8 Strengths of Introverted Feeling (Fi)

After my last article, I felt this was warranted. I try not to criticize any particular type more than another, but at our roots, we’re all a little biased, if we’re being honest with ourselves. Introverted Feeling, or Fi, is the function that runs the most contrary to my nature, the function that I tend to clash the most with. For someone like me, it’s much easier for me to take the approach of bashing all types equally versus building up any one particular type. Besides, one is naturally going to hit up against a bunch of negatives when trying to portray the reality of different types, ergo making people mad. I saw someone complain about my portrayal of Ti in the Te vs. Ti article, which I thought was ironic considering the fact that I essentially just made someone mad for bashing myself… and subsequently them. It’s impossible to win, but I digress.

I have been blessed to have been raised with an INFP sister; and in recent years, I have gained an ISFP friend. I have seen the positive and the negative side of Fi, but unfortunately, it’s much easier to be critical then positive, especially as a Ti dominant. I don’t think we’ve given a whole lot of attention to Fi on this blog, due to it being contrary to my nature and low for Ryan, so I think I’m going to take an article to specifically focus on the positives (and only the positives) of Fi. After all, they do get their fair share of hate from the MBTI community.

Before I launch off on this, I want to call out the INFPs specifically and say that there’s nothing wrong with being an INFP. You have value. You have worth. You are needed. Sometimes it seems like there’s a competition (of sorts) going on between the INFPs and the INFJs, with questions like who is the most empathetic, and etc. It can seem as if one type is trying to prove superiority to the other. However, to be clear, neither is better than the other. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses. I get a different enjoyment and benefit out of being around an INFP, then I do an INFJ. Every type has their bad apples, and those are not the types we should use as our own internal model or expectations for all the rest. If you haven’t found one that you’ve liked yet, then you’re either not looking hard enough or you have some personal issues to sort through.

The Strengths of Introverted Feeling (Fi)

1. Not afraid to dream big

Idealism is sometimes painted as if it’s a bad thing. To be clear: it’s not. In fact, it’s an Fi strength. Fi users look inside themselves to form a picture of the way things should be, completely unhindered by how they actually are. In doing so, they envision what should be rather than what is. So many of us get trapped in the mentality that reality can’t be changed. We just accept that things are the way they are. However, we need people who can come up with an ideal to shoot for. Fi ideals give humanity something better to strive for. It doesn’t matter if it’s not immediately realistic. We all have to start somewhere. I have a much greater respect for those who try and fail, because at least they tried. You can’t fault effort, and you can’t hope to have victory if you don’t ever brave the battlefield.

2. Seeing the best in people

Every Fi user that I’ve ever been close to has been great at seeing the best in others. As a Ti dominant, it’s easy for me to be critical, and focus on people’s flaws, like I said earlier. I have to consciously think about someone’s positives to break out of my natural mentality to view others negatively. It’s not that I don’t like people, but I feel a degree of security in already understanding someone’s negatives and assuming that people will ultimately fail me. Fi users, unless they have been hurt, don’t seem to naturally have this problem.  (To be clear, I’ve never really been hurt – I’m just naturally critical, for no good reason.) I have made comments before that Fi users sometimes see people through rose-colored glasses, but it’s because they want to believe in people. Sometimes this ultimately causes them pain (because they unfortunately get taken advantage of), and others times they end up being precisely what that person needed to grow or better themselves. Fi users can hold an unwavering loyalty to those close to them, and strengthen these people as a result. They’ll naturally want to never give up on people no matter how bad things get, which leads cleanly into my next point…

3. Inspiring others

If you dream big and see the best in others, there will be people who naturally want to follow you. Your actions and ideals will be encouraging and motivating. In this blog, we analyze a lot of fiction, especially Anime, and the most common Shounen hero is always some form of Fi user, who is inspiring all those that he crosses paths with. There’s a reason for that, and the fact that it’s so common in fiction demonstrates the value that people see in Fi, whether they realize it or not.

4. Sticking to their guns

I’ve said before that Fi users don’t need external harmony; they need internal harmony. This means that the moment they are faced with something contrary to their values, they seem to have an easier time standing by what they believe, regardless of the opposition. I don’t mean this in the sense that they hold to their internal values no matter what (which they also do). I mean specifically that they don’t feel compelled to hide them. They tend to be the best at standing up for what they believe in, and opposing whatever they view to be wrong. They don’t naturally want to stand on the sidelines, and remain apathetic. They want to fight past any opposition. They may not enjoy conflict, but they consider it far worse to be in conflict with self.  After all, who do you have to live with for the rest of your life? Self.

5. Don’t cave to peer pressure easily

This point is very similar to the previous, but worth calling out. Fi users are great at being stubborn in all the best possible ways. (Yes, stubbornness can be a strength.) I don’t necessarily know how they actually are in this regard, but to me, they don’t seem like they’re plagued with self-doubt. They present themselves as confident and determined, no matter what anyone else is saying. They don’t simply yield to a contradicting opinion without giving it a ton of consideration. Their values are worth more to them than that.

6. Not afraid to express themselves

As a Ti dominant, this is one that I’m especially jealous of. Fi users seem to have this confidence in themselves that I don’t. In my experience, demonstrating their tastes and preferences to the world comes naturally to them. They don’t feel ashamed of them or feel compelled to hide them.. at least from what I’ve seen. Perhaps somewhere in the back of their mind, they worry about how others might accept who they are, but they certainly don’t appear to. Fi users are known for being authentic, and true to themselves. I envy this. Anything that gives someone a peak into the real me makes me instantly uncomfortable. There are certain aspects of me that I’ve deemed okay to show on a surface level, but anything much deeper is incredibly difficult. I hated class projects or really anything in which I had to come up with a topic, because it might show others what I actually cared about or what was important to me. Fi users never seem to have this problem.

7. Comfortable with their emotions

Fi, especially the dominants, tend to understand their own feelings. They’re less likely to feel ashamed of them, and they’re less likely to struggle expressing them, when they want to.  (The key here being “want to”. Fi users aren’t this uncontrolled emotional mess like many stereotypes claim.) Maybe they don’t feel as comfortable doing it as they seem. I honestly don’t know. I just know that they’re able to say and express things that I can’t. There have been times when I wanted to express something to someone close to me, and I just couldn’t. It’s a huge battle for me to say the smallest and stupidest thing, and then if I face the smallest criticism over it, I lock down. It’s ridiculous. This is another point of envy for me, when it comes to the Fi users. They generally just have a higher emotional intelligence.

8. Good at building genuine connections

Most people want deep connections with others, whether they realize it or not… whether they admit it or not. Fi dominants are highly aware that they crave it, which is why they can feel so lonely. If they have to hide who they are, it’s not a true connection. Due to an Fi user’s comfort with themselves, they tend to be good at forming authentic and genuine connections with others. That’s why the healthy ENFPs and ESFPs are known for being so likeable. The INFPs and ISFPs tend to also form very deep friendships. To Fi dominants, a connection that is not deep, is not a connection at all. My INFP sister seemed to always have people dumping on her, using her as a counselor of sorts. Fi users usually come across as genuine and honest people which makes them feel like someone you can trust and confide in.

In conclusions…

An article for Ti vs. Fi was requested, which we have yet to begin working on, but I did realize partway through it that I was putting forth some contrasts between Fi user and Ti users in this article, so maybe it can partially serve a dual purpose.  Of course, I’m not saying a Ti vs. Fi article won’t come eventually. It will.

But anyways, these are my thoughts on the value of Fi… I hope you all can appreciate it.