Feeling vs Thinking: What Are Values?
In personality theory, people flippantly throw terms around like everyone knows what they’re talking about. Many terms are vague or confusing, due to either the lack of a concrete explanation or the fact that the word is no longer being used in its literal sense. Typology enthusiasts often inadvertently redefine terms slowly, overtime, so that they lose touch with their literal meaning. They may prescribe additional meaning to certain words or a more narrowed meaning, affectively changing the definition. Either way, confusion and misconceptions ensue.
Intuition is a prime example. Intuition in personality theory does not mean the same thing as the everyday word. As a result, people mistakenly assume they are intuitives, because they have decent intuition.
“Values” is a word often used in relation to feelers, but it’s rarely actually explained in a concrete manner. In this article, I aim to explain what they actually are, how the term is used incorrectly, and how it really relates to the 16 personality types.
Some Definitions
“Values are individual beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another. They serve as a guide for human behavior.”
https://ethicsunwrapped.utexas.edu/glossary/values
“the principles that help you to decide what is right and wrong, and how to act in various situations:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/values
“Core values are the fundamental beliefs of a person or organization. These guiding principles dictate behavior and can help people understand the difference between right and wrong.”
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-core-values.html
Understanding Values
Most people typically tie “values” to one’s moral framework, and even use the word interchangeably with “morals.” This is understandable given the above definitions, but they are two different things.
This article explains the difference quite well: https://liveboldandbloom.com/10/self-improvement/morals-vs-values
In short, morals are rules for behavior that are often based on values. Values themselves are more abstract. As per the article above, “the values you were born with compel you to do one thing rather than another, based on what’s more important to you. …Values come from within and serve as intrinsic motivators.”
Examples
Examples are useful to gain a realistic understanding, so I’m providing a list of example values below, which I obtained from here: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-core-values.html. Of course, this list doesn’t begin to account for all of them.
- commitment
- compassion
- concern for others
- consistency
- courage
- dependability
- enthusiasm
- fearlessness
- friendliness
- good humor
- honesty
- honor
- independence
- integrity
- kindness
- loyalty
- open-mindedness
- optimism
- perseverance
- pragmatism
- positivity
- reliability
- respect
Applying Values to Personality Theory
Each of the 16 personality types is built on a set of four cognitive functions. These cognitive functions represent cognitive preferences. Essentially, values would be something that your cognitive framework leads you to find important or put value on. Remember: a “personality type” in this context isn’t really a true personality type, since personality encompasses far more than this theory actually defines. What it does define is a default way of thinking, or an individual’s mentality. Certain mentalities are conducive to certain values.
For instance, a Si-Te user (or ISTJ), often values predictability. They want to know what to expect or what’s coming so that they can be prepared. They will also value it as a way to better optimize based off of consistent, repeatable results. So, it could be said that predictability is common a Si-Te value.
Of course, people are unique, and that isn’t in dispute. Every individual will hold different values. There are really two main points here that we want to make:
1. Every person has values, regardless of their personality type or moral development
2. Certain values are common to certain personality types due to their intrinsic cognitive preferences
Naturally, people can claim to have any value they want, but ultimately your true values will compel you to act in a certain way. If a “value” isn’t doing that, then it isn’t really a value that you hold.
Feelers and Values
Feeling (whether Fi or Fe) has been closely tied to values, creating a common misconception that only feelers have values and morals. They say that feelers make decisions based on values, while thinkers make decisions based on logic. However, that is a gross oversimplification, because no individual can truly make a decision separate from their values, and even the most emotional individual uses some form of logic to rationalize their actions. (There are always exceptions, but generally speaking, this is true.)
Values have been overly associated with feelers, but there is a reason for it. Many feelers, understandably so, get frustrated with being defined as weepy or overly emotional. However, defining “feeling” as the sole source of values is just as incorrect as saying that feelers are innately more emotional than thinkers. It is more correct to say that feelers often have a conscious focus on defining their values, because they use them as rationale, to measure worth and importance.
For instance, Fi (or Introverted Feeling) is about having a close connection to one’s personal feelings which in turn often provokes high Fi users to form very deeply felt, nuanced values that they may frame in a moralistic way.
Feeling vs. Thinking
Feelers naturally focus on feeling-based data. This doesn’t make them innately more emotional than anyone else. Rather, they place value on subjective or personal data, meaning data that relates to people or individuals. They focus on the human element. In contrast, thinkers focus on impersonal information, like facts and numbers. This is why you’re more likely to get statistics or random data out of an XSTJ, while an XSFJ will know things like birthdays and people’s likes and dislikes.
Thinkers typically strive to make decisions detached from emotions and feeling-based data. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they always succeed, and even if they did, it wouldn’t always be a good thing. Emotional data is valuable data, and people should always be factored into the equation. However, many thinkers don’t see it that way, and view people as unpredictable, irrational entities that usually just get in the way of whatever system they’re trying to implement. Generally speaking, it’s accurate to say that thinkers focus on impersonal or objective data, which they use to order the world, or systematize their understanding of the world.
This is why people associate science and math professions with Thinkers, while assuming Feelers will prefer humanitarian careers. There is a likely a trend here, but it is not an absolute rule. We’ve known feelers to go into the sciences, and thinkers to go into people-focused careers. As we have said many times, an individual’s personality type is determined by the rationale for their actions, and not the actions themselves, because it is a mentality.
In Conclusion
Every individual has values, or principles, that guide their behavior. If you’re unsure of what yours are, you have a subconscious connection to them, rather than a conscious one. Figuring out what those are may actually be useful if you’re struggling to determine your type, since they’ll reveal what you truly find to be important or motivating.
Feel free to share some of yours in the comments below, along with your personality type, if you know it!
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Hmm, interesting. I always thought values were connected to Fi.
So to clarify, Fi users being associated with having strong values is just because they are more aware of them, not because they’re the only type who has them?
Also, I’ve seen it said on this website that in people’s teenage years they depend on their top 2 functions so much that it makes it easier to type them, so I’m just wondering, what would an example be of a high Fi user using Fi look like in their teenage years (especially as opposed to Fe?)
Correct. Feelers in general tend to have a more conscious focus on values. Some thinkers believe they don’t have values, but then realize later that they actually do.
To clarify, teenagers can be easier to type, but that’s assuming no extraneous factors like depression. The average teenager is more likely to lean heavily on their top two function, and end up looking more like a stereotype of their personality type. But to answer your actual question… FJs tend to have a more active focus on finding a place to belong. They tend to be better at finding their group, or where they fit. FPs can struggle more with isolating themselves, because they sometimes fixate on what makes them distinct rather than focusing on common ground. This will be more likely for a Fi dominant, than a Fi auxiliary. Obviously, there can be different strains of FPs though, and I’d hate to box them in. But, they often want to find ways to portray their individuality, while an FJ is more comfortable shifting their identity to fit the group currently surrounding them.
Ah, this makes sense..Thanks for writing this gem, it would explain a lot about the Thinker and Feeler bias when in reality it all comes down to comes naturally and that individuals are free to excerise both feeling and thinking regardless of their preference on one over the other as well as showing values in a real light and that each person has them…
You’re so good at this! Keep it up..
Interesting article, I though in personality theory values and morals are the same thing since they are similar in which they are used to decide what is right and what is wrong.
Also this article makes me notice that feeling types and thinking types have their own values but will or want to use those values in different ways.
We can see it this way, that is, Feeling is about social responsibility. It is ‘social’ because it tends to be people-centered, as opposed to task-centered (a feature of T types). All F types are people-oriented in one way or another. Such responsibilities concern the self, others, and social relations. Fi, being introverted, is about the individual’s moral responsibility and evaluations based on the measurement/standard held by the self. It can be subjective, just like any other introverted function. Fe, being extroverted, is about collective/group/community responsibility and the individual’s adherence to it. Fe is objective relative to Fi because the responsibilities and standards for evaluation come from outside the self, from the group and society.
Another point is, Feeling is about compliance, agreement, and resonance, whereas Thinking detects differences, discrepancies, or inconsistencies. F types pursue agreement over dispute, and cooperation over competition. Fi = alignment with the standard set by the self; Fe = alignment with the community/social standard.
Finally, emotions are just a human thing. They do not fall under any single function. Emotions do not involve any conscious judgment.
I love your take on feeling! A question I have is about the thinking preference, how does it deal with emotions, and etc.
I’m now curious to hear your interpretation of the T preference Laurel.