# What's Fi ?



## Little Frog (Aug 4, 2010)

I'm a INFP, and I don't really know what Fi is. That's not good 

I know it has something to do with knowing if things are wrong or good.

But if it's only that then it's boring. Does that mean that we're always telling that everything is wrong all the time more than other types ?

And to add some more to the topic, what are the differences between Fi and Fe? I for sure am a P, but I feel like I use Fe more than Fi, but Ne more than Ni anyways.
I'm confused! xD


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## RyRyMini (Apr 12, 2010)

Introverted feeling is the dominant function for both ISFPs and INFPs. It's the ability to know exactly who and other people are, and whether a certain situation, action, or behavior is congruent with your true self. Introverted feelers are able to find connections with those who hold similar values to them. It's a great ability to have, in my opinion, but the catch is that introverted feelers don't usually project their true selves outwards for others to see.

There's much more to it as well, including the ability to see right from wrong like you mentioned.


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## Diphenhydramine (Apr 9, 2010)

Fi is like Fe but introverted. Sounds stupid, but it's true, I guess. In Fe your feelings are regarding the external, concrete world of other people and social rules and what have you. With Fi, your feelings are about the inner world, your gut reactions, personal morals, being able to relate external situations to "yourself" etc etc


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

RyRyMini said:


> It's the ability to know exactly who and other people are, and whether a certain situation, action, or behavior is congruent with your true self.


Can you give examples of this?


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## RyRyMini (Apr 12, 2010)

Nyx said:


> Can you give examples of this?


Perhaps..it's kind of difficult for me to put into words. It's kind of like being able to understand peoples true intentions when they're speaking by taking in their body language and tone of voice. Introverted feelers (usually quite quickly) get a sense of who that person is and if they're seeing an accurate picture, it's quite simple to recognize hidden intentions. A concrete example isn't easy for me to come up with. Maybe if I asked someone if they were interested in going to see a movie later and they said "yeah, totally!" but weren't sincere or dropped other subtle hints that I picked up, I wouldn't follow through with the plans. Usually in cases like this when I don't follow through the plans, the other party doesn't try and initiate the plans with me so I have a pretty good idea that it was something they weren't interested in.

The true self part is even harder for me to describe. I guess it boils down to being true to yourself, even if your true self doesn't fit in with as many people as you'd like. It's not compromising whatever you believe (morally, religiously, etc) to meet others' expectations. It's evaluating new ideas and beliefs you might gain from yourself or other people and deciding if it's something worth believing in.


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## AirMarionette (Mar 13, 2010)

*Disclaimer: Neurotransmitter Flood*

Fi is a filtration system of the ego. It experiences the world in tandem with oneself, as an entity subject to the evaluation of the individual. It transforms tangible and intangible phenomena into expressions of uniqueness. It accommodates the external to the internal. It is an extension of the solitary mind. It considers what makes you. It recognizes what IS you. It ponders consideration. It is mindless self-indulgence. It wonders about feeling what cannot be versed. It latches onto the bullet of instinct to understand. 

In a singular mind, it yearns for the substance of existing by swallowing the world as a whole and digesting its contents through identification, be it negative or positive.

At least, that's how I see it.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

RyRyMini said:


> Perhaps..it's kind of difficult for me to put into words. It's kind of like being able to understand peoples true intentions when they're speaking by taking in their body language and tone of voice. Introverted feelers (usually quite quickly) get a sense of who that person is and if they're seeing an accurate picture, it's quite simple to recognize hidden intentions. A concrete example isn't easy for me to come up with. Maybe if I asked someone if they were interested in going to see a movie later and they said "yeah, totally!" but weren't sincere or dropped other subtle hints that I picked up, I wouldn't follow through with the plans. Usually in cases like this when I don't follow through the plans, the other party doesn't try and initiate the plans with me so I have a pretty good idea that it was something they weren't interested in.


So as an Fi-user, you're very sure of your perceptions and judgments of people and their actions?


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## mylifemyradio (Jan 24, 2010)

^ usually.


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## RyRyMini (Apr 12, 2010)

Nyx said:


> So as an Fi-user, you're very sure of your perceptions and judgments of people and their actions?


Yes, well put. Except it is possible for a Fi-user to have the wrong perceptions of people and misjudge things occasionally, yet still be sure of them. We can tell if our instincts don't match reality by unbalanced reciprocity.


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## The Great One (Apr 19, 2010)

RyRyMini said:


> Introverted feeling is the dominant function for both ISFPs and INFPs. It's the ability to know exactly who and other people are, and whether a certain situation, action, or behavior is congruent with your true self. Introverted feelers are able to find connections with those who hold similar values to them. It's a great ability to have, in my opinion, but the catch is that introverted feelers don't usually project their true selves outwards for others to see.
> 
> There's much more to it as well, including the ability to see right from wrong like you mentioned.


It also makes you sensitive as shit. It's a good pill, but it has it's side effects.


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## RyRyMini (Apr 12, 2010)

NatetheGreat said:


> It also makes you sensitive as shit. It's a good pill, but it has it's side effects.


I concur. .


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## OrangeAppled (Jun 26, 2009)

Here's my basic description of my introverted feeling (there may be some Ne in this, as it's hard to unbake a cake, so to speak). I copied & pasted these from a few places I posted & added/edited a bit, so I may repeat myself.....

Fi picks up on feelings from the unconscious, what it means to be a human and what is moral. These feelings amount to principles, and the individual Fi-dom interprets these broad feelings into something they can apply to themselves, and maybe the external world. There is basically a model of the world and self in the Fi-dom's mind, similar to the Ti-dom, but the nature of it is more idealistic and concerned with issues which are heavily subjective. It's extremely hard to define Fi because of this. It seems there are no accurate words, as even "Feeling" falls short with its inaccurate connotations (ie. emotion). It's been suggested by one author that "sentiment" is a better word choice, but that word has it's own sappy baggage.

----

My Fi is an internal knowing of what is right and wrong and what makes sense, particularly from what I call a "human standpoint" or the "essence of being human", dealing with emotions & their meaning, morals & self and how they work, trying to harmonize the inconsistencies through evaluation, creating a model of the world & self that is ideal in a similar way a Ti-dom creates a theoretical model that is logical. Things tend to resonate with me as truth immediately, and further reflection and analyzing sort of fits it into already existing beliefs, or susses out why it resonates as truth. Sometimes there is conflict with new info, and resolving it can distress me, as can resolving a strong emotionally-driven desire with my values. Most everything is personal in some sense....I have to relate it to myself to understand it on a level where I can decide if it is right or wrong. That relating and evaluating is not done in such a linear manner though. As mentioned, often I start with the feeling and work through the "why" afterwards. It's a bit holistic and exploratory, like starting with a lump of clay and shaping it until it's a form you can name - it's not an exact science, but an art. Sometimes fantasy and imagination is used to problem solve.

There is also a welling up of feeling - not emotion, but just a feeling that says "this is me, or what I believe, or an idea I feel is worthwhile" and it can be felt in a mood, an image, a melody, a phrase, etc. When I come across a way to reflect that feeling externally, I will feel immediately, "this is how the feeling must be expressed".

For me, my Ne can be the "why?", exploring & finding possibilities, and my Fi can provide the "because" by reasoning on and narrowing those possibilities to what feels true. 

As for emotions, they function separately as they are not a rational thought process (which Fi is), but are invaluable to Fi for deriving meaning and shedding light.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

^^ That was very descriptive! Now I know I'm not an ENFP, for sure...Even though I know that Fi would be experienced differently for an ENFP, I think I would be able to relate to that a little. Not that that matters...

So as an Fi-user, you're very in touch with...yourself? I've also read that Fi-users are also in touch with other people and, by nature, can tell how different things affect other people. How does that work? Because I'm trying to find some other differences between Fi and Fe besides what's obvious and besides what I know already...


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## Little Frog (Aug 4, 2010)

Thanks everyone!
Does that mean that IxFP do it more than other types?

And would that be an example of Fi?

TV: The compagny Superevil is going to destroy all the trees from the forest to make chairs and tables
MaybeFiPerson: That's wrong! They deserve to be tortured! They ($*@$*[email protected](*!&[email protected]$(*& !

Or is it just a random hysteric reaction?


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## OrangeAppled (Jun 26, 2009)

Little Frog said:


> Thanks everyone!
> Does that mean that IxFP do it more than other types?
> 
> And would that be an example of Fi?
> ...


IxFPs are Fi-dom, or they have introverted feeling as their dominant function, so yes, we "do it" more than other types :laughing:. 

That seems a random hysteric reaction to me. You can't really attribute that to a function, as it seems very emotional. Cognitive functions are mental thought processes. You would need to know the reasoning behind the sentiment.

Introverted feeling types do tend to have strong emotional feelings about their values, or things which they have deemed as important in some way. These can come out unexpectedly, but random freakouts aren't what I'd call the norm.


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

> TV: The compagny Superevil is going to destroy all the trees from the forest to make chairs and tables
> MaybeFiPerson: That's wrong! They *don't**(is that what you meant?) *deserve to be tortured! They ($*@$*[email protected](*!&[email protected]$(*& !


It actually depends. That certainly could be Fi, but it doesn't have to be an Fi-user. An INFJ, such as my mom, might say the same thing. But she'd be taking in the information via her Ni which I think sees the unbiased structure of a situation or thing or person...I THINK!...I think that her values would come from what she sees as reliable throughout time... something that she can rely on through thick and thin. Also, she might be able to look at the situation from many different angles and- I actually don't really understand Ni too well. I'm really just theorizing here...So she might have that same feeling that the trees shouldn't be cut down. But now that I look at it closely, I think the Fi thing about that would be this: "They don't deserve to be tortured". According to some of the things I've read about Fi, atleast.

That might now make sense and I might be wrong...So...Bye!


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## Coco (Jun 17, 2010)

Is Fi very different for INFP and ENFP ?

Do you have real exemples where Fi would be "used" ? o.o

My turn to be confused lol...


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## Psilo (Apr 29, 2009)

ENFP profile - Typology Central



> Introverted Feeling is the rational function and the kernel of the ENFP’s inner being. As an introverted judging faculty, it is primarily responsible for establishing personal values by which the ENFP will assess themselves and their external environment. However, as an Extroverted type, strangely enough the ENFP tends to rely on external cues for self-assessment. Thus, even if the Introverted Feeling is sufficiently developed, the ENFP could not and would not want to wholly divorce the External standard. As an Extroverted perceiver, the ENFP is more concerned with the general ambience of the environment rather than private perceptions. In this respect the ENFP is very different from the INFP who is primarily concerned with making private assessments of what has been observed, the ENFP often goes without judgment altogether, merely takes in the external environment, at times even becomes absorbed in it. On that account the ENFP makes a perfect mimic, effortlessly and spontaneously he captures the souls of those around them and can easily represent the observed person by virtue of mere hunches he shall project onto the external environment. Because the ENFP is this intensely attuned with the external ambience and the emotional climate of the environment, he likely would excel at journalism, as this type is overrepresented in that enterprise. Unlike the Introverted perceiver the ENFP does not filter what has been incepted through the inner agenda, but can merely recollect the external image in its pure essence, even pantomime if necessary. As we have observed in the INTJ profile, the perceptions of an introverted perceiver are thoroughly imbued in unconscious predilections of the subject and for this reason end up being inaccurately collected. Yet this is not a problem at all for the ENFP for the aforementioned reason.
> 
> 
> In order for the ENFP’s vision to be fulfilled, he needs to arrive at a situation where he picks up the hunch that his vision has been realized. Unlike the IN types, he would not be satisfied with merely knowing that he knows how to be successful or captures an internal feeling of fulfillment, he needs for his vision to become a reality. As aforementioned, because of the ENFP’s lack of focus on external perception he is compelled to draw all of his energy into the external endeavor. As Jung commented, for this reason the ENFP tends to embody his vision. He becomes one with the essence he is currently preoccupied with. We have here a radically paradoxical notion.
> ...


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## Coco (Jun 17, 2010)

AAAH why didn't I get interested in something less complicated like building a spaceship to go to Pluto D:

But thanks, I'll read it xD And edit when I'll be done


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## heartturnedtoporcelain (Apr 9, 2010)

Coco said:


> Is Fi very different for INFP and ENFP ?


I've always wondering about that. Is it just less prominent? I guess I've always been confused because it seems so obvious to me that my perception is filtered through 'me'/my set of values. I guess I understand how Fi can be a second function in an intellectual way but not on a visceral level. 
... ok, so maybe I have a hard time fully comprehending extroversion full stop (again, not intellectually, but viscerally).


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## Vaka (Feb 26, 2010)

heartturnedtoporcelain said:


> I've always wondering about that. Is it just less prominent? I guess I've always been confused because it seems so obvious to me that my perception is filtered through 'me'/my set of values. I guess I understand how Fi can be a second function in an intellectual way but not on a visceral level.
> ... ok, so maybe I have a hard time fully comprehending extroversion full stop (again, not intellectually, but viscerally).


I suppose it's not much different for ENTPs than for ENFPs...


> It is an outwardly exploratory attitude that encourages us to change, reinvent and experiment with the external world in order to find new and interesting combinations and patterns. Ne looks for novel outcomes and imagines how the things around you could be changed into other, more interesting things.


From: http://personalitycafe.com/myers-briggs-forum/24032-intro-function-theory-more-detailed-descriptions-each-function-attitude.html

I'm young, so I may not be...'balanced' or fully developed, so keep that in mind. But anyway, that's the attitude that I have on a daily basis. Naturally, I welcome new experiences and ideas. I might go into things only with the agenda of finding some new information. It makes me completely confident that wherever I go, I'll find something interesting or worthwhile. I look at something(anything, not just something physical) and I can immediately start seeing possibilities that I might be able to use. I might go into some situation and get whatever information I can.
At some point, those things that I've taken in with my Ne have to be put into a system of understanding. I have to find where they belong in that system which has many different branches. That's my introverted judgment process. After it's in that system, I have a new understanding of that whole branch...whatever branch the information went into. Then I can further access it to create a vision of what that pattern of understanding can be applied to or what it can lead to. If I ever become devoted to something, I could probably do a lot with that attitude. But unfortunately, the nature of Ne(in the dominant spot and perhaps in someone immature) makes you constantly crave something new.

I like to get wordy with my explanations, but I guess to sum it up: Ne as a dominant function gives the user the desire to constantly find new things that can be judged. He doesn't view the world in terms of the introverted judging process, but as something that can be explored and experimented with.


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## The Great One (Apr 19, 2010)

Nyx said:


> ^^ That was very descriptive! Now I know I'm not an ENFP, for sure...Even though I know that Fi would be experienced differently for an ENFP, I think I would be able to relate to that a little. Not that that matters...
> 
> So as an Fi-user, you're very in touch with...yourself? I've also read that Fi-users are also in touch with other people and, by nature, can tell how different things affect other people. How does that work? Because I'm trying to find some other differences between Fi and Fe besides what's obvious and besides what I know already...


Yeah, you pretty much have to be very in touch with yourself and your feelings to be a dominant Fi user.


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