Can we predict a persons type simply by observing what they are feeling and how they deal with those feelings? Yes. Definitely. Our feelings are always honest with us and tell us more about ourselves than our thoughts and reasons do.

If you can spot what emotions are driving a person and how they respond to those emotions, you can have a big clue to their real type.

Intuitives

What I see in iNtuitives is a deeper anxiety that can come from feeling uncomfortable with living in the physical world and being a purely physical being. The iNtuitive wishes to be something “more” and so they are constantly reflecting on their purpose and what it means to be alive.

Sensors

Sensing types have a stronger core identity and stronger core beliefs that are more consistent through their life. They are less prone to questioning these beliefs and instead accept and make peace with them. However, they may still experience a form of fear that these beliefs or values are going to be threatened by the people around them. They may still fear that they will not be accepted by those around them.

Feelers

Feeling types experience a stronger shame and feel more remorse when dealing with other people and the world around them. They are more focused on accepting the world as it is than trying to change it or assert themselves into the world somehow. But they are more self-conscious and more aware of how they are perceived by other people, and how they impact others.

Thinkers

Thinking types have bigger and more far reaching goals and ambitions and a stronger will-power than Feeling types. They experience more anger and frustration with themselves and tend to be generally more critical towards themselves or others around them, or against the world or the system. Thinkers have less shame and are less self-conscious and care less about how they impact other people.

The Emotional Stack

It is not strange to experience and struggle with all of the above emotions. Everyone has goals, and most people have some base compassion towards others. Everyone has some semblance of identity or knowledge or values they feel a need to protect, and everyone will experience anxiety at times. However, emotions stack like a pyramid.

Extremely Feeling types will rarely show any anger towards other people but will constantly worry about how they come across to others. Extremely iNtuitive types tend to be very open to other people and are more tolerant to diversity and change and feel less threatened by it.

Highly Sensing types tend to avoid more existential concerns and feel more preoccupied with direct physical or social threats. And Highly Thinking types can ignore or repress social concerns and social values like being liked in favour of being effective. In a Maslowian sense, there is essentially an MBTI pyramid covering four base needs.

The four base needs

1. Metaphysical/Existential needs (Fueled by anxiety, rewarded by satisfaction)
2. Social needs (Fueled by shame, rewarded by pride)
3. Physical needs (Fueled by fear, rewarded by joy)
4. Need for self-actualization (Fueled by anger, rewarded by peace of mind)

The Cognitive Functions

The attitude of a function, for example introversion or extroversion, influences how we process and deal with our emotions. Introverted Thinking (Ti) can manifest in self-critical behaviour, and Extroverted Thinking in anger directed at correcting our environment or yelling about our circumstances.

Introverted Feeling can lead to self-doubt (Am I a good person? Can I forgive myself?) while Extroverted Feeling can be directed at the tribe, making a person more prone to make judgements about other people and more interested in social politics and intervening in conflicts.

Judging and Perceiving

The same goes for whether you are a Judging or Perceiving person. Judgers will have generally externalised perceptions, and Perceivers internalised. Judging types try to realise some grand plan for themselves or others and try to meet some kind of external expectations or conditions. Perceiving types focus on their own view and expectations for themselves and do not like to be told what to do.

The Sixteen Personalities Emotions

This creates the following list

INFJ: What is my deeper purpose and how can I fulfil it while being the person other people need me to be?
INFP: Is my self able to act in a way that is morally and existentially consistent with my own expectations?
INTP: Am I able to be as smart and intelligent as I expect myself to be?
INTJ: Am I able to realise my purpose and use my own skill and ability to succeed in the external world?
ENTJ: Is the world and tribe able to meet its own standards? Are we as a whole able to meet our own goals and dreams?
ENFJ: Will other people treat me right if I treat them right? Can we create our personal utopia together?
ENTP: Can the world and tribe live up to my expectations and ideals? Can I trust people to be the people I see them as?
ENFP: Can the people I love and care for live up to my ideals and expectations? Do we have the same dreams?
ESFP: Will people love and treat me in a way that is fair and right? Will others accept me for who I am, no matter what?
ESTP: Can the world meet my high standards and expectations? Can people keep up with me and my intelligence?
ESTJ: There is no “bigger hidden purpose”. Life is what we make of it right here and now.
ESFJ: My own needs are less important, as long as I can keep everyone else happy, I will be happy.
ISFJ: There is no point in getting upset with other people, just try to forgive and be the better person.
ISTJ: Most people are ultimately disappointing, so you have to learn to live and succeed on your own.
ISTP: I do not care what other people expect of me. Most important is what I expect of myself.
ISFP: I don’t care about what anyone else does, as long as I am able to be 100% myself.

Let me know in the comments below which type resonates more with you!