Extraverted Feeling (Fe) Explained

By Michael T. Robinson
Founder
CareerPlanner.com Inc.

Overview

Extraverted Feeling (Fe) is one of your 8 cognitive functions. How you experience it and how useful it is for you depends on how well it is developed and that depends on mostly your age and what your 4 letter personality type is.

Click here for a simple explanation of cognitive functions

There are 4 functions in your mind devoted to making decisions. These are called the judging functions. Extraverted Feeling is one of these.

People whose dominant function is Extraverted Feeling, focus their decision making on the external world (outside the mind) and the primary focus is on people and human kind.

They are all about connecting with other people.

When people with dominant Fe go to make a decision, the first decision criteria they use is values rather than objective facts. For extraverted feeling these values are more cultural values and values relating to human kind as a whole, rather than personal values which is what introverted feeling (Fi) is about.

Thus people with dominant Fe will fist consider the impact a decision may have on the greater good, and the people around them. They do this instinctively.

Contrast this to extraverted thinking (Te), where the decision criteria is based on just facts. "Just give me the facts" and keep any emotion or feeling out of it. I just want objective facts and data.

Because people are so important to those with dominant Fe, they will actually organize their lives so that they can connect with more people. Relationships and connecting with friends, neighbors, coworkers and colleagues is a big part of an Fe's life.

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Dominant Fe's have the natural ability to tune into the group to know what they are thinking and feeling. They are sensitive to the morale of the people around them. Leaders and CEO's should always have a dominant Fe around to tell them how the people are feeling.

Having a dominant Fe function is especially useful in the entertainment industry where you are entertaining and connecting with the audience either by acting, interviewing, singing, or telling jokes. It can also help in politics and any public position.

If Fe is your dominant function you probably have a very strong sense of what is right and wrong, good and bad. You understand ethics.

People with a dominant Fe strive for harmony of the group. In fact Fe's will often sacrifice themselves for the betterment of the group. Achieving and maintaining harmony is crucial for Fe's. Connecting and building relationships for Fe's is of the utmost importance.

Dominant Fe's also tend to be very well organized.

Dominant Fe's are all about helping people. This would be everything from being a doctor, to writing self help books.

If Fe is your dominant function, please realize that not everyone is going to be like you. But you probably already know that. In fact there are certain personality types that are just going to make you crazy. But that's another subject.

You can typically spot an Fe in a group because they are doing things to organize and help the group. They are usually not selfish. They live for the group.

The two personality types where Fe is dominant are ENFJ and ESFJ.

The two personality types where Fe is auxiliary are INFJ and ISFJ.

The following people are thought to have dominant extraverted feeling:

Larry King (ESFJ) - talk show host and famous interviewer
Barbara Walters (ESFJ) - talk show host and famous interviewer
Elton John (ESFJ) - song writer
Whitney Houston (ESFJ) - singer
Shania Twain (ESFJ) - singer - song writer
Woody Harrelson (ESFJ)- Actor
Martin Luther King Jr. (ENFJ) civil rights leader
Ronald Reagan (ENFJ) - US President
Michael Moore (ENFJ) - documentarian and Filmmaker
Oprah Winfrey (ENFJ) - talk show host

For more examples of famous people and their personality types, go to www.celebritytypes.com