Two Birds in a Tree: Glossary: Feeling Function

One of the personality’s four functions. The feeling function is the non-intellectual judging function whose basic criteria is acceptance or rejection based on one's values and what one believes is in the interest of maintaining social harmony. The feeling function allows one to figure out what is of value, what a thing (or person) is worth. In opposition to the thinking function, judgments made by the feeling function are deeply personal. Feeling is not concerned with laws, order, and cold facts but with connection and belonging. The feeling function can be introverted (concerned with authenticity and individuality) or extroverted (concerned with adaptation to society). Along with thinking feeling is a “rational” function, meaning one makes some sort of judgment on what is being perceived. If feeling is your primary function then thinking will necessarily be your inferior function.

If thinking types have a subtle and mature grasp of thinking then feeling types have a subtle, mature, and nuanced grasp of interpersonal relationships. Extroverted feeling types are those people who have an instinctive facility for understanding and working with others. Introverted feeling types are the ones who, of all the types, are the most aware of how things impact them emotionally.

Things to ask yourself to determine if feeling is your primary function(1):

I believe I can make the best decisions by weighing what people care about and the points-of-view of persons involved in a situation. I am concerned with values and what is the best for the people involved. I like to do whatever will establish or maintain harmony. In my relationships, I appear caring, warm, and tactful.

The following statements generally apply to me:
• I have a people or communications orientation.
• I am concerned with harmony and nervous when it is missing.
• I look for what is important to others and express concern for others.
• I make decisions with my heart and want to be compassionate.
• I believe being tactful is more important than telling the “cold” truth.
• Sometimes I miss seeing or communicating the “hard truth” of situations.
• I am sometimes experienced by others as too idealistic, mushy, or indirect.

Introverted Feeling: Authenticity (“What feels right to me?”)

Focus is on values, motivation and conviction. Asks the question “Does this feel right to me?” Concerned with how the events in their life impact them on a subjective emotional level.

Extroverted feeling turns to others for support and connection; inward feeling, however, is directed inwardly, and more concerned with navigating their own feelings in an independent way. They're concerned with creating a system of values that allows them to understand themselves and make ethical decisions - one's motive is generally of great importance to Authenticity types. As with introverted thinking, this self-understanding gives introverted feelers a sense of inner control. When introverted feeling does act in the world, they do it indirectly through their other functions, usually their auxiliary (or Co-Pilot) function. Their introverted feeling often inspires them to help the vulnerable; these types can often be found helping the needy, and children and animals.

It uses emotion, rather than reason, to make decisions; it asks "How does this impact me on an emotional, subjective level?" Where extroverted feeling is concerned with meeting the needs of everyone in the external world, introverted feeling is concerned with meeting the needs of all the "people" in their internal world; that is, all the various parts of themselves. One part may want to do one thing (go on a diet) while the other part wants to do something completely different (eat all the cake!). Introverted feeling is about listening to all those inner voices and making the choice that rings true to them. Sometimes introverted feelers doesn't know exactly what they feel until after they've already made their choice; they find out whether or not they made the right choice by their inner response to that decision.

Types that use introverted feeling as their main function: ISFPs and INFPs (Introverted Feeling/Sensation and Introverted Feeling/Intuition).

Types that use introverted feeling as their auxiliary function: ESFPs and ENFPs (Extroverted Sensation/Feeling and Extroverted Intuition/Feeling).

Extroverted Feeling: Harmony (“How do I get everyone’s needs met?”)

Concerned with meeting the needs of others, connecting with others. Asks “What gets everyone’s needs met?” Works to meet those needs. Loves to create win/win situations.

As with introverted feeling, extroverted feeling also uses emotions to make decisions. However, where introverted feeling asks the "inner people" how they feel about something, extroverted feelers are concerned with how the people the in the external world feel. Extroverted feelers have an intuitive understanding of interpersonal relationships; they are deeply empathetic individuals, able to recreate others' emotions within themselves. They tend to seek comity with others, often by making silent agreements with others to pretend that things are ok, even when they're not. However, they are also extraverted judgers; as such, there will be times when they sacrifice harmony to assert their judgments. As with other extroverted types, they quick to act in the outer world, in this case, by immediately expressing their feelings.

Extroverted feelers are fascinated by the drama of human relationships; every interaction is a kind of off the cuff, spontaneous jam session. Extroverted feelers enjoy these entertaining dramas. The more developed expression of this comfortableness with human emotion is a broad-minded (or hearted) acceptance of the whole wide spectrum of human emotional expression. Rather than avoiding conflict, they learn to seek to have "good" conflict, to reach ever higher levels of true harmony.

Types that use extroverted feeling as their main function: ESFJs and ENFJs (Extroverted Feeling/Sensation and Extroverted Feeling/Intuition).

Types that use extroverted feeling as their auxiliary function: ISFJs and INFJs (Introverted Sensation/Feeling and Introverted Intuition/Feeling).

Emotions are often confused with feelings but this is all wrong. Feeling is a valuing function, whereas emotion is involuntary, in affect you are always a victim.

- Carl Jung, Lecture V 25May1934, Page 109

[P]eople with the Feeling trait follow their hearts and emotions and care little about hiding them. From their perspective, we should not be afraid to listen to our innermost feelings and share them with the world – these individuals tend to be compassionate, sensitive and highly emotional. They would rather cooperate than compete, although it would be a big mistake to see Feeling types as naïve or easily swayed – quite the contrary, they are likely to fight tooth and nail for what they believe in.

- "The 5 Aspects" (16 Personalities)

The feeling function is the basis for “fight or flight” decisions. As a subjective process, it may be quite independent of external stimuli.

In everyday usage, feeling is often confused with emotion. The latter, more appropriately called affect, is the result of an activated complex. Feeling not contaminated by affect can be quite cold.

Daryl Sharp, “Jung Lexicon

Most connections in the world are not relationships, they are participation mystique. One is then apparently connected, but of course it is never a real connection, it is never a relationship; but it gives the feeling of being one sheep in the flock at least.

- Carl Jung, Visions Seminar, p 625

The same is true with feeling, and a differentiated feeling type must reach the point where the thing most loved is the thing most hated, before refuge will be sought in another function.

- Carl Jung, 1925 Seminar, Page 66

The intellect is only one among several fundamental psychic functions and therefore does not suffice to give a complete picture of the world. For this another function — feeling — is needed too. Feeling often arrives at convictions that are different from those of the intellect, and we cannot always prove that the convictions of feeling are necessarily inferior.

- Carl Jung, CW 8, Para 600

Ideas are not just counters used by the calculating mind; they are also golden vessels full of living feeling. “Freedom” is not a mere abstraction, it is also an emotion.

- Carl Jung, CW 18, pgs. 310 - 311