Thinkers Vs. Feelers
The Four inner Preferences – Sensing vs. Intuitors, and Feeling vs. Thinkers can greatly be at odds with one another. With regards to the latter, this seems pretty straightforward and on the surface that’s the case but digging deeper you’ll see some overlooked characteristics. First off, even if someone is predominantly a thinker type, it does not mean by default they are callous or cold-hearted. There are many thinking types with a feeling side or they have learned how to pay attention to their personal emotions or the emotions of others.
Some thinking types do not enjoy dealing with their emotions yet they can be highly moody – and they don’t realize it. Instead of recognizing their emotions and being able to process them they tend to ignore them and act as though there’s nothing wrong and as a result may come across as being moody. It’s pretty amusing when they change moods all of a sudden and act as though nothing is wrong; ok it’s not amusing – at all.
On the flip side feelers typically get a bad name for being emotional beings. They also have a thinking side, it’s not like they can’t make logical decisions or think clearly because they are predominantly feelers. It is true that feeler types are comfortable with emotions but it doesn’t automatically mean that they know how to manage them well. Ironically thinkers and feelers and have that in common despite being opposite preferences.
Thinkers make decisions based upon what they think is logical and dislike decisions according to how one felt instead of only looking at logic and facts. This is different from the sensory function because whereas sensors rely on facts, thinkers do not believe decisions should be influenced by feelings. Sensing-feelers may think about what is “right” but usually the heart leads with decision-making.
In a relationship these two opposing preferences will have their fair share of conflict. Generally speaking, the higher the preference in a relationship, the more stress it will cause for the feeler-type. The thinker in the relationship tends to zone out and does not really address the problem. In order for arguments to be solved, it takes a lot of dedication to each other and constant communication. I personally do not recommend couples to get into a relationship if each person is high on the opposing end of the spectrum.