI thinks that if you dont use T you must be an emotional hippie.


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## aiyanah (Oct 25, 2018)

feeling is more essential than thinking, at least from my pov. 
doesn't matter what you think if it doesn't feel right, likewise I only consider thinking to be worth doing if feelings have been set aside, and that's pretty hard to do.
I can set aside most things except fear and anger, off switch seems to be very small for those. 
sometimes thought needs to be clouded in a feel to be meaningful though.


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## Handsome Dyke (Oct 4, 2012)

Cosmic Mind said:


> Neither I do like how it is portrayed in MBTI. MBTI thinks that if you dont use T you must be an emotional hippie.


 That's not part of the theory; it's more a misunderstanding of ignorant typology newbies.


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## Ashes4719 (Apr 2, 2019)

I don't think the feeling is superior and I think we need both as a society. But, I do wish I was a thinker sometimes. When speaking I use a lot of laymen's terms so people automatically think I am uneducated about a certain subject. Like right before I went to give my dissertation I went to a function and I was speaking to a someone there, like a mutual friend, and he didn't believe me that I had just finished my graduate degree. I think if I was more eloquent in my speech or maybe thought about it more then I wouldn't give off the "I am a dumb shit" vibe. 

An example, my boyfriend is constantly embarrassed when we go out because I just say stupid things. We were taking an uber back home one time and I was chatting with the uber driver (my SO also hates that) and I ask if he knows of any good places to eat in the city. He was a native French and tells us about this really good French spot, and my dumbass goes "I don't think I have eaten at a French place. Well, actually I have eaten at Olive Garden before". It went dead silent in the car and the Uber Driver starts dying laughing. My boyfriend was like "that is an Italian place". Anyway, I just feel that if I were a thinker maybe I would think about things a little more instead of just immediately trying to relate to people.... or maybe do it a little more accurately.


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## Charus (May 31, 2017)

Nicomendes Saiyedros said:


> That's not part of the theory; it's more a misunderstanding of ignorant typology newbies.


Yeah, the original isnt, but 16personalities and other stereotype abiding websites do.

We have the ISTP personality, portrayed as an Engineer, normal I guess? You got the INTJ, who is portrayed as an Woman Mad scientist, which looks dope and fits INTJ. And furthely, you got the ENTP who is literaly named "Devils advocate", because the edginess is not enough I assume...

Then we get into the INFP Personality and the way It's portrayed:









Just what the hell is this^? It looks like random wacky ISIS Jihadist who collects flowers and have obsession with being "Oh so" peaceful.

just let that sink for a moment, especiality for those who are INFP's, who in their right mind would want to be portrayed by this SJW pandering abomination?


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## SilentScream (Mar 31, 2011)

Cosmic Mind said:


> Yeah, the original isnt, but 16personalities and other stereotype abiding websites do.
> 
> We have the ISTP personality, portrayed as an Engineer, normal I guess? You got the INTJ, who is portrayed as an Woman Mad scientist, which looks dope and fits INTJ. And furthely, you got the ENTP who is literaly named "Devils advocate", because the edginess is not enough I assume...
> 
> ...


That's her hair ya triggered anti-SJW pandering snowflake.... 

Also, how do you even go from a person that might be wearing a hijab to an ISIS terrorist :facepalm:

Great example of inferior thinking here on display. So at least ya managed to show us how it works.


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## The red spirit (Sep 29, 2015)

Cosmic Mind said:


> Then we get into the INFP Personality and the way It's portrayed:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


lol I'm dying XD

For real it looks like a hippie woman, but I get the idea, that INFPs shouldn't be associated with them.


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## terrihozz (Apr 27, 2019)

I see for certain situations involving my perception of people don't really make sense to my NT sister, and yet they're always correct


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## Eugenia Shepherd (Nov 10, 2017)

IMO, "feeling" can't be compared to "thinking", as they are entirely disparate cognitive platforms.

Even as a feeler, I believe rationality (common sense, reasonability, whatever you want to call it) _should_ be held in higher regard than emotion. Emotions serve as warning signals or pleasure-inducers; they are fleeting, and can be misleading.
Reason is nothing to scoff at. Neither is experiencing natural human sentiment. 

...It's been noted that "feelers", in (Kiersey's?) terms, are concerned with significance/meaning (for humankind or individuals); whereas "thinkers" are prone to analyzing the underlying mechanics of something, regardless of its impact on people. _What does this imply_, vs. _how does it work_. 

In other words, mature T and F types may be involved in the same issue--a high-strung event, or logical quandary--but naturally perceive it from different angles. 
For me, the two are inextricably intertwined. :laughing:


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## Whippit (Jun 15, 2012)

In this day and age, yeah, I think so, or at least the spirit of Feeling is more important right now. It's important to re-iterate that Feeling is not emotion and Thinking is not logic and problem solving. Feeling is a rational process focused on relationships of the subjective (people), and Thinking is a rational process focused on the relationship of the objective.

With all the power that humans have amassed, very much so due to objective thought, enough to destroy ourselves and ruin our environment. Maybe we should stop asking if things can be done (T), and rather whether it's good for us that things should be done (F).

But in themselves taken alone, no process is objectively better than another.


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