# Fi explosions



## KateMarie999 (Dec 20, 2011)

To the Fi users (and those who are close to Fi users) do you find that you tend to bottle your feelings until something snaps and then you explode? I've found this to be true particularly for myself and a few Fi users I know. I guess we keep our feelings to ourselves so much that eventually they all have to come bursting out.

Is this Fi or am I completely off base? I noticed the Fe users I know don't get nearly as explosive as we do...


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## Stephen (Jan 17, 2011)

I love it. This is exactly what @Kayness and I call this! :laughing: We both have them from time to time.


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## LotusBlossom (Apr 2, 2011)

hahahhaa, yes! Even Jung said that. Also, when something trips my Fi, like, when I see lives being devalued and this sort of thing is practiced en masse and rabidly defended because it is a social norm...and those who defend it don't think about what it means to those whose lives are devalued NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM...because they don't want to..because they DON'T FUCKING CARE...then BAM! There I go.

LOL! @_Stephen_...yes, Fisplosion we call it


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## Inveniet (Aug 21, 2009)

Well yes I have done this.
I have never made the Fi link before, but it makes sense that having to suppress yourself
could lead to explotions.


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## MilkyWay132 (Jul 15, 2010)

Yeah, it's happened to me before. Unfortunately..


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## Pointless Activist (May 22, 2012)

My Fi doesn't really ever come out unless(INFP stereotype here) one of my stronger felt values is threatened and actually causing damage to something. Then I defend it as best I can.


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## MilkyWay132 (Jul 15, 2010)

Kayness said:


> hahahhaa, yes! Even Jung said that. Also, when something trips my Fi, like, when I see lives being devalued and this sort of thing is practiced en masse and rabidly defended because it is a social norm...and those who defend it don't think about what it means to those whose lives are devalued NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM...because they don't want to..because they DON'T FUCKING CARE...then BAM! There I go.
> 
> LOL! @_Stephen_...yes, Fisplosion we call it


That angers me too. I loathe it when some lives are valued less, especially because of a social norm like chivalry.


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## Eerie (Feb 9, 2011)

This can happen to me if I don't work well on expressing myself, or my communication. But for the most part I try to express my feelings while I am feeling them so it doesn't turn into something big and dramatic. I dislike holding things in although I can sometimes without realizing it. But working on my communication skills I think is helping me a lot more emotionally than holding them in. It can be sort of toxic not expressing one's emotions. lol, talking to @timeless about this right now, I told him I always feel better after an emotional dump. :tongue:


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

Well, I'd rather explode than implode. Short-term consequence trumps long-term.


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## Sayonara (May 11, 2012)

Get them ALL the time, and it's mostly prevalent with the feeling of anger. I have kept romantic feelings bottled up before, but it's a lot harder, lol. 
@_Spades_: I used to think that way too, especially when I was a child, but I upset so many people that I started repressing it a lot, cause it really seems pointless and destructive. Most other feelings I can see to have some sort of purpose, but not anger.


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## Linnifae (Nov 13, 2009)

Yes. It's awful because I end up exploding so much that I say things that I never would otherwise say...or at least not in the harsh way I end up saying it when it finally comes out.


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## MuChApArAdOx (Jan 24, 2011)

I can explode if its something i'm really passionate about, or, you've crossed a boundary. This will come across as harsh cold and direct, especially if you mess with my internal values, triple whammy.


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

Sayonara said:


> @_Spades_: I used to think that way too, especially when I was a child, but I upset so many people that I started repressing it a lot, cause it really seems pointless and destructive. Most other feelings I can see to have some sort of purpose, but not anger.


I disagree. Repressing anger can be detrimental to your inner mental peace, and it can accumulate. If I'm having an outburst, I warn the people around me not to take me seriously. It just works better for me, but it has definitely deeply hurt people in the distant past (when I would personally attack as opposed to stating the points). Normally, I don't reach the point of explosion anymore though. It takes looking at things differently to begin with, to avoid anger altogether. Once it happens though, repression is not healthy.


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## LibertyPrime (Dec 17, 2010)

Kayness said:


> hahahhaa, yes! Even Jung said that. Also, when something trips my Fi, like, when I see lives being devalued and this sort of thing is practiced en masse and rabidly defended because it is a social norm...and those who defend it don't think about what it means to those whose lives are devalued NO MATTER HOW HARD I TRY TO EXPLAIN IT TO THEM...because they don't want to..because they DON'T FUCKING CARE...then BAM! There I go.
> 
> LOL! @_Stephen_...yes, Fisplosion we call it





MuChApArAdOx said:


> I can explode if its something i'm really passionate about, or, you've crossed a boundary. This will come across as harsh cold and direct, especially if you mess with my internal values, triple whammy.


:frustrating: lol exactly!


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## Sayonara (May 11, 2012)

Spades said:


> I disagree. Repressing anger can be detrimental to your inner mental peace, and it can accumulate. If I'm having an outburst, I warn the people around me not to take me seriously. It just works better for me, but it has definitely deeply hurt people in the distant past (when I would personally attack as opposed to stating the points). Normally, I don't reach the point of explosion anymore though. It takes looking at things differently to begin with, to avoid anger altogether. Once it happens though, repression is not healthy.



Looking at things differently does help, that's why I've seriously been working on the 'look at other perspectives' thing a lot lately. It's enormously helpful.

That being said, I understand that to you bottling up anger is a bad thing to do for mental health...but can you tell me your views as to why it would be a good thing to express it?

I mean, even the emotion of hate has it's purpose...for us to remember and appreciate the feeling of love. But anger...for some reason I just don't see what it's purpose is. It certainly doesn't make me feel better once I let it out.


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## Spades (Aug 31, 2011)

Sayonara said:


> Looking at things differently does help, that's why I've seriously been working on the 'look at other perspectives' thing a lot lately. It's enormously helpful.
> 
> That being said, I understand that to you bottling up anger is a bad thing to do for mental health...but can you tell me your views as to why it would be a good thing to express it?
> 
> I mean, even the emotion of hate has it's purpose...for us to remember and appreciate the feeling of love. But anger...for some reason I just don't see what it's purpose is. It certainly doesn't make me feel better once I let it out.


It's different for everyone. I see some of this difference between us coming from our enneagram types actually =P For me, anger can be a fuel to take action and get something done constructively. It doesn't have to end in lashing out at others. In fact, I've since worked on the issue, and I've found better ways to channel it. The thing is, I have to let it out. I can't really explain exactly why. It might be more symbolic than anything, but it really helps me move on from it.


*Edit*: Really funny, I just went on Facebook and on the very top my friend's status was:

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." -Buddha


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## Sayonara (May 11, 2012)

Spades said:


> It's different for everyone. I see some of this difference between us coming from our enneagram types actually =P For me, anger can be a fuel to take action and get something done constructively. It doesn't have to end in lashing out at others. In fact, I've since worked on the issue, and I've found better ways to channel it. The thing is, I have to let it out. I can't really explain exactly why. It might be more symbolic than anything, but it really helps me move on from it.


Hmm. I can't say it's really a fuel for me, but the aftermath of shame it brings me I suppose can be be kind of a motivation to figure out what went wrong and how to avoid it next time. 

Thanks for your insight. 

EDIT: Ahaha I see the quote. I have a similar one in my sig to remind me of that.


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## Pete The Lich (May 16, 2011)

Fi is like a bottle of pop its fine until you shake it up
if someone opens it regularly it explodes but if its opened slowly all is well


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## zenity (Nov 6, 2011)

Can't help but to think of this ... Fi explosions sound somehow more ... magical or complex ... than Fe explosions to me? Like being self-referencing might make for a more bittersweet pain compared to the the aggro pain that I associate with an Fe explosion.

I've never experienced an Fe explosion, but I've witnessed them in Ti-doms before ... they're rare but epic. I feel for you Fi users. I guess the other side of the coin of being more in tune with your personal valuations is coming in to frequent abrasive contact with the outside world


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

If anyone here has ever read the novel "Anne of Green Gables," you're in for some very real depictions of Fi explosions, LOL.


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## MuChApArAdOx (Jan 24, 2011)

JungyesMBTIno said:


> If anyone here has ever read the novel "Anne of Green Gables," you're in for some very real depictions of Fi explosions, LOL.


heh, yes that is for sure. Watching the series on Tv will also reveal this snippy little girl in action. She snaps like a turtle when crossing her boundaries, the Fi is so obvious and visible in this character.


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Oh yes, Anne Shirley couldn't of been anything less than an INFP enneagram 4 - classic 4 (as someone with a 4 wing myself, that's something I've always found relatable about the character).


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## luemb (Dec 21, 2010)

@JungyesMBTIno Funny I was thinking of Anne's type recently. INFP type 4 does make sense. 

Fi explosions? Oh yeah. Few and far between, but it's a horrible landscape when one happens.


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## Enfpleasantly (Mar 5, 2012)

I despise Fi explosions...I like remaining calm and direct while expressing my intolerance, so if I lose control, it makes me cringe.


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## Kito (Jan 6, 2012)

Sadly yes, they happen to me. After one particular encounter with the school bully, he walked away with a bleeding mouth... but I rarely get physical unless someone's deliberately pushing all the wrong buttons. We could probably learn a lesson or two from the Fe users!


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## AbioticPrime (Sep 1, 2011)

Oh yes, this happens to me big time. I often deny having emotions in the first place, but they're still there, so I end up subconsciously finding indirect outlets for them. 

But the outlets are never enough, every once in a while I explode.


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## koalaroo (Nov 25, 2011)

So is a Fi user more likely to have an explosion whereas a Fe user is more likely to have a meltdown?


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## zenity (Nov 6, 2011)

koalaroo said:


> So is a Fi user more likely to have an explosion whereas a Fe user is more likely to have a meltdown?


We certainly self-censor more than Fi-users, which would create a lot more inward-directed anger.

Maybe the more unconscious Feeling is, though, the more likely its appearances will be explosive, regardless of how it's oriented.

I certainly have meltdowns rather than explosions. It might have to do with other factors outside of type, though.

Fi-users, do you experience meltdowns?


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## Adasta (Nov 22, 2011)

I think this is very characteristic of Aux/Tert Fi.

Fi explosions in ISFPs usually relate to their need to vent via Se, so something has got to be "felt" (in a physical way) for it to gain, or express, value. @Kayness touches on the need to push that Fi out into the physical realm.
@Solar Storm outlines the INFP stance quite well, I think. I rarely have Fi explosions now; I was more inclined to them in my teens. These days I am more likely to remove myself from a situation so that I can reflect on why those present thought they way they did, and why that was deleterious to my Fi.

A Fi explosion would only really occur if I felt I was the last person present that could defend an endangered value. I tend to call this "The Fi Stand".


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## LotusBlossom (Apr 2, 2011)

Adasta said:


> Fi explosions in ISFPs usually relate to their need to vent via Se, so something has got to be "felt" (in a physical way) for it to gain, or express, value. @_Kayness_ touches on the need to push that Fi out into the physical realm.


How do you mean? LIke, to create a work of art or writing..or??



koalaroo said:


> So is a Fi user more likely to have an explosion whereas a Fe user is more likely to have a meltdown?


from my anecdotal experience with Fe users, it seems like it, yes. In fact I've an ISFJ friend have a meltdown on me. uhm. but that's not to say I've never had a meltdown at all, I just can't remember the last time it happened.


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## Adasta (Nov 22, 2011)

Kayness said:


> How do you mean? LIke, to create a work of art or writing..or??


Not only that, but ISFP moodiness seems to be more inclined to Se-indulgence or Se-withdrawal. Either ISFPs do that grumpy-face thing where they sort of deny you their emotionality and pout a bit, or they get shouty and stamp around. Either way it seems Se-related.

I'll be the first to admit I don't extensive knowledge of ISFPs, but I know a few, and their Fi-anger is different to mine, but equally intense.


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## jeffbobs (Jan 27, 2012)

Wouldn't it be Fe explosions and Fi implosions....


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## LotusBlossom (Apr 2, 2011)

JungyesMBTIno said:


> If anyone here has ever read the novel "Anne of Green Gables," you're in for some very real depictions of Fi explosions, LOL.


now I gotta get it!


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## 2eng (Mar 5, 2012)

AbioticPrime said:


> Oh yes, this happens to me big time. I often deny having emotions in the first place, but they're still there, so I end up subconsciously finding indirect outlets for them.
> 
> But the outlets are never enough, every once in a while I explode.


Emotions are totally normal and healthy when you know where and how to direct them. Unfortunately many times our emotions are driven by "unhealthy or irrational" thoughts. If you can learn to control that, then the"explosions" will become a thing of the past. This can be a hard thing to accomplish because it takes a lot of introspection to know where and why they occur in the first place. Once you figure that part out you can learn to control the "irrational/unhealthy" emotions.


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## Erbse (Oct 15, 2010)

jeffbobs said:


> Wouldn't it be Fe explosions and Fi implosions....


Nope, mostly because Fe by nature goes outward, nothing to explode there as nothing bottles up.

It's probably no different than Ti ragefits of verbal rape.


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## jeffbobs (Jan 27, 2012)

Erbse said:


> Nope, mostly because Fe by nature goes outward, nothing to explode there as nothing bottles up.
> 
> It's probably no different than Ti ragefits of verbal rape.


In my experience causing a INTP to delve into his inferior Fe will cause him to explode in anger


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## Adasta (Nov 22, 2011)

2eng said:


> Emotions are totally normal and healthy when you know where and how to direct them. Unfortunately many times our emotions are driven by "unhealthy or irrational" thoughts. If you can learn to control that, then the"explosions" will become a thing of the past. This can be a hard thing to accomplish because it takes a lot of introspection to know where and why they occur in the first place. Once you figure that part out you can learn to control the "irrational/unhealthy" emotions.


Well said, but don't do the ExTJ thing of attempting to control/eliminating Fi from decision-making. Fi is not a contaminant!


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## Erbse (Oct 15, 2010)

jeffbobs said:


> In my experience causing a INTP to delve into his inferior Fe will cause him to explode in anger


Ever noticed that when you unleash the verbal ragefest that you're logical about it? Not that this was a good thing, as it only increase the amount of damage done.

It may be Fe that's at work, but it still gets channeled through Ti at the end of the day, which is channeled inward first and foremost.


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## jeffbobs (Jan 27, 2012)

Erbse said:


> Ever noticed that when you unleash the verbal ragefest that you're logical about it? Not that this was a good thing, as it only increase the amount of damage done.
> 
> It may be Fe that's at work, but it still gets channeled through Ti at the end of the day, which is channeled inward first and foremost.


I can see what you mean, and have witnessed just that, But also have reached a point where nothing makes sense and all i want is illogical chaos on anything and everything


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

listentothemountains said:


> @_JungyesMBTIno_ Funny I was thinking of Anne's type recently. INFP type 4 does make sense.
> 
> Fi explosions? Oh yeah. Few and far between, but it's a horrible landscape when one happens.


Oh wow, Ni minds thinking alike, haha! How psychic (j/k).


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Speaking of inferior Fe explosions (which aren't really explosions like @Erbse explained), they aren't at all mistakable with Fi explosions. IXTPs can get really objective with their F side in these instances and actually literally start stating value judgements as truths, which can get scary (e.g. "You're so terrible. What an idiot. You hate me.") - just an example that I've seen, and notice that there's absolutely no self-referencing of the person's own feelings in this example (it's all about the other person with the "you"), especially in the last quote - instead, it's appealing to external expectations - like the person is insecure that they lost status with someone attacking them or whatever and has to lay this out on the table as an objective possibility. I'm not speaking for all IXTPs, of course, but since this topic came up, I thought I'd clarify between the nature of inferior Fe eruptions and pretty much any kind of Fi eruption.


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## amatsuki (Apr 17, 2012)

I seem to do that a lot, but I don't notice things building up until the lid is popped


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## firedell (Aug 5, 2009)

Of course. I don't like it when it happens though.


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## INFJAnimal (May 5, 2010)

Fi explosion?? Yeah...I have them from time to time. Usually happens when someone sets off my triggers. Think in the megatonnage of Tsar Bomba X 50. 









The scary thing about an Fi explosion is that the intuitive feeler knows what makes you tick emotionally...will zero in straight for it like a laser-guided munition and blow your carefully constructed world to utter smithereens. They can leave you in tatters and bleeding emotionally where the scars don't show other than in your shell-shocked expression after they're finished.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

I've noticed this with many, many people I've known, and it's usually over the silliest things. They just let the little things pile up until they explode... Usually at me. It's hard not to laugh when their faces go red and they seem to spew noxious fumes out of their ears.

It can get kind of scary when you try to reason with somebody like that, though. They just get more and more upset.

But, I'll tell ya something, I _do _wish that they'd just get it off their shoulders in the first place. I don't understand what they're afraid of. Hurting somebody? Well, blowing up with a lot of crazy irrational remarks is bound to be a _bit_ more hurtful to somebody than getting those little things out before they go nuclear.

Just my two cents.

I'm still not even sure if I'm a Thinker, to be honest. But, I'll generally remain fairly uncertain about most things, just to keep the learning process afloat.


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## Inguz (Mar 10, 2012)

Word Dispenser said:


> But, I'll tell ya something, I _do _wish that they'd just get it off their shoulders in the first place. I don't understand what they're afraid of. Hurting somebody? Well, blowing up with a lot of crazy irrational remarks is bound to be a _bit_ more hurtful to somebody than getting those little things out before they go nuclear.


You don't want to hear everything that goes on inside. My personal inner conflict is that I pick up on so much, yet there is so little that I actually can voice, even if I want to in the first place.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

Inguz said:


> You don't want to hear everything that goes on inside. My personal inner conflict is that I pick up on so much, yet there is so little that I actually can voice, even if I want to in the first place.


Yes, this I've heard. 

It's confusing for me, but I work differently. (I'm still unsure as to whether I am an Fi user myself. But, I think that it makes more sense that I'm a Ti user with a highly developed Fe... I just... Don't know.)

I mean, I _can _feel very deeply, and intensely about something, but I generally get it off my back right away, as tactfully as possible. It sounds like Fi users have detailed feelings and nuances within those feelings and convolutions. 

I can appreciate my feelings, and see beauty in experiencing them, but they're not more important than what I think about them and..

Well, let's say I feel guilty about lying. Even if the truth might hurt the other person, I would get rid of it and tell the truth, so that I would no longer feel guilty about the lie.

This makes me think of a song! ''A lie burns long, but the truth bites quick. A heart is built for both, it seems.'' Ah, so lovely. 

Anyway.. I've noticed that when I get that off my back, I feel relief, better, I move on. But let's say I told it to the Fi user. They would, perhaps, mull it over and be upset for quite awhile because of it. I'd feel more guilty for the lie told to the person, than for hurting them for telling them the truth... And I was also always taught that being honest is the most important, no matter what.

So, maybe I'm just a selfish Fi user. 

Examining my thoughts and feelings in order to understand the way I work has been a particularly interesting experience. But, I don't think I'm any closer to really knowing what comes first-- The thought, or the feeling. Do I work through my feelings to get to the thought, or my thought to get to the feeling?

All I know for sure is that I relate to the ENTPs far more than the ENFPs.


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## Muser (Jul 17, 2011)

JungyesMBTIno said:


> Speaking of inferior Fe explosions (which aren't really explosions like @_Erbse_ explained), they aren't at all mistakable with Fi explosions. IXTPs can get really objective with their F side in these instances and actually literally start stating value judgements as truths, which can get scary (e.g. "You're so terrible. What an idiot. You hate me.") - just an example that I've seen, and notice that there's absolutely no self-referencing of the person's own feelings in this example (it's all about the other person with the "you"), especially in the last quote - instead, it's appealing to external expectations - like the person is insecure that they lost status with someone attacking them or whatever and has to lay this out on the table as an objective possibility. I'm not speaking for all IXTPs, of course, but since this topic came up, I thought I'd clarify between the nature of inferior Fe eruptions and pretty much any kind of Fi eruption.


I'm interested to hear more on your view of IXTP Fe eruptions. (Just throwing this out there. Perhaps something can be gleaned from this thread: http://personalitycafe.com/intp-forum-thinkers/88931-intp-emotional-explosions.html)


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## JungyesMBTIno (Jul 22, 2011)

Muser said:


> I'm interested to hear more on your view of IXTP Fe eruptions. (Just throwing this out there. Perhaps something can be gleaned from this thread: http://personalitycafe.com/intp-forum-thinkers/88931-intp-emotional-explosions.html)


Well, the one thing that mainly characterizes the appearance of inferior Fe in IXTPs is that the values or apparent lack of them is usually what people question about them. Sure, like everyone, Ti dominants have values, but they're pretty much the types that don't give a crap about personally rationalizing their values other than by what is technically sound about them to themselves (Ti) and to a light extent, the weight of holding them against external standards of values judgement (inferior Fe), so they can often come across as people who seem oblivious to the fact that other people have individual feeling preferences that dictate how they evaluate anything against their feelings, and this can come out when they have Fe eruptions, where they can come off like they're objectifying their feelings about someone that they're mad at to the point that they sound like they have no respect for any other aspects of others' individuality - they make snap judgements about people and that's that. No apparent consideration that there's more value to the person beneath the surface of what they're showing (they tend to be skeptical that there's more than what meets the eye when it comes to peoples' feelings and sort of seem to expect everyone to be able to rationalize feelings objectively - that's likely why the Ti dominants can be pretty famously the people who make really juvenile hissy fits after someone picks on them, etc., since they find just letting feelings exist objectively as they are more rational and comfortable than internalizing them to explore what is definitely to T dominants, the irrational nature of human feeling and emotion - modeling feelings objectively (Fe) probably helps them deal with them in ways that make sense to the person's dominant subjective thinking (Ti)). So, I think their lack of Fi (at least it's extremely repressed and unconscious) has something to do with how their Fe comes off. Since the inferior function is very black and white, hot and cold, 50/50, touchy, etc., inferior Fe would be an all-or-nothing deal for these types most of the time, so to them, feeling either has to be very easy to figure out in a way that aligns with their subjective thinking preferences, or otherwise, it annoys the shit out of them (unless they've observed patterns over time that they adjusted to and can then sort of appreciate the displays, etc.). My twin sister is an INTP, and one interesting thing I've noticed about her and values is that she definitely knows what she values, but can't stand explaining why she feels that way or even considering that she has a subjective evaluative method behind this and emphasizes why it would be stupid not to - usually, she'll appeal to the external to explain this, or just say "I dunno. Who cares. It's just amazing anyway."


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## DreamStepper (Feb 27, 2012)

It's how I live! I'm so terrible at expressing my emotions.... So they all get bottled up.


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## Kito (Jan 6, 2012)

I had an awful one two days ago. A friend of mine said one thing that, for whatever reason, made me completely snap, and they received a rather long barrage of swearing and caps lock ranting... which later broke down into crying... and it literally came out of nowhere, I couldn't have been much calmer before it all happened.


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## Jewl (Feb 28, 2012)

I do tend to keep feelings very bottled up. There will be lots of introspection, self reflection, and whole speeches written in my head. And none of it is visible. There are times where I'm so "full" of feeling that I feel as though I'm thinking loudly. 

I'm not going to lie - there has been some moments where I have snapped. It isn't in my nature to actually yell, so my version of "yelling" is simply a raised voice. Haha. ^_^ But it is very rare for me to show outwardly that, "I'm very angry right now." Sadness, bitterness, disappointment, those I also tend to keep inside. 

I have learned there's a way to let the feelings out of the bottle slowly and more calmly.


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## Apdenoatis (May 23, 2012)

It happens to me fairly often, but I've never actually hit anyone (as much as I've wanted to.) I would usually start crying in my effort to try harder to keep things bottled up.


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## Soma (Oct 28, 2009)

I've learned to control it actually. Or... I take it out indirectly on something else so I can make better judgement's. Ever see a wii control go through a TV? yea... me neither >.>;; jk obvs lol.


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