I'm an INFJ-A.

Intro

An Advocate (INFJ) is someone with the Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging personality traits. They tend to approach life with deep thoughtfulness and imagination. Their inner vision, personal values, and a quiet, principled version of humanism guide them in all things.

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.”

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. Advocates have an inborn sense of idealism and morality, but what sets them apart is that they are not idle dreamers. These individuals are capable of taking concrete steps to realize their goals and make a lasting positive impact.

People with this personality type tend to see helping others as their purpose in life. Advocates can often be found engaging in rescue efforts and doing charity work. However, their real passion is to get to the heart of the issue so that people need not be rescued at all.

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 an advantage, but to create balance. Egalitarianism and karma are very attractive ideas to Advocate personalities. These types tend to believe that nothing would help the world so much as using love and compassion to soften the hearts of tyrants.

Nothing lights up Advocates like creating a solution that changes people’s lives.

Advocates find it easy to make connections with others. They 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 Extraverted personality types. However, they would all do well to remember that Advocates need time alone to decompress and recharge, and not to become too alarmed when they suddenly withdraw. Advocates take great care of others’ feelings, and they expect the favor to be returned – sometimes that means giving them the space they need for a few days.

Really, though, it is most important for people with the Advocate personality type to remember to take care of themselves. The passion of their convictions is perfectly capable of carrying them past their breaking point. 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 these personalities to do everything they can to evade these seemingly personal attacks. When the circumstances are unavoidable, however, 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.

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. 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. They are then 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. This is especially true if they are proud of what they are speaking for.
• Decisive – Advocates’ creativity, insight, and inspiration are able to have a real impact on the world. This is because they 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 others off-guard. Advocates will rock the boat if they must. Not everyone likes to see this, but their passion for their chosen cause is an inseparable part of the Advocate personality.
• Altruistic – These strengths are used for good. Advocates will not engage in any actions or promote beliefs just to benefit themselves. They have strong beliefs and take the actions that they do 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. 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. They use 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. 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 their pursuits that any of the cumbersome tasks that come between them and their ideal vision is deeply unwelcome. Advocates like to know that they are taking concrete steps toward their goals. 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, impatience for routine maintenance, idealism, 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.

Conclusion

“In the end, it’s your actions, how you respond to circumstance, that reveals your character.”

CATE BLANCHETT

Few personality types are as passionate and mysterious as Advocates. As someone with this personality type, your imagination and empathy make you someone who cherishes their integrity and deeply held principles. Unlike many other idealistic types, however, you are 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. There are many areas in life where you may face challenges that, at times, can even make you question who you really are. Anything from navigating interpersonal conflicts, confronting unpleasant facts, pursuing self-realization, or finding a career path that aligns well with your inner core can cause internal frustration.

What you have read so far is just an introduction – and less than five percent of what we can tell you about the Advocate personality type. You may have muttered to yourself, “Wow, this is so accurate it’s creepy,” or, “They know more about me than people I’m closest to.” You may even be a little uncomfortable because you are really not used to being understood.

This is not a trick. You felt understood because you were. And no, we did not spy on you – rather, we spent years studying Advocates’ life stories, experiences, and responses to hundreds of our surveys. Step by step, insight by insight, we discovered exactly how Advocates think, and what they need to reach their full potential.

This is how we know that many of the challenges you’ve faced (and will face in the future) have been overcome by other Advocates. You are not alone in this. You simply need to learn from the mistakes and successes of others.

People love to take personality tests, and Meyers-Briggs is probably the most popular. I am interested in knowing what your type is. If you don't know yours, or you do but want to do it again, my favorite is https://www.16personalities.com/. It's free, and quite comprehensive...and I just love the graphics ?. Please post in the comments what your results are. It'll be interesting to see what the predominant types are in DM. It's worth noting we fit into all types in one way or another, and nothing good comes of pigeon-holing yourself into a box, but it's fun to see where you are.

Hmmmm <rubs hands together>.....why the Brown Ajah?

44 minutes ago, Cross said:

i have a banana and a lava, how much more shiny can one person stand every day?

Touché ?.

So, @Cross: Tell me something about you...besides the fact you have a banana. 

In Lava’s defense, I, too, love all the colors and glitters, and your office could use a little shiny ?.

Agreed: finding the right place is important to happiness, which leads to productiveness.

Absolutely. I’m refraining a bit from the Ajahs because I know my next assignments will be spent with them, so I’m saving up my participation, if you will, so I can maximize my time with them. I’m also looking forward to how I can help out around the tower, be it out front or behind the scenes...but I think that’s something for when I’m Accepted....which seems so far away.

I have an idea, which, I think I’ll bring to your attention when it’s time for me to be more involved, so stay tuned ?.

I have a lot of energy, and love to participate, so we shall see where my path takes me!

I’m an overachiever, and manage my time well, so I find ways to have fun with extra curricular activities while keeping up with my duties ?. @Cairos is an awesome mentor, and @Lavandula certainly knows how to help a novice get acclimated to her new home ❤️.

9 minutes ago, Cross said:

oh no baby yoda just wandered of on his own, think he saw a frog or something

He does that. I'm sure he'll pop-up in random threads ?.

4 hours ago, Cross said:

*flows everything but lava's banana and the chocolate fountain out of the office (points for GMM)*

Even Baby Yoda?! Well that's sad. 

Quote

hey ah phaedra, let me show you my banana hee...heehee?

You can't have an office without a Baby Yoda somewhere.

I is for Iced Coffee ?.

I'm an Aspie of the White Tower, and thought I would stop in and say hi to the site. I started reading WoT back in 2004, and only made it to book 6. I've tried re-reading the series multiple times over the last 15 years, but can only seem to get to book 6. I just started re-reading, this time with my mom and sister, with the determination to finish the series this time. Because spoilers don't bother me, I've read synopsis/plot summaries/discussions about the series as a whole to know what happens ?. I've been a fan of the series for a long time, and am super excited about the TV series. I joined DM because I want to know the latest news about the show, as well as read up on folks thoughts/opinions about the series. I enjoy being around those with similar interests, because I learn things from them. I wouldn't say I'm a frequent poster, but I definitely lurk and read a lot. I may start a discussion with questions or observations occasionally, but most of my activity is commenting from time to time.

In other news, I live in Texas, USA, and work as an IT professional for a bank. I embrace my quirkiness and geekiness, and I love all things pop culture/sci-fi/fantasy/Disney/musicals/theatre/karaoke/magical. I'm a runner, fisherman, and artist, and I love football (American and soccer) and most other sports. I enjoy discussing and theorizing, as well as researching. 

I'm excited to be a part of the site, and I look forward to learning and sharing!

5 minutes ago, Lavandula said:

 

Then you might find the color blue quite facinating here on dm too (*cough* HP week *cough*) ?

 

I saw that and was like "O.M.G, I think these are my peeps." I can go on and on about HP. GoT too. And LoTR, musicals, fairy tales, mythology, Dune (another series I can't WAIT for), Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, Ender's Game, Star Trek, Star Wars, Nintendo...seriously, the fantasy/sci-fi/pop culture lists goes on and on and on and on.....

For me, it was a three-way tie, with the tie-breaker being my answer to "Which Ajah do I identify with most?", which is a hard question to answer because I identify with many aspects of all three from a philosophy perspective.

I will say, though, when reading the books, I wanted to be a Green. I've always felt there are two sides to my personality: the logical, philosophical side, and the side that loves all things girly and fun. I've struggled in my life to balance the two, because of the perceptions that my girly/flirty/make-up and fashion loving side is not serious, intelligent, or as having depth. This is not to say Greens are shallow or superficial...just that they embrace a part of me that wants to be out, but carries a lot of fear with it. Greens are able to be that strong person, owning everything that they are regardless of others' perceptions. I'm a bubbly, goofy person, and I already struggle with being taken seriously, so adding in being girly and all that compounds the problem. If you've ever watched the show Scrubs, the character Elliot is very much me, and there was an episode where she struggled with this very issue. However, at this point in my life, I've embraced much of who I am (mermaids, unicorns, magic, nerdy, goofy and all), and feel more whole as a person. It only took 43 years.

But....this is all fantasy and just a test, and shouldn't be taken too seriously ;).

The jury is still out on how I'd answer that last question, though...

Blue Ajah: 5
Gray Ajah: 5
White Ajah: 5
Green Ajah: 3
Yellow Ajah: 2
Red Ajah: 2
Brown Ajah: 2
 

PS: the one House I *know* I'm a member of is Ravenclaw, through and through :D:D:D.

Ah, ok thanks!  This is going to be kinda difficult because I don't want to give too much away, as the show is full of interesting revelations. But here goes!

I don't want to say too much more, because how these families are tied together, as well as how the whole thing started, is interesting and crazy. This is a show that you need to watch without distraction, because if you miss one thing, you'll wind up confused. It's also a show that you'll watch again. I know my second time through, things made more sense, and I was able to appreciate the production side of the show more (writing, acting, settings, costuming, etc). It really is a great piece of work!

On 7/31/2020 at 3:18 PM, Liitha said:

How about a less spoiler free description in spoil brackets...cause not quite sure I am grasping the consept 

Dumb question first: how do I do the spoiler brackets?

On 7/28/2020 at 3:36 PM, SinisterDeath said:

I have not yet. May when I pick up netflix again in a few months.

Is it possible you could post a spoiler-free description of what the shows about?

Oh sure! It's three seasons of twisty-turvy time-travel that will boggle the mind. It's very well thought out, and sticks to the rules of time travel it lays out. It follows several different families in a little town in Germany, and how they are connected. The show is in German, and is dubbed. It doesn't take but an episode or two to forget it's dubbed. It's not for kids, due to some mature content. It's a great mystery, and does a good job of answering questions and posing more questions as it moves along.

Has anyone watched Dark on Netflix? Oh holy cow...it's A LOT to process. It's definitely a show that needs multiple re-watches. There is so much that is GOOD about the show, from the concept, to the writing, acting, set and costume design...it's all intentional and well thought out. I'd love to hear ya'lls thoughts on the show.

I wanted to start a thread on the new series "House of the Dragon". Personally, when HBO announced several spin-offs, my hope was to have a show on the Doom of Valyria and the rise of the Targaryens before they came to Westeros. Much to my dismay, they started with the Long Night. I got enough history on the creation of the White Walkers during the show, so I was rather disappointed on re-telling that story...but yes, I would have watched it anyway :). Needless to say, I wasn't too sad with the cancellation of the show. However, I am excited for "House of the Dragon". Yeah, it doesn't go as far back as I wanted, but, I do think the Dance of the Dragons will make for a great story. Looking forward to more developments on the show, as well as anyone's thoughts/speculation on what is to come.