My personality test results from
Sixteen Personalities:
Advocate Personality (INFJ, -A/-T)
The Advocate personality type is very rare, making up less than
one percent of the population, but they nonetheless leave their mark on
the world. As members of the Diplomat Role group, Advocates have an
inborn sense of idealism and morality, but what sets them apart is that
they are not idle dreamers, but people capable of taking concrete steps
to realize their goals and make a lasting positive impact.
Advocates tend to see helping others as
their purpose in life, but while people with this personality type can
be found engaging rescue efforts and doing charity work, their real
passion is to get to the heart of the issue so that people need not be
rescued at all.
Help Me Help You
Advocates indeed share a unique combination of traits: though
soft-spoken, they have very strong opinions and will fight tirelessly
for an idea they believe in. They are decisive and strong-willed, but
will rarely use that energy for personal gain – Advocates will act with
creativity, imagination, conviction and sensitivity not to create
advantage, but to create balance. Egalitarianism and karma are very
attractive ideas to Advocates, and they tend to believe that nothing
would help the world so much as using love and compassion to soften the
hearts of tyrants.
Advocates find it easy to make connections with others, and have a
talent for warm, sensitive language, speaking in human terms, rather
than with pure logic and fact. It makes sense that their friends and
colleagues will come to think of them as quiet Extroverted types, but
they would all do well to remember that Advocates need time alone to
decompress and recharge, and to not become too alarmed when they
suddenly withdraw. Advocates take great care of other’s feelings, and
they expect the favor to be returned – sometimes that means giving them
the space they need for a few days.
Live to Fight Another Day
Really though, it is most important for Advocates to remember to take
care of themselves. The passion of their convictions is perfectly
capable of carrying them past their breaking point and if their zeal
gets out of hand, they can find themselves exhausted, unhealthy and
stressed. This becomes especially apparent when Advocates find
themselves up against conflict and criticism – their sensitivity forces
them to do everything they can to evade these seemingly personal
attacks, but when the circumstances are unavoidable, they can fight back
in highly irrational, unhelpful ways.
To Advocates, the world is a place full of inequity – but it doesn’t
have to be. No other personality type is better suited to create a
movement to right a wrong, no matter how big or small. Advocates just
need to remember that while they’re busy taking care of the world, they
need to take care of themselves, too.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Advocate Strengths
- Creative
– Combining a vivid imagination with a strong sense of compassion,
Advocates use their creativity to resolve not technical challenges, but
human ones. People with the Advocate personality type enjoy finding the
perfect solution for someone they care about, and this strength makes
them excellent counselors and advisors.
- Insightful
– Seeing through dishonesty and disingenuous motives, Advocates step
past manipulation and sales tactics and into a more honest discussion.
Advocate personalities see how people and events are connected, and are
able to use that insight to get to the heart of the matter.
- Inspiring and Convincing
– Speaking in human terms, not technical, Advocates have a fluid,
inspirational writing style that appeals to the inner idealist in their
audience. Advocates can even be astonishingly good orators, speaking
with warmth and passion, if they are proud of what they are speaking
for.
- Decisive – Their creativity, insight and
inspiration are able to have a real impact on the world, as Advocates
are able to follow through on their ideas with conviction, willpower,
and the planning necessary to see complex projects through to the end.
People with the Advocate personality type don’t just see the way things
ought to be, they act on those insights.
- Determined and Passionate
– When Advocates come to believe that something is important, they
pursue that goal with a conviction and energy that can catch even their
friends and loved ones off guard. Advocates will rock the boat if they
have to, something not everyone likes to see, but their passion for
their chosen cause is an inseparable part of their personality.
- Altruistic
– These strengths are used for good. Advocates have strong beliefs and
take the actions that they do not because they are trying to advance
themselves, but because they are trying to advance an idea that they
truly believe will make the world a better place.
Advocate Weaknesses
- Sensitive
– When someone challenges or criticizes Advocates’ principles or
values, they are likely to receive an alarmingly strong response. People
with the Advocate personality type are highly vulnerable to criticism
and conflict, and questioning their motives is the quickest way to their
bad side.
- Extremely Private – Advocates tend
to present themselves as the culmination of an idea. This is partly
because they believe in this idea, but also because Advocates are
extremely private when it comes to their personal lives, using this
image to keep themselves from having to truly open up, even to close
friends. Trusting a new friend can be even more challenging for
Advocates.
- Perfectionistic – Advocate
personalities are all but defined by their pursuit of ideals. While this
is a wonderful quality in many ways, an ideal situation is not always
possible – in politics, in business, in romance – and Advocates,
especially Turbulent ones, too often drop or ignore healthy and
productive situations and relationships, always believing there might be
a better option down the road.
- Always Need to Have a Cause
– Advocate personalities get so caught up in the passion of their
pursuits that any of the cumbersome administrative or maintenance work
that comes between them and the ideal they see on the horizon is deeply
unwelcome. Advocates like to know that they are taking concrete steps
towards their goals, and if routine tasks feel like they are getting in
the way, or worse yet, there is no goal at all, they will feel restless
and disappointed.
- Can Burn Out Easily – Their
passion, poor patience for routine maintenance, tendency to present
themselves as an ideal, and extreme privacy tend to leave Advocates with
few options for letting off steam. People with this personality type
are likely to exhaust themselves in short order if they don’t find a way
to balance their ideals with the realities of day-to-day living.
Is This for Real?
Advocates
will go out of their way to seek out people who share their desire for
authenticity, and out of their way to avoid those who don’t, especially
when looking for a partner. All that being said, people with the
Advocate personality type often have the advantage of desirability –
they are warm, friendly, caring and insightful, seeing past facades and
the obvious to understand others’ thoughts and emotions.
One of the things Advocates find most important is establishing genuine, deep connections with the people they care about.
Advocate
personalities are enthusiastic in their relationships, and there is a
sense of wisdom behind their spontaneity, allowing them to pleasantly
surprise their partners again and again. Advocates aren’t afraid to show
their love, and they feel it unconditionally, creating a depth to the
relationship that can hardly be described in conventional terms.
Relationships with Advocates are not for the uncommitted or the shallow.
When
it comes to intimacy, Advocates look for a connection that goes beyond
the physical, embracing the emotional and even spiritual connection they
have with their partner. People with the Advocate personality type are
passionate partners, and see intimacy as a way to express their love and
to make their partners happy. Advocates cherish not just the act of
being in a relationship, but what it means to become one with another
person, in mind, body and soul.
Friendships
There
is a running theme with Advocates, and that is a yearning for
authenticity and sincerity – in their activities, their romantic
relationships, and their friendships. People with the Advocate
personality type are unlikely to go for friendships of circumstance,
like workplace social circles or chatting up their local baristas, where
the only thing they really have in common is a day-to-day familiarity.
Rather, Advocates seek out people who share their passions, interests
and ideologies, people with whom they can explore philosophies and
subjects that they believe are truly meaningful.
Closed Book and Speed Reader
From
the start, it can be a challenge to get to know Advocates, as they are
very private, even enigmatic. Advocate personalities don’t readily share
their thoughts and feelings, not unless they are comfortable, and since
those thoughts and feelings are the basis for Advocate friendships, it
can take time and persistence to get to know them. Meanwhile, Advocates
are very insightful and have a particular knack for seeing beyond
others’ facades, interpreting intent and compatibility quickly and
easily, and weeding out those who don’t share the depth of their
idealism.
In friendship it is as
though Advocates are searching for a soul mate, someone who shares every
facet of their passions and imagination.
Advocates are often
perfectionistic, looking for ultimate compatibility, and yet also look
for someone with whom they can grow and improve in tandem. Needless to
say, this is a tall order, and Advocates should try to remember that
they are a particularly rare personality type, and even if they find
someone compatible in that sense, the odds that they will also share
every interest are slim. If they don’t learn to meet others halfway and
recognize that the kind of self-improvement and depth they demand is
simply exhausting for many types, Advocates are likely end up abandoning
healthy friendships in their infancy, in search of more perfect
compatibilities.
Like Finding a Needle in a Haystack
Further
complicating things are Advocates’ eloquence and persuasiveness, which
lead to a lot of (unwanted) attention and popularity. Their quiet,
determined idealism and imaginative expression naturally draw influence,
and if there’s anything Advocate personalities avoid, it’s the
accumulation of power over others – and the people who are drawn to that
type of power.
Advocates will find themselves more sought after
than they’d ever care to be, making it even more difficult for them to
find someone they truly have an affinity with. Really the only way to be
counted among Advocates’ true friends is to be authentic, and to have
that authenticity naturally reflect their own.
Once a common
thread is found though, people with the Advocate personality type make
loyal and supportive companions, encouraging growth and life-enriching
experiences with warmth, excitement and care. As trust grows, Advocates
will share more of what lies beneath the surface, and if those ideas and
motives are mutual, it’s the sort of friendship that will transcend
time and distance, lasting a lifetime.
Advocate personalities
don’t require a great deal of day-to-day attention – for them, quality
trumps quantity every time, and over the years they will likely end up
with just a few true friendships, built on a richness of mutual
understanding that forges an indelible link between them.
Career Paths
Advocates
are likely to find that most corporate career paths are not designed
for them, but for those focused on status and material gain. This
doesn’t mean that people with the Advocate personality type struggle to
see viable options though. In fact, they are likely to face the opposite
problem – many Advocates struggle to begin a career early on because
they see ten wildly different paths forward, each with its own intrinsic
rewards, alluring but also heartbreaking, because each means abandoning
so much else.
Truth, Beauty, Purpose
First and
foremost, Advocate personalities need to find meaning in their work, to
know that they are helping and connecting with people – an Advocate
Ferrari salesperson is a non-sequitur. This desire to help and connect
makes careers in healthcare, especially the more holistic varieties,
very rewarding for Advocates – roles as counselors, psychologists,
doctors, life coaches and spiritual guides are all attractive options.
Advocates’
needs don’t end at meaning though – any productive work can be
rationalized to be meaningful, as any productive work helps someone,
somewhere. Advocate personalities crave creativity too, the ability to
use their insight to connect events and situations, effecting real
change in others’ lives personally.
For Advocates, money and Employee of the Month simply won’t cut it compared to living their values and principles.
Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood
These
needs are hard to meet in a corporate structure, where Advocates will
be forced to manage someone else’s policies alongside their own. For
this reason, people with the Advocate personality type are more likely
to, despite their aversion to controlling others, establish their
independence by either finding a leadership position, or simply starting
their own practice. As independents, sole proprietors in the parlance
of business, Advocates are free to follow their hearts, applying their
personal touch, creativity and altruism to everything they do.
This
can be the most rewarding option for Advocate personalities, as they
will step out of the overly humble supporting and noncompetitive roles
they are often drawn to, and into positions where they can grow and make
a difference. Advocates often pursue expressive careers such as
writing, elegant communicators that they are, and author many popular
blogs, stories and screenplays. Music, photography, design and art are
viable options too, and they all can focus on deeper themes of personal
growth, morality and spirituality.
Where Advocates fall flat is
in work focusing on impersonal concerns, mundanity, and high-profile
conflict. Accounting and auditing, data analysis and routine work will
leave people with the Advocate personality type fidgety and unfulfilled,
and they will simply wilt under the scrutiny, criticism and pressure of
courtroom prosecution and defense, corporate politics and cold-call
sales.
Advocate personalities are clever, and can function in any
of these fields, but to be truly happy, they need to be able to
exercise their insightfulness and independence, learn and grow alongside
the people they are helping, and contribute to the well-being of
humanity on a personal level.
Workplace Habits
Advocates have pretty tall demands when it comes to a
satisfying work environment. Not only does this personality type need to
be able to express their creativity and insight, Advocates need to know
that what they are doing has meaning, helps people, leads to personal
growth and, all the while, is in line with their values, principles and
beliefs.
Oftentimes the best way for Advocate personalities to
achieve this is to not have to answer to others’ rules at all – to be
their own boss, neither above nor below anyone else, just directly
interacting with the people and ideas that are important to them. All
that being said, Advocates are a clever and inspired group, and with a
few of the right conditions, most any position can be made to work.
Advocate Subordinates
As
subordinates, Advocates are likely to chafe under hardline rules,
formal hierarchies and routine tasks. People with the Advocate
personality type value diplomacy and sensitivity, and the more
democratic and personal their manager’s style is, and the more they feel
their independence and input are valued, the happier they’ll be.
Advocates act on their convictions, so when they do something, it’s
something that has meaning to them – if those actions come under
criticism, even justified complaints, but especially unwarranted ones,
their morale is likely to tank spectacularly.
A manager’s values
need to be naturally aligned with their Advocate subordinates for both
parties to be most effective. Though usually idealistic, if they feel in
conflict, people with the Advocate personality type can lose touch with
that sense and end up all too bitter. But if it’s a balance they can
handle, with a little encouragement every now and then, Advocates will
be hardworking, trustworthy, and more than capable of handling their
responsibilities and professional relationships.
Advocate Colleagues
As
colleagues, Advocate personalities are likely to become quite popular,
being seen as positive, eloquent and capable friends, identifying
others’ motives and defusing conflicts and tension before anyone else
even senses a disturbance. Advocates are likely to prioritize harmony
and cooperation over ruthless efficiency, encouraging a good,
hardworking atmosphere and helping others when needed. While this is
usually a strength, there is a risk that others will take advantage of
Advocates’ commitment to their responsibilities by simply shifting their
burdens onto their more dedicated Advocate colleagues’ desks.
It
should also be remembered that at the end of the day, Advocates are
still Introverts (I), and their popularity isn’t always welcome – they
will need to step back and act the lone wolf from time to time, pursuing
their own goals in their own ways. An unhealthy version of this
tendency may pop up if Advocates sense that their values are being
compromised by a more ethically relaxed colleague.
Advocate Managers
As
managers, Advocates are often reluctant in exercising their authority,
preferring to see their subordinates as equals, coordinating and
supervising people, leaving the technical systems and factual details to
more capable hands, and working hard to inspire and motivate, not to
crack the whip.
That’s not to say that people with the Advocate
personality type have lax standards – far from it – as Advocates’ sense
of equality means that they expect their subordinates to be as
competent, motivated and reliable as the Advocates themselves.
Though
sensitive, understanding, principled and just, able to appreciate
individual styles and to make accurate judgments about others’
motivations, if a subordinate’s actions or attitude undermines
Advocates’ ethics or values, they will find little comfort in these
qualities. Advocate personalities have no tolerance for lapses in
reliability or morality. But, so long as no such lapse occurs, Advocates
will work tirelessly to ensure that their subordinates feel valued and
happy.
Conclusion
Few
personality types are as passionate and mysterious as Advocates. Your
imagination and empathy make you someone who not only cherishes their
integrity and deeply held principles but, unlike many other idealistic
types, is also capable of turning those ideals into plans, and executing
them.
Yet Advocates can be easily tripped up in areas where
their idealism and determination are more of a liability than an asset.
Whether it is navigating interpersonal conflicts, confronting unpleasant
facts, pursuing self-realization, or finding a career path that aligns
well with your inner core, you may face numerous challenges that at
times can even make you question who you really are.
