By Donna Dunning
Communication is complex and it is, of course, impossible to describe all of the dynamics and complexities of relationships or interactions in a short post.
What this post will do is describe some general positive characteristics and potential challenges that may occur when two people with preferences for Feeling interact.
I hope you can use this information as a starting point for a better understanding of your relationships with others.
Enjoy the conversation
• Shared approach of encouragement provides support and validation for both people involved.
• Thoughtful words and actions.
• Both value personal considerations as important input in decision-making; aligned values and priorities can make decision-making easier.
• Striving for harmony, care is taken to nurture and build the relationship.
• Both want to expend energy to come to an empathic understanding of the other’s feelings and situations.
But watch out for
• A tendency for both to personalize what is being said and to feel attacked during discussions.
• A lack of disclosure as those who prefer Feeling may avoid expressing their needs or feelings in order to maintain harmony (especially Fi’s).
• An outpouring of emotional content, as those who prefer Feeling may express their needs and feelings too readily and come across as needy (especially Fe’s).
• A tendency to back away from discussing thorny issues, even when these are important.
• When core values are at stake, both people may take a firm stance and become inflexible.
For more information on this topic, take a look at my previous Thinking/Feeling post, What’s Your Preference? Thinking or Feeling?
Of course, personality type preferences are only part of how you communicate and a discussion of one personality type preference pair doesn’t adequately describe personality type dynamics.
If you are interested in reading more about whole type interactions, see my Getting Along post and my Introduction to Type and Communication booklet.
If you live in the USA, Introduction to Type and Communication is now available on Kindle.