Explaining the INFP (Fi-Si) loop

Recently, I was working on another article about INFPs which touched on the INFP (Fi-Si) loop, and I kept trying to go into way more detail than was necessary for that specific article. (If only I’d realized sooner that an INFP development article really doesn’t require an in-depth loop explanation.) After struggling for way too long with how to be brief on this subject, I realized that I might actually be able to write a full length article explaining the INFP (Fi-Si) loop.

What is a Fi-Si Loop?

In case you’re new to Myers-Briggs, the 16 personalities, or etcetera, I’ll take a brief moment to explain what a loop actually is. In short, a loop is an unhealthy state that a personality type falls into when they lose confidence in their auxiliary function. When this happens, they essentially “loop” on their dominant and tertiary functions (or their first and third functions.) A loop for an introverted type always results in hyper-introversion, because the function they end up skipping over is their main extraverted function.

An INFP’s cognitive function stack is Fi-Ne-Si-Te. So, as you can see, the auxiliary function they are losing confidence in is Extraverted Intuition, or Ne. The result is that they continue using their Fi as per usual but instead of supporting it with Ne, they try to lean too heavily on their Si as a substitute. Some personality theories try to re-frame loops as normal, just another variant on INFPs. However, a loop like the Fi-Si loop will always, in reality, be an imbalanced state, because the user is spending too much time in either the objective world or their subjective world, resulting in either not enough introspection (impulsive) or too much introspection (inaction).

Explaining the INFP (Fi-Si) Loop in Depth

Introverted Feeling, or Fi, is an extremely idealistic function, and it’s dominant for the INFP. Fi provokes the INFP to look inwards, using their feelings as a guide to determine who they are and who they want to be. I’ve said this many times at this point, but self-discovery is a never-ending journey for a personality type like the INFP. They never close the door on it. They seek to continually update their understanding of themselves, and adapt their identity as their life experiences change them. This is a particularly important process for them because it helps them discover what will bring them the meaning that they crave. Fi can create high standards for the individual, as they form a very specific, idealized image of who they want to be. This is especially so for the INFP due to their Fi being supported by the Ne/Si axis.

Introverted Sensing, or Si, is responsible for building one’s subjective reality. (See What Introverted Sensing (Si) Really Is.) It internalizes sensory impressions and, in combination with Fi, builds an idealized world inside the INFP’s mind. In conjunction with that, Extraverted Intuition, or Ne, provides the INFP with their connection to the objective world. It shows them a world of possibilities, some of which may get incorporated into their Si subjective reality. However, given the right set of circumstances, Ne can easily overwhelm an INFP, setting them up for failure, in a sense.

How does an INFP fall into a loop?

Well, there are a couple of different ways.

Ne/Si users often want to account for everything. They want to see every possibility, every option. They want to gather all the information so that they can account for everything…but not everything can be accounted for. This can easily cause an INFP to feel overwhelmed by the tidal wave of possibilities being presented to them by their Ne. The INFP lacking in life experience may struggle to understand which possibilities are realistic and which are not. They may not understand how to narrow down their options, and feel too afraid to do so. What if the wrong thing ends up discarded? What if the wrong choice is made?

This can be one source of Ne overload. It can provoke a fear to act or decide based on a fear of failure. INFPs often have very high standards (due to the Fi-Si) which can make them extremely critical of themselves whenever they fail.

Another source of Ne overload can come from a disappointment in reality. Ne can be used to present the user with positive, negative, or neutral possibilities; it’s largely dependent on the temperament of the person. An overly positive person may only see positives, while an overly negative person may only see negatives. (Note: this has nothing to do with high Ne or low Ne. An INFP can be optimistic or pessimistic.) Many NFPs choose to focus on positive possibilities, desiring to be optimistic. Unfortunately, the INFP that chooses to focus only on the positive, ignoring the negatives completely, may find themselves constantly disappointed by reality, since it can never measure up to their ideal. When an INFP gets continually disappointed by reality, they may inevitably start shifting into a more pessimistic mindset.

It’s not hard to see what might happen next.

The INFP that only focuses on the negative may begin to fear reality to the point of failing to live. They may feel a sense of hopelessness or doom, and start wanting to close themselves off to possibilities. After all, when you look out into the world and see only bleak outcomes at every turn, why would you want to keep dipping into your Ne? Wouldn’t you eventually just want to shut it off?

Ultimately, given circumstances like those explained above, any INFP may end up so overwhelmed by their Ne that they choose to give up on it entirely, instead dropping down into a Fi-Si loop.

What happens in a Fi-Si Loop?

Over-emphasizing Si via a Fi-Si loop can be a very bad thing. As mentioned earlier, the core aspect of Si as a cognitive function is that it builds a subjective reality inside one’s mind. This definition of it actually roots back to Carl Jung. For someone that is checking in to objective reality, having a subjective reality is not a bad thing. For someone desperately seeking to escape reality, however, it can be a very bad thing. A Fi-Si loop can cause INFPs to retreat into a safe haven within their mind, seeing reality as cold and harsh in stark contrast to their perfectly formulated internal reality (built on their Fi ideals). There, they can sit and hide from the real world, living out their life in what is essentially a fantasy of their own making or a “comfort zone”.

Bear in mind, the loop can take on a couple of different forms. People often describe looping on Si to surface as fixating on a point in one’s past. That’s certainly one thing that can happen. The INFP may build their subjective reality based on a time in the past that they preferred. They can also take a more critical route, and fixate on a past mistake, believing that if only had they made a different choice then, their current reality would much more preferable. They could also make their subjective reality one that doesn’t resemble reality in the least. Regardless of the route they take, their internal world replaces and distracts them from reality, preventing them from living and moving forward.

How can an INFP escape the Fi-Si loop?

Unfortunately, this is not going to be easy. The INFP will have to face reality, and access their Ne once again. They’ll likely feel the need to be extremely cautious when first starting out, which is completely fine. As long as forward movement is being made, the INFP will, overtime, slowly regain confidence in their Ne. (Practice makes perfect.) I wrote an INFP development article that addressed this point and many others, so I think I’ll just link to it here: 5 INFP Struggles and Development Tips.

In conclusion…

I hope this made sense. I welcome feedback and personal experiences, if anyone wants to share!