IEIs/INFps and shapeshifting personalities

[Kent Lorne]

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[gooey]

hmm...it seems you erased what you wrote...but, for what it's worth...i agree? It's that damn Fe if you ask me...

[Absurd]

[Atlast]

hmm...it seems you erased what you wrote...but, for what it's worth...i agree? It's that damn Fe if you ask me...

Well title says it all in this case I suppose.

Ni is described as a chameleon of sorts, making one's behavior and personality highly variable depending on the situation. Obviously this happens to everyone to some extent - but from what I've read it would appear that there is an active intuitive process that is feeling out a different mask or personality to fit the situation. This would probably be hyperactive in the IEI compared to the ILI, as creative Fe would imply a gratuitous amount of skill in identifying and adjusting emotional states and expressiveness.

I rolled with an IEI for a while and can say with certainty that this one was often of an agreeable temperament, but mentioned that for the state of the group often made plans with and obliged certain individuals she liked less, and would then choose whatever state of mind for herself that she thought most agreeable to the other. Getting her to be as she 'truly was' all the time was problematic.

I'm curious Kent, if you're still interested in the course of this thread, what you mean by shape shifting? Do you mean, perhaps, an IEI acting like an SLE, or perhaps an IEI who has a specific style of thought and manner one day and seems to be a totally different the next?

[lemontrees]

I do this too.

Sometimes I'm scared that I've "lost" my personality unless I'm with people whom I already understand and feel comfortable with. If I don't contact those people for a period of time, I feel as if I'm trying out different masks. It's probably not as seamless as an IEI's, though.

What's the difference between the two Fe-creatives, in this case?

[Atlast]

@Atlast: Incredible post! You hit the nail on the head. It's like an intuitive knowledge of how to zone into a persona required for the situation at hand. And yes I feel we can be agreeable. I also feel that it's not that the IEI is faking or lying about how they think or feel, it's just that I think IEIs can understand the other person's point of view through their train of thought and where they are coming from easily. So they nod along. That doesn’t mean they believe this is the whole truth though. They might meet someone with an opposing understanding and nod along to that too, cause they see the validity in that as well. They feel the truth of the matter is far more complicated and involves a bigger picture which they feel they can see. The ability to see things from various angles and somewhere hold all the contradictions together and fuse them causes this sense of agreeableness. Due to this I think they can also bridge two opposing views and bring reconciliation between parties. Or show a completely new pov.

But, they won't reveal their own individualistic angle. Their own angle and understanding has been formed at an inner core where all the angles have coagulated to form a completely unique angle to their mind. Due to such an internalized process it might even hinge on their sense of identity. The revelation if attacked can therefore cause tremendous trauma to the IEI and their sense of identity. Also when the IEI finally reveals their stand, it might cause a lot of shock amongst others who either feel they are two faced for having agree to everyone, or on a lighter side… diplomatic.

Yes Atlas it's a bit of both. Acting like another type but rather another person let's put it that way. And yes I do very much also mean that the IEI will change their style and manner of thinking and acting. With one person they are following their train of thought and style and manner of thinking and they are absolutely zoned into that word or " space " as one would say. It's like shifting between parallel universes. It's not hard for them. The IEI anyway believes in many systems of thought and many angles. It's not like they are faking anything here, it's all coming naturally to them. They can move between ideas, move between spaces, move between personas and mannerisms. With a chef they are zoned into the food, it’s art and talent of that world, and then they can spend time with a lawyer and zone into debates in the court room, methods of thinking in that hemisphere etc. Now that doesn't mean that they are all these things and that they are necessarily multi talented or something. It just means they can understand very deeply what all these worlds are about. And once they have understood it, the so called real IEI will use this information to increase their abilities and skills in doing what they do personally. All these things help the IEI to grow. So yes you will see them with different styles of thought and manner because at that time the IEI is in that world. Next day they have tapped into another world.

I also feel the IEI doesn’t necessarily understand the concept of a strong ego (in the Freudian sense) or strong individual persona, or cares for it. Their sense of self is too deep below the ocean and too complicated to come to the surface. Thus can’t be easily demonstrated. You would need to jump down the rabbit hole and go through the abyss like well to see more of the IEI. (Maybe the SLE is the only strongest one to survive the journey? Haha. Just kidding). Even when people say “act like yourself or “be yourself”, how does one do that? Instead the IEI will play out what they feel at that time, and it will be 1% of who they are anyway. More the demonstrating it, it’s more a sense of knowing. I always felt everyone else had a far more presentable sense of self, a sense of consistency, which lasted longer. It wouldn’t change to a great degree. (Factors like ageing, growth, new experiences excluded.)

What I also mean in terms of mannerisms and behavior is that, when IEI spends time with certain people who at a subconsciously leve are likable... the IEI might pick of their accents, mannerisms, words, speech etc. Does this happen with you IEIs? It doesn't last long.... but for sometime it influences our personality. Just in terms of mannersims, behavior and speech. Just subconsiously catches on. And you have to wait to out play it. All this doesn't affect our senes of self in the least. In fact it kind of adds to our sense of self.

All this though can be blown down as easily as a house of cards. It won't last long cause they don't have the PSYCHIC ENERGY to hold different behaviorisms, types and styles of thinking too long. After all we are still IEIs. Our psychic energy can't act like another for long. It will get tiring and drain us. So that tenure of these masks is very limited. But I will say this, all these people, types and personalities the IEI will play out will leave their traces in the IEI psyche making the IEI a reservoir of personalities, in the most natural way. It will have a comfortable lasting effect. People around them would have to patiently wait to see all the angles of the IEI personality reveal itself. The revelation of different aspects will happen bit by bit, and will constantly surprise, shock or even show contradictions. Would you agree with this IEIs?

In some descriptions I have heard the Dominant Fe user especially the EIE does the mask shift a lot. But they desire apparently more attention than the way Fe creatives do. Though I think both EIE and IEI do both. Give and require attention. Especially IEI - Fe subtypes. They can act like the EIE but not for very long. I think it might just be a duration issue. But are the IEIs far more sensitive and unstable in their masks? Do they have less control over how long it lasts? Criticism of our masks our Fe can cause a lot of pain. Criticism of the creative function does that. Causing over sensitivity. But the Dom Fe can defend themselves, not so much fear of criticism. Only the EIEs can confirm this though.

When you say that the IEI doesn't have a strong sense of ego and self, I could see that; Jung once said that intuition in one's ego was like bringing the unconsciousness to the consciousness. That's probably where this idea of psychic energy comes in, as in the intuitive process that feels out the other individual's emotional state, yet the mask business is a common occurrence in ILI descriptions as well; I'm inclined then, to attribute it somehow to an Ni activity, which leaves me to delegate the IEI's overactive empathy on a temporary timescale to creative Fe. This would also mean that SEI's share that empathy.

But since we're on about the IEI, we should make a distinction here. The difference between the SEI and IEI here would be the personality masking, and the similarity the overactive empathy (ahem, obviously ). This makes me wonder, because these two traits seem so indicative of a type 9 as represented in the enneagram, yet SEIs are often portrayed as holding that position whereas IEI's typically tend to settle in the 4 area.

You also mentioned that your sense of self is almost bolstered through your experience and personal sharing/acquisition of other people's personalities, ideas and so on. I wonder if that means you view yourself almost as an extension of the people present in your life's past and present? I would be curious then if the SEI shares this quality, because it is undoubtedly connected to Fe - and yet, Ni has the flavor of abstractions and ideas, so perhaps you not only emotionally feel the other individual, but also intuit their ideological/intuitive processes or positions, for you mention that you can see truth in most all methods of thought and positions (I am vague here because I do not want to get into Ni IE semantics). Perhaps this is the heart of the masking matter, and why the ILI shares that trait. Perhaps also then, the SEI has equivalent feelings of self and ego, but instead of recognizing ideological positions and underlying mental processes (as in the case of Ni; super vague, I know lol) they do the same for physical conditions/states.

There is so much more to your post, but I must away to bed! lol

[Pookie]

I feel the shapeshifting is productive. And i say this as i don't really have that skill myself. I'm very much myself, and very rarely deviate from my normal quo. I'm polite and quiet around stangers, and around people i know i make silly puns and references when i feel it connects to the situation at hand. Around the closest people in my life, i completely abandon small talk in favor of deeper topics.

My lack of Shapeshifting and adapting socially around strangers has limited myself in the things i could have experienced, or the people i could have gotten to know. So as to your question, i think the Shapeshifting is a natural tool by which the IEI can lead themselves to seemingly greener pastures. Through their Fe. But as it's the creative function it has it's holes, and without good self-monitoring the Fe pursuits can lead to selfish habits and journeys down dead end roads.

Personally i think it's all about how your raised, and how you handle the knowledge your parents try to impart. I think a constant among my type, is that we know what we're doing, and why we're doing it. I find it impossible to lie to myself. Absolutely Impossible. This honesty comes out to others only when im comfortable, but often times i think the world operates on a level that can't handle that wavelength... and so the Fe adaptations become a survival tool to get us out of our shells and feel safe within unfamiliar situations. Which, i feel as an IP temperment, is vital to a healthy self-esteem.