Mood, Feelings and Emotions in Ni, Fi and Fe

In everyday language, terms like "feeling," "emotion," and "mood" are used interchangeably. However, in Socionics, they can illustrate the difference between Fi, Fe, and Ni when it comes to how different types process or talk about emotional sphere.

For this purpose, I’m drawing from The Semantics of Information Elements by L. Kochubeeva, V. Mironov, and M. Stoyalova. This book is the result of three years of practical research and is an interesting read. Here is a brief summary of the key points regarding this topic:

Fi: The Domain of Relationship/Evaluation

Fi describes feelings as one's attitude toward an object. It describes one's established stance: to love, to hate, to respect, to despise, to trust, to pity. It also evaluates the object: "He is a good person," "She is close to me."

Feelings here are a static "bond/thread" connecting two people. It is deep, intimate, and often hidden, though the feelings can be very strong.

Fe: The Domain of Expression

Here, emotion is defined as an external, dynamic process—a discharge of energy or a visible reaction. It is a tool for impact and communication, or born as a reaction. It’s not "happiness" (the concept), but "laughing" (the act).

Vocabulary: to cheer up, to freak out, to calm down, explosion, boiling, bringing the energy, to sob, to fuss, enthusiasm, ecstasy, horror, panic, boredom (loss of energy), stunned. Metaphors: "fountain," "fire," "electricity" (to get charged up). Oxymorons (used to heighten the effect): "terribly good," "awfully nice," "insanely great".

Emotion is heavily linked to sound and voice intonation ("screech," "mumble," "roar," "cackle," "jabber"), or using onomatopoeia ("Wow!", Bang!", "yada-yada," "whoosh"). It is measured by degrees of tension/intensity ("violently," "sluggishly," "hotly").

It is visible through mimicry and gestures (a "sour face," "rolling eyes," "making a scene"), or can talk to inanimate objects ("Come on, work for me, darling!").

Ni: The Domain of Inner States

Ni is the expert on the nuances of consciousness, detached from ethical judgments of "good" or "bad." It is an immersion into the self—a state of trance, flow, daydreaming, or meditation.

The primary goal is self-contemplation, experiencing the moment, connection with the inner world: "withdraw into oneself," "in the depths of the soul."

Mood here is the "music" of the inner world where sound is metaphorical and often silent to others ("Inner voice," "aftersound," "echo," "rhythm" (internal), "resonance."). It is a prolonged, diffuse state that isn't necessarily directed at a specific person. The person hears themselves or time ("listening to the silence").

These are states stretched over time, often linked to memory or premonition ("evoke", "nostalgia", "foreboding") or uncertainty (feeling "hazy", "unsettled", "somehow"). It is often described in stylistic terms (lyrical, mystical, melancholic, romantic), or metaphors ("pastel watercolors," "shimmering reflection").