Extraverted Feeling or Fe, is one of the eight cognitive functions in Jung's theory.
It is a Judging function, meaning that it makes judgements about the data that is taken in by the Perceiving functions.
Since it is a feeling function, it focuses on emotional reasoning.
Being an extraverted function, it looks outwards and accumulates.
As with all extraverted functions, it's more objective than subjective.
Fe in a nutshell: What is the experience of other people?
Fe is a tricky one. It's often mistaken for being empathy or friendly or benevolently group-focused. It does lend itself well to these things but at its core, Fe is in fact simply about emotional data, and that's a weird thing in and of itself. I mean, what the heck is 'emotional data'? Well, it's picking up on the emotional information that is being displayed by others and then making a judgement on that. It's objective in the sense that the judgement is not coming from within the Fe user. An Fe user may completely ignore their own subjective voice because the emotional cues they are picking up on from someone else (or groups of people) take precedence.
Also, to Fe, the more people who are aligned in one emotional state, the more validated that emotional information is, in a sense. For example, say one person is angry at another person. That's even ground, Fe is free to pick one side or the other (or no side). But the more people who are angry at the person, the more Fe is naturally swayed to pay attention to this aggregated emotional information: "If all these people feel this way, it must have some validity... Maybe my personal experience of this person isn't enough to adequately judge them on." This shows how Fe accumulates objective 'feeling' data to come to a judgement.
Another thing about this objectivity is that unless Fe is managed through awareness, it is extremely susceptible to 'group think' when it comes to norms and values. If the group they relate to doesn't like a certain kind of person or behaviour, unchecked Fe will see the sheer number of people in the group who have come to this consensus as evidence of it's validity as a value and feel compelled to fit in rather than go against the grain.
The awareness of emotional information means that Fe is able to read people's moods and social atmosphere quite easily and also be attuned to what is the suitable response in a given situation, in accordance with group-established customs.
Additionally, Fe being an objective approach to feelings coupled with this attunement to them means that it is primed to use this data to express itself exactly how it wants to or affect the emotional states of others in whichever direction it wants. Someone with high Fe has a good grasp of how to influence the emotional state of whoever they're dealing with, whether that's with the intent to make them feel better or manipulate them. But really, Fe doesn't manipulate people, people manipulate people. The information is neutral until intent is added, Fe types can simply more readily access that information.
The strength of Fe empathy lies in its objective orientation. Fe understands, in a detached sense, rather than relates. It is for this reason that Fe is more associated with empathy than sympathy. While Fi seeks "swim" in the other's feelings to get a sense for the experience, Fe sits on the side and observes how the water is behaving to understand what's truly going on and how to proceed. This is why Fe users are typically good at making people feel heard - an incredibly important aspect of empathy - because they don't have any need to include themselves the experience in order to understand it.
The Counter-Balance Points of Fe
Symbiotic Introverted Feeling - Both Judging functions, both oriented around emotion and values, but since Fi is introverted, it looks inwards and refines. They align in what they focus on but have very different approaches. Fi stops Fe from becoming completely focused on everyone else, without this counterbalancing, Fe would basically have no identity of its own.
Distorted | Balanced |
Within self, this results in suppressing one’s own experience for the sake of others’ approval. It is not an authentic desire to help others, but rather to acquire the praise and validation they desire/need from these acts. It is also a weak sense of personal identity resulting in adopting the tribe’s identity without question, and an unhealthy attachment to whatever that identity that has been made-to-fit for them (think cultural identities, clique identities etc.) | Healthy Fe will work with Fi to establish a relationship with themselves, assert boundaries and know when one needs to put themself first. It will also have an awareness of who one is outside of how they fit in with others. |
Towards others it results in a judgement of Fi as selfish and irresponsible to the needs/harmony of the tribe. | Healthy Fe will recognise and appreciate the way Fi is connected to the self and distinguishes itself from the crowd, often in multiple senses. It is strong Fi that can stand against the tide and set things right if the tribe values are off-kilter. |
Action Points
Train the 'Fi muscle' by facilitating the ‘inner voice’ to speak on matters of judgement, i.e. “how do you feel about X? (and why?)”
Emphasis on forming a relationship with oneself.
Explore and become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Fi, either theoretical, or practical via direct interaction if possible.
Learn from the Fi philosophies.
Challenging Introverted Thinking - Both Judging functions, but Fe has an emotional focus while Ti has a logical focus. In addition, Ti is introverted and therefore looks inward and refines. Fe wants to focus on emotional information concerning others, while Ti wants to streamline one's own logic. Opposing motivations but with different areas of focus that can align.
Distorted | Balanced |
Within self, unhealthy Fe in relation to Challenging Ti is sort of a combination of those with Fi and Te. An inability to form individual opinions over the group, and though it might not go as far as being viewed as ‘evil’, there will still be a massive bias of value-based decisions over logical considerations. | Healthy Fe will work with Ti to allow one to gain and maintain awareness of the social or cultural zeitgeist, but allow them to think for themselves, and not simply follow. It also allows for an acceptance of others’ individual and subjective opinions and thoughts. |
Towards others, it may view individual logic as an anomaly, and potentially a disruptive one for the collective values it has in focus. | Healthy Fe will recognise and appreciate the way Ti can question the validity of whatever the group is presenting as the norm. Does it actually make sense, or is there an echochamber situation going on? |
Action Points
Train the 'Ti muscle' by developing critical thinking skills and challenging pre-packaged values and ideas that come from group think.
Challenge people-pleasing behaviours while stressing that these have no bearing on the morality/worthyness of the one doing them in any way.
Explore and become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Ti, either theoretical, or practical via direct interaction if possible.
Learn from the Ti philosophies.
Dichotomous Extraverted Thinking - The most difficult dynamic, because they are fighting for the same space, so to speak. Both are extraverted and so are outward-focused and trying to accumulate. Te is focused on factual, logical data, while Fe is concerned with emotional information.
Distorted | Balanced |
Within self, this results in an inability to reconcile objective practical reality with the emotional results, i.e. being confrontational when it is necessary to achieve an objectively net-positive outcome is met by concern over whether this will cause negative emotional states in the other person/people in a more immediate sense. | Healthy Fe will work with Te to recognise that sometimes cold, hard reality is more important than transitory emotional outcomes, but these can be managed simply by being tactful. |
Towards others it results in the judgement of viewing those with high Te bias as cold, heartless, callous and officious. The Vogons from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, basically. | Healthy Fe will recognise and appreciate the way Te can be efficient and provide functional stability which does in fact aid overall in more positive emotional outcomes for all i.e. chaos and anarchy cultivate stress, fear and danger. |
Action Points
Train the 'Te muscle' by weighing emotional impact against practical benefit. For example, teachers must sometimes be the 'bad guy' to get children to behave, causing short-term negative emotional response to facilitate longer-term benefit.
Explore and become familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of Te, either theoretical, or practical via direct interaction if possible.
Learn from the Te philosophies.
The 8 Attitudes of Fe
Hero - ENFJ | ESFJ - Champions of the social scene, Fe Hero loves, and damn-near needs to be around others. They facilitate social settings, they thrive in them, they know exactly how to navigate these settings and how to make other people feel whichever way they're inclined to. They can set or change the mood of an environment with this power. They are also frequently drawn to activism, seeking to have as big an impact on the emotional aggregate as possible i.e. "this group of people have a collective problem that is bringing them all down, we should do something about that problem and therefore raise their emotional state on as wide a scale as possible." Risk of becoming tyrannical, enslaving all other functions and demanding that conflict must be avoided at all cost.
Parent - INFJ | ISFJ - The Parent function keeps the Hero responsible. Fe Parent will support Ni or Si Hero by providing direction on whether it is taking the emotional data of others into account. It won't be as concerned with actually being in the thick of the social happenings as Fe Hero. Risk of becoming authoritarian and helicopter-y, demanding and expecting others to be as responsible in their aspect, i.e. "You should be taking others' feelings and group wellbeing into account at all times."
Child - ENTP | ESTP - The Child function wants to play, it's where we like to defer to when we're at ease. Fe Child wants to affect others' emotional state, it wants to be the effortless social mastermind making people feel amazing or terrible depending on whether they like said person. It's just childish in the way it does so and is also strongly affected by the influence of the Hero and Parent. Developed Fe child can excel in these areas, but is unlikely to have the same natural internal alignment of Hero/Parent types. Risk of becoming bratty, using the aspects of Fe in immature ways and getting easily upset in matters that concern Fe. EXTPs tend to utilise Fe for superficial charm or to wind people up just so they can get the satisfaction of having been directly responsible for that emotional outcome. We all tend to feel deep shame when we fail in this function and this may lead to further defensiveness.
Inferior/Aspirational - INTP | ISTP - The emotional data of other people is a minefield of chaos to IXTPs, it seems to be impossible to systematise or logically navigate and is therefore more trouble than it's worth. If left unchecked, can sink into the unconscious and become deep-rooted insecurity. Fe inferior types can become even more focused on logic and disregard social groups and setting as nuisance. They also can become deeply insecure in this area, and are often secretly very worried that they will fail in some way in these social settings due to their difficulty in understanding them, or that they can't emotionally influence anybody in a positive way, even though they will simultaneously assure themselves that social matters are actually just a stupid waste of time anyway. Can also become a source of jealousy when others display ease in this aspect.
Nemesis INFP | ISFP - Fe tries to pull Fi away from becoming too absorbed in its own emotional landscape and bring attention to external emotional data. This can become a source of irritation and stress, internally and externally and can also become a source of jealousy when others display prowess in the gifts of Fe.
Critic ENFP | ESFP - Fe acts as the superintendant to Fi, making sure its being responsible in its role. The Critic is sort of like an overzealous advocate for its corresponding function so it treats its own associated function as trouble. So in this case it's saying: "Fi has an important job, it's important to be in tune with one's own emotional landscape, but that pesky Fe keeps getting in the way, I must prevent this as much as possible by making sure Fi is behaving properly and by pointing out Fe's flaws." This applies within self and towards others.
Trickster INTJ | ISTJ - The Child wants to play, and whatever function is in the Trickster position interferes with that play by its nature of opposition. Therefore, the Child wants nothing to do with it. The Child will roll its eyes, stick out its tongue, ridicule the Trickster function, devalue it. So Fe Trickster will treat everything Fe values as a rebellious child would.
Pay attention and cater to others' emotional output? Absolutely not, why should I care about that? They probably brought it on themselves anyway.
Demon ENTJ | ESTJ - The Demon function is the most suppressed aspect of the 8. It's deep in the unconscious and is the least comfortable aspect of life for us to interact with. Having to interact with it makes us unhappy and stressed, especially for long periods of time. However, the Demon is also akin to an over-protective guard dog and becomes our ally in times when we are being unfairly treated. It is actually the function that cares most about our well-being, a little too much even. It's extremely pessimistic and ultimately not very helpful usually unless directly addressed, but it is protective of our own psyche to a fault. One really important thing about that: it's not weak. Not at all. It's almost as strong as the Hero in whatever function it presents as, but we don't like that function, and so we suppress it, but when it does come out, it can wield its gifts like a weapon you might never expect. Fe Demon will use knowledge of social matters to sabotage and undermine a person in these areas, to facilitate a 'fall from grace' or a violent pulling down from a social pedestal. Less severely, it can also point out the social failings, selfishness, and any perceived lack in social status against an aggressor.
Fe Demon can get very easily frustrated with having to deal with other people's emotional output, especially if it interferes with efficiency or objective reality. The last thing to note about the Demon is its important relationship to the Hero. When the Demon takes over, it will use the Hero's own gifts to reinforce its negative outlook. Fe Demon will pull Te Hero down and reinforce the worthlessness of Fe: "Look at all the times arbitrary group values or emotional responses stood in the way of getting things done!"
Common traits in high Fe types (ENFJ | ESFJ | INFJ | ISFJ)
Socially aware
Empathetic
Sensitive to conflict
Good mediators
Humanitarian
Can be manipulative (sometimes without even being aware of it)
Affable/Likeable (on the surface at least)
Motherly/fatherly | big sister/brother vibes
Notable Fe Philosophies/Worldviews
Sikhism | ENFJ
Collectivism | ESFJ
Buddhism | INFJ
Agriculturalism | ISFJ
Communism | INFJ (in theory)
Catholic Theology | ISFJ
Body Positivity | ENFJ
Christian Philosophy | INFJ
Islamic Philosophy | INFJ
Feminist Philosophy | ENFJ
Natalism | ESFJ
Hinduism | INFJ
Liberal Feminism | ENFJ
Mormon Theology | ESFJ
Confucianism | ISFJ
Communitarianism | ESFJ
Populism | ENFJ
Gnosticism | INFJ
Anthropocentrism | ENFJ
Nationalism | ENFJ
Fraternity/Sorority | ESFJ
Ecofeminism | ENFJ
Liberal Democracy | ENFJ
Altruism | ENFJ
Notable Figures with High Fe (Real)
Abraham Maslow | ENFJ
Terry Crews | ESFJ
Siddartha Gautama (Buddha) | INFJ
Confucius | ISFJ
Henry Cavill | ISFJ
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez | ENFJ
Chris Evans | ESFJ
Beyoncé | ISFJ
Adolf Hitler | INFJ
Nelson Mandela | INFJ
Joe Biden | ESFJ
Martin Luther King Jr. | ENFJ
Jesus Christ | INFJ
Saladin | INFJ
Emma Stone | ENFJ
Damon Albarn | ENFJ
Ariana Grande | ESFJ
Taylor Swift | ESFJ
Anthony Kiedis | ENFJ
Mother Teresa | ISFJ
Jimmy Carter | ISFJ
Justin Trudeau | ENFJ
Bono | ENFJ
Matthew McConaughey | ENFJ
Paul McCartney | ESFJ
Notable Figures with High Fe (Fictional)
Iroh | Avatar: The Last Airbender | ENFJ
Sora | Kingdom Hearts | ESFJ
Aragorn | The Lord of the Rings | INFJ
Angel | Buffy The Vampire Slayer/Angel | ISFJ
Reiner Braun | Attack on Titan | ESFJ
Homelander | The Boys | ENFJ
Kyōjurō Rengoku | Demon Slayer | ENFJ
Mr. Peanutbutter | Bojack Horseman | ENFJ
Izuku "Deku" Midoriya | My Hero Academia | INFJ
Armin Arlert | Attack on Titan | INFJ
Margaery Tyrell | Game of Thrones | ENFJ
Samwise Gamgee | The Lord of the Rings | ISFJ
Mufasa | The Lion King | ENFJ
Clark Kent/Superman | DC | ISFJ
Starfire | Teen Titans (Cartoon) | ESFJ
Steve Rogers | MCU | ISFJ
Alison Hargreeves | The Umbrella Academy | ESFJ
Dr. John Watson | Sherlock | ISFJ
Sansa Stark | Game of Thrones | ESFJ
Woody | Toy Story | ESFJ
Padmé Amidala | Star Wars | ENFJ
Minato Namikaze | Naruto | ENFJ
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