8 Anti-Ti Indicators: I Spy an Fi

Let me warn you…this is going to be mostly rant. We all have those specific things in life that irritate us. Sometimes they’re just plain stupid, but they irritate us nonetheless. Well, this is one of mine. But, before I get lost in the weeds, I should clarify that I’m not trying to bash all the members of any one particular type. (In this case, the introverted feelers) Every type has the potential to be incredibly annoying, and incredibly useful. We all have strengths, and weaknesses, and I’d hate for the world to be comprised of just one type. That would be terrible.

Anyways, I ran into a particularly irksome individual the other day on a ‘type me’ thread. I try to be very patient with people on ‘type me’ threads. I’ll discuss, explain, ask questions, and just talk with someone for a really long time. If the individual is honestly searching, I’ll spend a decent amount of time with them. However, sometimes I’ll get involved in a thread only to realize that the person has already predetermined which type they WANT to be. It’s like there’s this certain point in the discussion when it clicks in my head that the person is catering their responses, lining them with just the right buzz words, and then arguing against any typing suggestion I have contrary to their predetermined type. And no, I’m not just balking at the idea that someone might suggest I’m wrong. I don’t care if I’m wrong in an anonymous internet setting, and I certainly don’t care if someone asks me questions to make me prove what I’m saying. You can ask any experienced typer out there, and they’ll agree that certain people are just looking to have their self-diagnosis validated, and when you don’t validate them, they argue. Plain and simple. Most typers just bolt when that happens, because the battle against someone’s personal bias isn’t worth our time. (Unless the typer is an NTJ. I can almost muster up pity for the poor soul that’s burned by the fury of an NTJ… almost. :P)

This specific individual I dealt with was probably an Fi dominant. I say ‘probably’ because he could have possibly been an Fi aux. Regardless, Fi was one of his leading functions. The evidence was very clear. Notice how I keep saying he? I’ve noticed that some male Fi users struggle to accept their Fi nature.  I imagine it’s related to culture and upbringing. Some men are taught that emotions are for girls, or for the weak, or etc. They then try to smother out their Fi, and crutch on their lower Te function. This typically results in an over-exaggerated, unnatural Te-esque user that those of who are actually Ts can easily see through. Sorry Mr. Fi, you’re not really fooling anyone. However, the catch with this particular guy was that he believed himself to be Perceiver, and he was absolutely correct in that belief. All of his reasons were completely valid. So, since he had predetermined himself to be a Thinker and knew that he was Perceiver, this guy decided he was either an ISTP or an INTP. And, do you know what one of his major reasoning for being a Thinker was? He was a narcissistic jerk. I don’t typically get offended, but, to be honest, I felt kinda offended by that. >.>

So, I’m going to go list format on you all, and provide some high Fi/anti-Ti evidence. But first, I’m going to say this (in case it’s not clear yet): BEING HARSH, A JERK, OR JUST PLAIN MEAN DOES NOT MAKE YOU A THINKER. To all of the biased feelers out there: that is not how it works! We can all be mean, and we can all be nice. Thinkers aren’t always mean, and they certainly aren’t always mean on purpose. If you’re an Fi user, please please please accept yourself for who you are. Fi users can be very helpful, empathetic, passionate, likeable, and ideal driven people. These are all good things! We really do need the feelers to balance out those of us who are a bit emotionally constipated. I’m serious. Anyways, on to that list…

Anti-Ti Indicators

1. Struggling to separate idealized self from actual self

Not all Fi users are like this, but you can be pretty certain that if someone openly admits that they struggle to view themselves objectively, you’re probably dealing with an Fi user. Most Ts, whether Ti or Te, recognize their faults… They just might not care enough to fix them or they may dismiss them with some kind of statement like “we all have flaws.”

2. Dismissing negative traits and tendencies as not “who I am”

Once again, true Ts tend to count flaws as a natural part of them. We all have flaws. I don’t know if all Ti users are like this, but I specifically look for flaws in other people, and I instantly don’t trust someone if I can’t see any. Flaws make us real. No flaws = fake. Fake = untrustworthy. Untrustworthy = Stay away from me.

3. Being overly concerned with image

We can all be narcissistic, sure, but your average Ti user isn’t as people focused about it as the Fi users are. Ergo, Ti users will tend to not constantly worry about how other people are viewing them. Sure, we might worry somewhat. Ti users may get self-conscious over small, stupid things due to low Fe, or they may seek a certain degree of validation. But, in general, Ti users are probably not going to overly dwell on their “image”, especially in a “type me” post.

4. Making statements of “fact” about self

Te likes to make statements of fact, so Fi users (since they have Te in their stack) will naturally do this. However, your average Ti user struggles to make absolute statements. You have no idea how many “probablys”, “maybes”, “possiblys” and other such words I end up deleting out of my blog posts before finally publishing them. Ti is constantly re-evaluating and, in general, prefers to avoid absolutes.

5. Arguing against anyone who questions their interpretation of themselves

When an Fi has already predetermined their preferred MBTI type, I’ve noticed that they like to argue with anyone who contradicts that typing. This doesn’t necessarily mean that no other type will do that, but your average Ti user will probably search for a further explanation from you, rather then dismissing what you’ve said out of hand. Or, they may determine that you’re an idiot and ignore you completely. It all depends on what exactly you said. But, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll try to convince you that they’re not who you think they are.

6. Ignoring the body of evidence

Quite a few times, I’ve noticed that Fi users have a tendency to argue against something they disagree with without directly addressing what you’ve said in a point-by-point manner. Or perhaps, they completely skip over everything you said, because they don’t know how to respond and resort to cheap insults. A Ti won’t do this, and neither will a healthy Te.

7. Hating to feel fake

Fi users will prefer others to see them as they view themselves, and acting any other way will feel fake to them. Ti users probably won’t say much one way or another, beyond hating when other people are fake.

8. Making comments like “not getting bogged down by what makes logical sense.”

I’m sorry, but claiming to spot inconsistencies and loopholes EVEN IF IT’S TRUE does NOT make you a Ti user if you’re making comments that seem dismissive of logic. A Ti user wants EVERYTHING TO MAKE LOGICAL SENSE. So, we will totally get bogged down by what makes logical sense. We’re the people who’ll reinvent the stupid wheel! (Can you tell this one bugs me?)

In conclusion…

In case you missed my previous disclaimers, I do appreciate and see value in Fi users, and I’m certainly NOT saying that all Fi users do what I listed above. This was a particularly extreme case that I felt compelled to write about.