Hi, I'm an INTP who has been learning about cognitive functions for a while now (3 years?). One question that continues to bother me is how the cognitive functions relate to emotions. Obviously feelings types do generally value it more in their judgments, but we are all humans, we have emotions, it seems more a matter of extent we use or value them. How much of a relation do you think functions have with emotions? And if there is, which functions correspond to what kind of attitude or tendency?
Hello fellow INTP,
(Sorry we abandoned the blog and I’m probably over a year late replying but hopefully you’re still here)
As you said, it is more the extent to which we value emotions.
Of course all humans have emotions. T types can cry just as much as F types (shocker, I know). Your functions do not have an impact on your ability to have and experience emotions.
The thinking and feeling functions are called judging functions, because they judge information.
To use an INTP and an ESFJ for example:
INTPs will make a judgement on a piece of information based on how it fits in to their internal logic system. If they determine something to be true, but it doesn't fit the system, they tweak the system. Inferior Fe can come in and say "hey... have you considered what other people might think of this?", but INTPs may reject their Fe and say "well that doesn't matter".
On the other hand, an ESFJ will make a judgment on a piece of information based on how they feel. A gut instinct. Inferior Ti can come in and say "hey, what's the reasoning for this conclusion?", but ESFJs may reject this because "it's just how I feel".
Although I used dominant and inferior Ti and Fe in the example above, to give a short summary of each of the judging functions:
I would describe Ti as using an internal system of logic to make sense of ideas and Te as being concerned with how ideas are supported by existing evidence and known facts
In the words of our INTJ admin: Fi has more to do with one’s own morals, values, and beliefs, while Fe is about being privy to the thoughts, feelings, and values of others
I always feel the need to reinforce the idea that T types are not “better” or “smarter” than F types. I think we tend towards thinking that emotion-based decision making is somehow bad. Making a choice based off of your morals, or how something makes you feel is just as valid as using logic. And all types have a feeling and a thinking function, and both will be used. Just usually you will lean into your dominant and auxiliary functions as your comfort zone.
So although people may not have the same agressive hatred for logic the way that some people hate feelings, F types may view T types as being too cold or even mean, and thus unlikeable.
THE ACTUAL ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION: The order of one’s cognitive functions determines your natural method of decision making, and how much weight you give to different factors in the process. T types are more prone to having an unhealthy rejection of emotions, but also a lot of people have a weird relationship with their own emotions. Emotions are weird and unpredictable and everyone experiences emotions differently. Functions are related to how you *value* emotions when it comes to making choices, but the extent of the effect differs depending on how well you’ve developed your tertiary and inferior functions (and overall mental health and coping methods also play a role but I won’t get into that here). And to repeat what I said earlier, your functions do not have an impact on your ability to have and experience emotions.
Okay I think I'm done rambling.
Hopefully that helps!
Also credit to our INTJ admin who helped me write this.
- INTP admin
(I lied, I’m not done rambling. I just wanted to go on a little tangent and add that I think some people have a strong rejection of what they consider “emotional” because the word “emotional” carries a lot of negative connotations. Being emotional doesn’t mean you’re a hot mess who cries all the time. It means you’re experiencing emotion... as you should. Our society likes to think feelings are stupid and logic is best; which I think this is rooted in sexism. We are taught to think lesser of emotion which is viewed as “feminine”, and idealize logic, which is considered a historically "masculine" trait. Fuck sexism. Okay I’m actually done now.)
