Existentialism in Fi vs Ti

[Mushroom]

I have this hypothesis that the kind of existential issues a person struggles with is affected by whether they have Fi or Ti in their ego. Fi-existentialism is rather obvious: consideration with issues of meaning, the value of our birth and death, the worth of struggling through a life to reach a natural death, etc.

Ti-existentialism is more obscure, because it seems to manifest as extreme confusion and nothing more: what is the sense behind our being here, where did we come from, why now and not another time, why this sense of being foreign to *everything*? For this reason, it rarely results in a conversation or even a direct topic for a book. Indirectly, however, it transforms into inexplicably amusing humor. Woody Allen is an example of this; it is also noteworthy that he has said in an interview that he considers his neuroticsm to originate from the senselessness of death, the fact that everyone is forced to die and lose everything and no-one understands just why, or moreover why it would be a problem to us. Ti-existentialist humor is ironic to the core, giving rise to a sort of metaphysical confusion that is at once surprising and refreshing ("well, there is a door I haven't looked behind - so there is mystery to my life after all, and inextinguishably so!").

Anyhow, both have a unique influence to questions of this category.

[Exodus]

I have this hypothesis that the kind of existential issues a person struggles with is affected by whether they have Fi or Ti in their ego. Fi-existentialism is rather obvious: consideration with issues of meaning, the value of our birth and death, the worth of struggling through a life to reach a natural death, etc.

What does any of that have to do with Fi? Existentialism is Ni.

[Jaqen]

I have this hypothesis that the kind of existential issues a person struggles with is affected by whether they have Fi or Ti in their ego.

Fi-existentialism is rather obvious: consideration with issues of meaning, the value of our birth and death, the worth of struggling through a life to reach a natural death, etc.

Could be some Fi in here if its something the individual is using as a prompt to figure out their own feelings.

Ti-existentialism is more obscure, because it seems to manifest as extreme confusion and nothing more: what is the sense behind our being here, where did we come from, why now and not another time, why this sense of being foreign to *everything*?

This world is not your home. Yeah, frightening stuff. Stranger in a strange land. A small soul inside a corpse, I've heard it said.

For this reason, it rarely results in a conversation or even a direct topic for a book.

Nobody likes to discuss it because its really the kind of final solution before ego death in a sense. Its the thing that everyone wants to ignore, really. Our world and most especially the modern world is a world of becoming, not un-becoming. Its a world of beginnings, not endings.

Sometimes people like to get philosophical for a while and then start to walk into nihilism, but this is also a dead end as it is destructive for the organism. I've never met a healthy nihilist, and they often fall into parasite lifestyles, or if not leaches, then self-negating, which is another form of fearing life.

Indirectly, however, it transforms into inexplicably amusing humor.

Yes totally absurd. A favourite author of mine calls it the supreme "controlled folly of man". That everything we do is folly and that a man of power wakes up to this and so his acts are controlled folly.

Woody Allen is an example of this; it is also noteworthy that he has said in an interview that he considers his neuroticsm to originate from the senselessness of death, the fact that everyone is forced to die and lose everything and no-one understands just why, or moreover why it would be a problem to us.

Given the subject manner of Allen's movies usually being about inter-personal relationships and the forces within and without them that effect people's relationships, in my mind, puts Allen in gamma context, or alpha. His movies like Blue Jasmine featured caricatures of Betas as seen through the lens of gamma Allen.

Ti-existentialist humor is ironic to the core, giving rise to a sort of metaphysical confusion that is at once surprising and refreshing ("well, there is a door I haven't looked behind - so there is mystery to my life after all, and inextinguishably so!").

Relating one thing to another is endless.

Anyhow, both have a unique influence to questions of this category.

I'm curious how Fi has the influence here, this stuff is more-so Ni territory with Ne influences.

[Singu]

Existentialism and any other philosophy is just one of the philosophies that arose at a certain period at a certain historical context (probably more accidental than anything), which anyone can freely adopt or reject.

I doubt it matters what function or type it "came from". You might say that there are different sub-categories of Existentialism, but you don't really investigate from what kind of persons they arose from, or even tend to arise from.

Like I said, I'm sure anyone can adopt or reject Existentialism. The reasons for adopting or rejecting it are a bit complex, and again it depends on the context.

[Mushroom]

Could be some Fi in here if its something the individual is using as a prompt to figure out their own feelings.

I'm curious how Fi has the influence here, this stuff is more-so Ni territory with Ne influences.

Ni is a perceptive function, which means that our engagement within it is rather neutral: we're just observing, just speculating, just imagining, etc. Therefore I wouldn't classify Ni as actually producing existentialist notions, though it may be the starting point for it, giving rise to impressions which we then attempt to judge in some respect. It is this judging where we begin to engage. Fi is simply ethical judgement, or more precisely valuation; whereas Ti asks "what is this? how does this work? where did this come from?" Fi focuses more on questions such as "why should this be? should I accept it? what should I do with it?"

[Tallmo]

I think Woody Allen is clearly ILI, so I don't think he works as an example.


Jung (LII) might be an example of "Ti-existentialism", in his personal life.

In a life crisis: "I didn't know what to do, so I decided I will just do whatever comes to my mind." Keeping things simple, seeing the essence of a situation.

choosing a personal myth (individuation) for his life. In a way a hyper-rational thing to do.

choosing to confront his unconscious after weighting the pros and cons.

[Aylen]

I have this hypothesis that the kind of existential issues a person struggles with is affected by whether they have Fi or Ti in their ego. Fi-existentialism is rather obvious: consideration with issues of meaning, the value of our birth and death, the worth of struggling through a life to reach a natural death, etc.

Ti-existentialism is more obscure, because it seems to manifest as extreme confusion and nothing more: what is the sense behind our being here, where did we come from, why now and not another time, why this sense of being foreign to *everything*? For this reason, it rarely results in a conversation or even a direct topic for a book. Indirectly, however, it transforms into inexplicably amusing humor. Woody Allen is an example of this; it is also noteworthy that he has said in an interview that he considers his neuroticsm to originate from the senselessness of death, the fact that everyone is forced to die and lose everything and no-one understands just why, or moreover why it would be a problem to us. Ti-existentialist humor is ironic to the core, giving rise to a sort of metaphysical confusion that is at once surprising and refreshing ("well, there is a door I haven't looked behind - so there is mystery to my life after all, and inextinguishably so!").

Anyhow, both have a unique influence to questions of this category.

Does this hypothesis completely ignore the fact that every type struggles with existential issues like the ones you mention, at some point in their lives, not just Fi and Ti egos? Antidepressants, anti anxiety meds and psychotherapy keep the US (and probably other countries) up and running. Not sure how you are going to reconcile the validity of your hypothesis if you ignore half the types who also face these issues.

Woody is just a neurotic little man...which he probably exaggerates a bit, creatively, for his career.