Ti and Fi Differences
I notice a couple of terms seem to come up frequently that get interpreted in a myriad of ways depending on a person's preferences. The two terms are "analyze" and "categorize."
What I notice is that many times INFPs will claim that they are "analyzing" and "categorizing." What they really SEEM to be doing instead is sorting out and examining their feelings about something, and weighing whether it is good or bad, right or wrong. And when they categorize, it is often just these categories they are considering -- whether they like it or dislike it, whether it feels nice or awful. Whether to move toward or away from; whether it is pleasurable or unpleasurable.
When a person is trying to weigh between INFP and INTP and they suppose they are "analyzing" and "categorizing," it's important to pay attention to whether the analyzing is employing impersonal frameworks to analyze from. An INTP is more likely to analyze an experience through neutral notions, such as whether a light is red or green, or a test result is malignant or benign. Whether a person is drunk or sober. Whether a glass is empty or full. These are all value-neutral frameworks. And when categorizing is done, it again reflects neutral categories: rainy weather or sunny; on time or late; up or down; liquid or solid. There are NO value judgments being made.
I remember some time ago I was delivering a class with somebody over the phone to explore cognitive processes. I asked them to organize several objects in some way and then let me know what ways they were organized. After a moment of silence, the client said, "I can organize them according to which ones I like best!" This did not reflect objective organizing -- he was betrayed by his favorite function (introverted Feeling), and drawn to do what he does best in place of the objectively organizing exercise I was asking of him.
So the thing to notice when you believe you like to do "analyzing" and "categorizing" is to notice whether these activities are impersonal or personal; whether they include values judgments or whether they are values neutral. That will provide the best indication as to whether the activity is rightly defined as Ti or Fi. To really drive the point home, make an effort to consciously perform each form of "analyzing" and "categorizing" in order to see how easily you can do it. That ought to burble up a sense of how unconscious one of the processes is for you.
What I notice is that many times INFPs will claim that they are "analyzing" and "categorizing." What they really SEEM to be doing instead is sorting out and examining their feelings about something, and weighing whether it is good or bad, right or wrong. And when they categorize, it is often just these categories they are considering -- whether they like it or dislike it, whether it feels nice or awful. Whether to move toward or away from; whether it is pleasurable or unpleasurable.
When a person is trying to weigh between INFP and INTP and they suppose they are "analyzing" and "categorizing," it's important to pay attention to whether the analyzing is employing impersonal frameworks to analyze from. An INTP is more likely to analyze an experience through neutral notions, such as whether a light is red or green, or a test result is malignant or benign. Whether a person is drunk or sober. Whether a glass is empty or full. These are all value-neutral frameworks. And when categorizing is done, it again reflects neutral categories: rainy weather or sunny; on time or late; up or down; liquid or solid. There are NO value judgments being made.
I remember some time ago I was delivering a class with somebody over the phone to explore cognitive processes. I asked them to organize several objects in some way and then let me know what ways they were organized. After a moment of silence, the client said, "I can organize them according to which ones I like best!" This did not reflect objective organizing -- he was betrayed by his favorite function (introverted Feeling), and drawn to do what he does best in place of the objectively organizing exercise I was asking of him.
So the thing to notice when you believe you like to do "analyzing" and "categorizing" is to notice whether these activities are impersonal or personal; whether they include values judgments or whether they are values neutral. That will provide the best indication as to whether the activity is rightly defined as Ti or Fi. To really drive the point home, make an effort to consciously perform each form of "analyzing" and "categorizing" in order to see how easily you can do it. That ought to burble up a sense of how unconscious one of the processes is for you.
posted by Vicky Jo at 9:40 PM
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