Do Ti Users Lack Identity?

We often say around here that Ti and Fi are the identity functions. However, if you speak to the average Ti dominant, you’ll likely learn that they don’t consider themselves to have much of an identity. In fact, you might learn that they don’t know themselves all that well, or that they lack a sense of self. I once wrote an article on my personal experiences with inferior Fe, which my Fi dominant sister read. In our next phone call, she mentioned to me something along the lines of how it must be difficult having little sense of identity. (Note that Fi perspective.) Of course, I’m hearing this thinking: ‘yes, but Ti is an identity function too.’ However, it doesn’t seem like one to those of us how have it. So, how does that make sense? Why do we even bother to describe it that way?

What people classically deem as “identity” is encompassed in Fi, or introverted feeling. Why? Well, Fi users naturally determine the worth of things, or their “value”, and then label them based on that. In other words, they define what things are based on their value. This is why Fi is said to be about values rather than emotions. Unfortunately, people like to inflate that statement to make it about morals, but that simply isn’t true. It just determines value. In order to determine value, the Fi users look inside themselves and determine what things are worth to them, because Fi is subjective in nature, just like Ti. They do the same thing to themselves: they define their value and their worth, and then label themselves. They hate it when other people label them. They determine who they are and no one else, which is why it’s an extremely individualistic function, just like Ti.

Strong Ti users tend to be highly independent. They tend to cause conflict whenever their freedom is being infringed upon. They will slip away if they can, but if not, they will defy the group, because ultimately individualism will matter to them more than harmony, if they’re forced to choose. In order to be this way, you must have a strong sense of “identity.” You must be able to recognize when something is running counter to your preferences, and you must be bothered enough by it to fight back. The higher one’s overall sense of identity, the more likely they are to butt heads with the group, generally speaking. (Exceptions being when an extraverted judger – Fe or Te – is attempting to steer the group in a different direction for the group’s overall wellness.)

However, Ti, while having a strong sense of “identity”, does not do what Fi does, which makes it not feel like or look like identity in the way we think of it. See, the feeling functions determine value, which for the Ti users is Fe. A Ti dominant is far detached from their Fe, and that is the dilemma. Many Ti dominants complain about not only the obvious lack of knowing what they’re feeling, but the lack of things like knowing what they like. The other day on a Zoom call, playing two truths and a lie, I had my lie as “my favorite color is blue.” Honestly, I don’t really know what my favorite color is. From a social standpoint, I’ve learned to choose a favorite color, when asked, but I just know that it has never been blue, for some odd reason, so that “lie” was safe. I generally don’t know what any of my favorites are. Granted, that’s a fairly stupid example, but I’m just trying to relay a point. I am, in certain ways, detached from myself, especially when it comes to who I am.

So, as stated, generally speaking, Ti users don’t have a sense of identity in the way we classically think about it. Now, as Ti slips further and further down the stack, the person typically has a stronger sense of classic identity. Of course, many people look to the 8 function model to explain this. A Ti dominant has Fi in the 8th position. As Ti shifts down the stack, Fi travels upward, giving the user a higher and higher awareness of it. Personally though, I don’t subscribe to the theory of the 8 function model. I think it’s overly convoluted, effectively useless, and something that people oftentimes use to rationalize being a personality type that they are not. I have an alternate theory as to what is going on here that doesn’t involved dipping down into functions 5-8. Namely, as Ti goes down, Fe goes up.

As mentioned earlier, Fe is also a value function. Fe users will still do things like mix up their emotions with the emotions of others, causing self to get muddled. However, as Fe users, they have a higher awareness of Fe values, which will place identifying labels. Thus, Fe users will look to others to define who they are. Those FJs with really bad Ti use will have no sense of individualism, and the group will completely bulldoze over that FJ’s internal identity. We all know the stereotype of the Fe doormat. I’m not saying all Fe users are doormats, but whether or not they understand the way they are on the inside, they have a tendency to yield to the group, to not assert their sense of self for the sake of harmony. As mentioned earlier, high Ti users are not that way, but we do see the general tendency to accept identifying labels from the group in the high Ti users. When they hear someone “label” them, they’ll fact check it against their internal analysis. If nothing seems blatantly false, they don’t tend to have issues accepting the label. Ti users, when forced to define themselves, will either start talking about the things they do or will make statements like “Bob says I’m like this, and Karen says I’m like that.”

Now, here is the kicker. Here is one of the main things I look for when trying to identify a Ti user. Yes, a true Ti user will tend to lack a classic sense of identity, but that’s not specifically what I look for. I look for the Ti user to not care. You see, I’ve hit this subject many times in articles, and one just recently called Cognitive Functions Determine Awareness, but if a function isn’t aware of something naturally, it won’t bother the person if they lack it. I’ve found that whenever I asked a Ti user about their relationship with identity and if it’s something that they think about often or deem important, they nearly always answer with a “no, not really.” It’s just not something we care to expend energy thinking about. This is one of the major distinguishing factors between an Fi inferior and a Ti user. An inferior Fi may lack of a sense of self, but they may be sensitive to this fact. They will probably care. Of course, naturally exceptions exist. Overly generalizing leaves room for error. A damaged Ti user, perhaps one that’s leaning too heavily on Fe, may start to overly obsess over a more classic sense of identity. However, their means of determining who they are will be to look to other people, not to introspect and produce their own definition.

The standard, healthy Ti user will not care that they lack a classic sense of self, not really. I am what I am. Why do I need to define myself further to either myself or to you? It’s irrelevant. I’ll just keep on doing what I do or thinking what I think. (See Explaining Ti Identity) Whenever I see a Ti user start getting obsessed over labels or ‘who am I?’, it instantly leads me to doubt. I will keep in mind that extenuating circumstances can exist to cause a Ti user to dip down into that way of thinking, but it should not be natural for them. If they’re doing this, it would be the result of a loop or a grip, because that would provoke an extremely heavy and imbalanced focus on Fe – which, as stated, will then drive them to look to others for self definition.

In summary…

The subject of Fi versus Ti has long been one full of confusion. I’ve been trying to figure out to accurately and satisfactorily explain the distinctions for a while now in a way that draws a clear line between the Fi and Ti users. The stereotypes out there surrounding Ti have made it out to be the height of intelligence and logic, which has (understandably) created a bias toward the function when there shouldn’t be one.  I don’t believe that Ti is any better than Fi, and eventually I hope to find a way to explain it in a such a way that anyone without the function will be able to clearly recognize it as foreign to them.