# How to spot an Fe user vs Fi user?



## GrowLegends (Mar 10, 2018)

I'm trying to figure out if I use Fe or Fi(and to type others too)But after reading the other posts I still could not really understand their applications?Fi tends to be align with their own personal values while Fe takes other's opinions and considerations before making a decision.But practically that's all I know.Fe and Fi can seem very similar on the outside so what's a more distint way of telling them apart?

Or maybe Fe/ Ti or Fi/Te user?lel


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## Bastard (Feb 4, 2018)

It's not that clear cut. Shit, if you've ever met an ExFP you know they use Fe often and with ease.


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## Liove (Sep 16, 2017)

GrowLegends said:


> what's a more distint way of telling them apart?


Fe - Extrinsic Interpersonal Motivation - causation is assigned to an individual outside of one's self

Fi - Intrinsic Intrapersonal Motivation - causation is assigned to the individual's self


Fe and Fi are not about feelings or values. They are about motivation.


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## DOGSOUP (Jan 29, 2016)

I asked a Fi dom if she thinks I ever really feel anything, she said "meh, I guess you only try to achieve that extreme feeling _state _most of the time... just for the appeal". She also calls my feeling reactions "symptoms" I get around people. She hates typology but still understands the basics, lol.

My best guess it, you can only really "spot it" with feeling dominants who belong to either extreme  If anyone has to make that choice most of the time I do feel sorry for them, life cannot be easy.


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## Stevester (Feb 28, 2016)

I can use my friends as an example for a contrast.


My ENTP and ESTP friends always ask me a lot of questions about me and what's going on with my life. When I finally give in and tell them, they'll start nitpicking everything I say but actually offer some very logical, sound advice. For instance, when it comes to my job, they like to dissect my potential and find new ways for me to make more money with my skills. 

My ENFP and ESFP friends never ask me any questions about me, until I'm the one who actually comes to them first. And then they'll just give a well-intended but kind of over-encompassing Te retort. Again in the case of my job, they'll just tell me to apply _there_, because it's well paid and they're looking for people. No mentions as to if or not I actually have the skills to work there, it just.....pays well, there's benefits etc. (Te)

Fe tends to project itself onto other people and speak for them. _''If I were you...''_ whereas Fi understands everyone is different so it doesn't want to step in your shoes and tell you what to do, any more than they would want others to do that to them, so it can only offer up general logical Te advice. Ti/Fe dissects who you are and then wonders how you could impact the world positively, but again, may offer you advice that doesn't sit well with you due to general projection and inability to see your own individual needs.


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## psyche (Jan 5, 2011)

I'm the only fi user in my family and even my inferior fe sister always seemed so much better at gouging what it is people want... but I mean this doesn't even have to apply to individuals, I'm also talking societal trends in general. Like... as an example, say you took a time machine back into the early 90's and everyone was talking about the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus book, and a renowned psychologist were to say during a lecture, "Sometimes you would think men and women are from different planets"... that feels kind of fe-ish to me, you know? Just being aware of what's going on with people in general. I feel I've often said things that were well-intentioned but ended up sounding insensitive or...stupid because I wasn't good at considering how the viewpoint would affect people in the long run, I guess. Another thing is, at least to me te combined with fi can make you look even more insensitive, because te looks pretty bossy, it's just broadcasting its thoughts almost as rules like a dictator under stress. I feel like fe combined with ti could give you a social advantage in the sense of being able not only to gouge what others want but also to introspect on how to utilize that information helpfully. I know I've said so in the past but to me anyway, under stress fi/te looks like a bully and fe/ti looks manipulative.

I guess the bright side of fi would be the ability to...well I saw @angelfish I think say once that fi can be good at introducing new ways of doing things into the mainstream? I liked that, better than I could have said it. I mean I guess if you're focused on what works for you and what you personally enjoy, value, etc. you could help people in that way.


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## Lady of Clockwork (Dec 14, 2017)




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## Turi (May 9, 2017)

Short story shorter:

Fi - self - own personal values, opinions, thoughts etc - above those of others. More important. Fi prioritizes its own personal values, likes, dislikes etc moreso than those of others. i.e, 'I like this, this is my fav band, don't care if you like them or not' etc.
So, Fi looks inwards for what is 'important' or 'valued'.

Fe - tribe - 'group' personal values, opinions, thoughts etc - above own. More important. Fe prioritizes the values, likes, dislikes of the tribe/group/society/whatever etc moreso than those of their own. i.e, 'What do y'all think of this band?' etc.
So, Fe looks outwards for what is 'important' or 'valued'.


Here's a picture that's basically Fe-Fi in a nutshell:











You'll notice Fe basically is just looking at the overall 'do people like this' kind of spectrum - that's where Fe focus is, whereas Fi focus is personal, individual - hence why it's portrayed as one single review.


Another analogy you could use to think of it, is height.
You only see things from your own personal perspective - your own height - imagine this as Fi (or even Ti re: reasons).

Now, imagine if you could see from various other peoples perspectives, from their heights - oh now you can see over that fridge, now you're noticing things below your general eye-level you never would have noticed - imagine combining all of these perspectives into one overall perspective - and then apply this idea to 'values' - so now, you're looking at the 'wider spectrum of values'.

You don't just care about your own values, you're also incorporating the values/likes/dislikes of many different people, from many different walks of life into your own decision making process.
Who the fuck knows where all of those 78 customer reviews came from, some from Pakistan, USA, England, Iceland, NZ, China, who knows - and that's the point, that's the Fe 'wider' spectrum of values, likes and dislikes.

I've no doubt this will trigger some Fi types - more emphasis on Fe, make it look 'better' or more expansive - this is because it _is_.

Fi doesn't go all Sense8. Fi goes all Sense1. 
Introverted functions are about personal depth, as opposed to wider breadth/expansiveness.

Now I'm sure some Fe types will be all nah man I'm _so _ fuckn deep - and this might be the case, but it _ain't because of your Fe_, because _Fe ain't got no tahme fo' dat_.


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## adumbrate (Feb 13, 2017)

What I notice about Fi users (especially dominant Fi) is how fast and enthusiastic they could answer when you asked them about what they like/ dislike. Often Fi users would answer what they like in comparison with what they dislike almost immediately. For example:

Q: what's your favorite band?
INFP: I like {name of the band} but I hate {name of the band}. 

I, as an Fe user used to view this reaction as strange, as to why they have to answer what they don't like in comparison to what they like. But then I realized that Fi users use what they dislike as the way to find "what they like" as in contrasting black and white so you could see the difference. That, I think, is an aspect of Fi, which is finding what sounds right internally with accuracy and confidence.

whereas Fe user, if being asked "what's your favorite band", may answer somewhere along the way with "oh...I don't know..they're all good. I guess....hmm *pouts* {name of the band} maybe?

The reason is because even though both functions are about values, but Fi relies on inner value which is subjective to the user, while Fe relies on group value. Fe users tend to be interested (or on reverse, being critical) of what is socially accepted, while Fi user tend to be oblivious to it. 

Fi vs Fe is also quite obvious when you observe how each one reacts in a group setting. Fe users would automatically sync with the people they're communicate with through mimicking body languages. Fi users rarely, if at all, do the same thing. Fi users also tend to worry less about what others people think of them, while Fe users suffer more easily from shame or being unaccepted.


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## OwlPencil (Nov 18, 2016)

psyche said:


> I'm the only fi user in my family and even my inferior fe sister always seemed so much better at gouging what it is people want... but I mean this doesn't even have to apply to individuals, I'm also talking societal trends in general. Like... as an example, say you took a time machine back into the early 90's and everyone was talking about the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus book, and a renowned psychologist were to say during a lecture, "Sometimes you would think men and women are from different planets"... that feels kind of fe-ish to me, you know? Just being aware of what's going on with people in general.


I completely agree. That book is a good illustration of Fe women in general, I think, but not Fi. I started the book once a few years back but put it down because I couldn't relate to it at all. 



psyche said:


> I feel I've often said things that were well-intentioned but ended up sounding insensitive or...stupid because I wasn't good at considering how the viewpoint would affect people in the long run, I guess. Another thing is, at least to me te combined with fi can make you look even more insensitive, because te looks pretty bossy, it's just broadcasting its thoughts almost as rules like a dictator under stress. I feel like fe combined with ti could give you a social advantage in the sense of being able not only to gouge what others want but also to introspect on how to utilize that information helpfully. I know I've said so in the past but to me anyway, under stress fi/te looks like a bully and fe/ti looks manipulative.


Yes! Yes! I completely agree. I'm a teacher and it's easy for me to give my students clear instructions and guidelines for their assignments (Te), but I tend to forget to think about how my students feel about certain things (Fi). I've learned to use my extroverted lead (Ne in this case) to help relate to my students, paired with my Fi. It can almost come off as a "false Fe." However, if I'm under stress, I definitely come off as bossy and then feel bad afterwards. In contrast, the Fe teachers that I work with (and there seems to be more Fe teachers) are much better at gauging the emotional temperature of the students.


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