It's the dominant function of ENFJs and ESFJs and plays an important role in 8 of the 16 types. How does it work?
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Extraverted Feeling (Fe) is concerned with and oriented by objective social value systems. Its primary agenda is to support the feeling energy of the world, whether that manifests as keeping the peace, or promoting the values of the group.
Fe is constantly assessing the quality of objects in its environs as "good" or "bad," "beautiful" or "ugly," against what is known to be considered good or bad, beautiful or ugly. For example, a dominant Extraverted Feeler will deem a piece of art beautiful not because of their own feeling about the painting, but because it is fitting to say that it's beautiful, because it checks the boxes of what a a beautiful painting should be. Maybe the artist is well-known, or the representation is faithful, the colors pleasing. Fe's judgments will always be in accord with socially-recognized values.
If in the above situation, Fe has determined that the painting is not good, the Extraverted Feeler might still praise the painting, if the general feeling situation calls for it. The Extraverted Feeler is not concerned with telling a white lie in the execution of its primary duty—let Fe support the feeling atmosphere of the group. Fe demands that they not express an opinion that is likely to tear down the general feeling situation.
In order to keep itself concerned with the objective feeling situation, Fe strips itself of subjective considerations. In his book Psychological Types, Carl Jung says of Fe: "it has detached itself as much as possible from the subjective factor and subordinated itself entirely to the influence of the object. Even when it appears not to be qualified by a concrete object, it is none the less still under the spell of traditional or generally accepted values of some kind." Where Introverted Feeling (Fi) is concerned with a personal, subjective relationship with an object or situation, Fe doesn't understand what that means. Fe's convictions are derived externally, which does not make them less valid or felt less strongly than Fi, but it does indicate a different agenda. Where's Fi's agenda is to be true to their own values, Fe will be true to group values.
Because of its heavy reliance on external data to make value judgments, Fe needs a good Sensing or iNtuiting function to support it. In the case of a weak information gathering function, Fe can pull a personality into appeasing the crowd in the current moment without concern for social values. Such personalities can seem deceptive and shallow, as if everything they say and do is an act without purpose or conviction.
The shadow function of Fe is Introverted Thinking. Fe has little need or value for logical thinking that doesn't serve the group feeling situation.
