Introverted Feeling versus Extroverted Feeling
Next up in the series peeking behind the curtain of the cognitive functions are the Feeling Functions. If you missed last week’s post on the Thinking Functions, you can check it out here. For a refresher on what the cognitive functions are, check out this primer post!
The Feeling Functions
Along with the Thinking Functions, Introverted Feeling (Fi) and Extroverted Feeling (Fe) are judging functions that help us in situations requiring discernment and decision making—whether they’re small, unconscious decisions or large, life-changing decisions.
The Feeling functions differ from the Thinking functions in their use in decision making. Feeling is more emotionally engaged, looking at the perspectives and needs of the people in a situation before filtering through to Thinking. This does not mean that people using Fi or Fe as their primary decision-making function don’t use logic or are overly emotional. It simply means they prefer their Feeling process over their Thinking process, however slightly.
Who Uses the Feeling Cognitive Functions?
So which MBTI types use these Feeling functions? All of them! Every person has a Feeling function, with either an introverted or extroverted attitude, somewhere in their function stack. For the sake of these posts, we’ll focus primarily on the types that have them in the Dominant or Auxiliary placement in their stack.
For quick reference, here’s a list of the MBTI types that use Feeling in either Dominant or Auxiliary position:
· Introverted Feeling (Fi) as Dominant Function: INFP, ISFP
· Introverted Feeling (Fi) as Auxiliary Function: ENFP, ESFP
· Extroverted Feeling (Fe) as Dominant Function: ENFJ, ESFJ
· Extroverted Feeling (Fe) as Auxiliary Function: INFJ, ISFJ
Flow State and Growth State
As mentioned in previous posts, I ascribe to the belief that our Dominant Function is the gateway to entering our Flow State and the Auxiliary Function is how we access our Growth State. The Flow state as described by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his extensive research on optimal experience, is the complete absorption in an experience that is both challenging and optimally suited to our abilities and interests. In the realm of personality, Flow translates to the elements of our lives that put us “in the zone” by challenging us while still aligning with our personalities. Utilization of our Dominant Function in these moments is what helps us achieve Flow.
The Growth State in this context refers to leveraging our Auxiliary Function. This function has the opposite attitude (meaning introverted or extroverted) as our Dominant function and thus pushes outside of our comfort zones and ushers in growth. If your dominant function has an extroverted attitude (e.g. Extroverted Thinking or Te) then your auxiliary function will always be the opposite, introverted attitude (e.g. Introverted Intuition). The reverse holds true—if your dominant function is introverted, then your auxiliary function will be extroverted.
Introverted Feeling
Introverted Feeling is a processes that is orientated to the inner world of emotional experience and beliefs. Its role is to reference an internal catalogue of past experiences and feelings in order to understand and make decisions about the current situation. Fi is adept at utilizing sympathy due to its ability to self-reference. It asks the questions, “How have I felt in similar situations?” and “How would I feel if it were me?” People with this function in the dominant position are known as The Mediator (INFP) or The Artist (ISFP) for their ability to convey their inner world to the outer world. Like Introverted Thinking, Fi is a subjective function which is why not everyone will “get” the art of an ISFP or understand how INFPs come to their understandings of things.
Due to its process of self-referencing, Fi is the slowest of the judging or decision-making functions and can struggle when required to make quick or in-the-moment decisions.
Fi Highlight Reel:
· Looks inward at its catalog of past emotional experiences to make decisions on the current situation
· Seeks authenticity—alignment with morals and beliefs they hold highly
· Concerned with core values
· When healthy, it’s sympathetic to the emotional experience of others, giving, and self-aware
· When unhealthy, it can be self-centered, superior, shut off from growth that threatens its current beliefs
· Values individuality and freedom of expression
· Can struggle with motivation
· Idealistic—can struggle with unrealistic expectations
· Artistic—often as a way to try to convey their subjective emotional experience
· Thrives when tapped into feelings of inspiration
Fi Dominant Function (Flow State): For INFPs and ISFPs, Introverted Feeling is their primary way of showing up in and interacting with the world. Flow is accessed in times where Fi is used regularly, free of too many logistical details or pressure to conform. Their incredible ability to convey their inner worlds through creative expression means Fi users should set aside time to dive into their chosen artistic endeavor.
Fi Auxiliary Function (Growth State): For ENFPs and ESFPs, Introverted Feeling is the way to growth. Nurturing Fi for growth allows users to make decisions based on their core values and inner knowing. ENFPs & ESFPs benefit from embracing the slower pace of this function in comparison to their Dominant functions and should spend intentional time turning inward to mine for what is true to them.
Examples of People with Fi Dominant Function:
· Princess Diana (INFP)
· Fred Rogers a.k.a. Mister Rogers (INFP)
· Frida Kahlo (ISFP)
· David Bowie (ISFP)
Extroverted Feeling
Extroverted Feeling is a processes that is orientated to the outer world of human systems, hierarchies, and interactions. Its role is to ask the question, “How can we get everyone’s needs met?” Fe has a keen sense of social dynamics and has its finger on the pulse of power dynamics in a room or interaction. Fe differs from Fi in its experience of emotions. Where Fi uses sympathy to ask, “How would I feel if it were me?”, Fe uses empathy and can experience another person’s emotional experience as if it were their own. A saying that illustrates this well is “Your pain, my heart.” Replace pain with sadness, joy, fear, love and the sentiment still holds. This can be a very powerful experience which is why Fe users benefit greatly from establishing and honoring boundaries and growing their ability to differentiate their own emotions from those of others.
Fe Highlight Reel:
· Judging process—used in assessment & decision making
· Keen awareness of social dynamics, hierarchies, and systems of influence
· Feels the emotions of others in an acute, empathetic way
· Diplomatic and understanding
· Benefits from remembering their own needs when getting everyone’s needs met
· When healthy, excellent mediator that can provide wise counsel through conflict
· When healthy, understands the value of boundaries
· When unhealthy, can be emotionally unpredictable, struggle to assert needs, and grow resentful when they are taken advantage of
Fe Dominant Function (Flow State): For ENFJs and ESFJs, Extroverted Feeling offers an exceptional understanding of social dynamics. Because Fe is so adept at recognizing the needs of others, a healthy user can become very skilled at mediating conflict. This is ironic as many Fe users consider themselves to be conflict avoidant. However, the core motivation for Fe is to get people’s needs met and in so doing they can often spot subtleties and breakdowns in communication that others overlook. However, it’s important for Fe users to remember that getting everyone’s needs met isn’t about pretending to get along—it’s about getting to the heart of the matter, and sometimes conflict is necessary to reach it.
Fe Auxiliary Function (Growth State): INFJs and ISFJs grow through Extroverted Feeling by pressing themselves to identify their own needs and preferences. Resisting the urge to go along to get along allows Fe’s true needs to rise to the surface. This requires the identification and enforcement of the Fe user’s boundaries. While this can be challenging, this is a major growth point for INFJs and ISFJs. As auxiliary Fe is developed, users can leverage their understanding of social dynamics to help make decisions about the best way to bring their visionary ideas into the world.
Examples of People with Fe Dominant Function:
· Oprah Winfrey (ENFJ)
· Nelson Mandella (ENFJ)
· Alicia Keys (ESFJ)
· Pope Francis (ESFJ)
Both Fi and Fe are powerful functions that can serve us well. However, it is important to note that just because a person uses these functions, does not necessarily mean they use them well or in a healthy manner. Human personality is complex and nuanced and understanding our functions helps us be the best version of ourselves but only if those functions are nurtured and used wisely. Stay tuned for next week’s post where we’ll be moving past the judging functions and onto the perceiving functions, starting with the Sensing Functions!
Got questions? Drop me an email!
For a deeper dive into these functions, check out the Personality Hacker book by Joel Mark Witt and Antonia Dodge and Dr. A.J. Drenth’s books My True Type and The 16 Personality Types!