The Idea of Self – Who the Eff Am I?

Myers Brigg: INFJ-T

I’ve taken the Myers Briggs personality test (MBTI) multiple times throughout my life with roughly different results after every test. I feel that I have finally found a type that I believe represented me (at least the most recent version of myself), INFJ-T the Advocate.

“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.

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 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.

Live to Fight Another Day

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.

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.

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.

Turbulent ADvocate

Turbulent Advocates are likely to question themselves more and are ordinarily more sensitive to stressors. 

Turbulent Advocates often let their passions lead them to great accomplishments. These are fueled by their regard for the people in their lives and concern for moral and idealistic issues. They can become overly involved in the problems of others. This involvement might even generate a kind of hyper-empathy where these personalities identify too much with those they seek to help.

If Turbulent Advocates become invested and then are not able to help to the degree they think they should, Turbulent self-criticism can be excessively harsh. They can sink into brooding and become miserably mired in worry and regret.

To add to this, Turbulent Advocates are more willing to exaggerate the impact of something that bothers them or hurts the people they care about. People with this personality type often interpret things as being far worse than they are. But such exaggeration is rarely on purpose or about dishonesty. It’s more a reflection of their tendency to hold more negative views of things. It can genuinely reflect what they believe. But even if it comes from a good place, magnifying the problems can add unneeded stress and intensity to an already difficult situation.

Both Turbulent and Assertive Advocates tend to elevate their friends, the people they fall in love with, and even their colleagues. These personalities generally think the best of those they value and agree with. They might not look as kindly on those who go against their sense of right and wrong or appear to be phony.

However, there is a difference between the two: Assertive Advocates see things through a filter that values humanity and want to have people (in limited Introverted doses) in their lives. Turbulent Advocates, in comparison, are more likely to go beyond simply wanting people in their lives. These personalities feel more of a need for others and are more affected by what others think of them. This need for others and their opinions can help them form deep bonds with others and allows them to collaborate better when that’s called for.

Turbulent Advocates [… are] constantly looking for approval, stifling their individuality, and thwarting their efforts as they wait for all who matter to look kindly on their actions and ideas. Pleasing everyone is a rare accomplishment in life, and pursuing it has stalled a lot of people in their tracks.

Turbulent Advocates, as part of their quest for ongoing improvements, are likely to embrace change, but only within reason. People with this personality type like to have some control over it and to have some guarantee that it is the right change at the right moment. They are likely to take fewer risks than their Assertive counterparts.

Regret can color Turbulent Advocates’ future actions either positively or negatively: positively, if they are motivated to make up for past missteps; negatively, if these personalities become caught up in guilt or anger. This can be especially devastating if they believe they have harmed others.”

Astrology:

Sun: Virgo | Moon: Aquarius | Rising: Libra

For this I had to estimate the time I was born. My mom says that it was around 8AM so I placed 8:00AM as my time of birth on Co-Star, Cafe Astrology , and Horoscope.co.uk. I am unsure how reliable any of those websites are, but they all came out with the same results and offer the same information relating to the signs and the houses. For this reason, I will be going with Co-Star’s result and information regarding my sun, moon and ascending signs. I will also include information about my sun sign from astrology.com for a more general look into that sign. I am not going to be including anything about the planets and the houses part of astrology because I don’t understand it and it’s a lot to take in.

ASCENDANT: LIBRA, 8°0’54” FIRST HOUSE

Your ascendant is the “mask” you present to people. It can be seen in your personal style and how you come off to people when you first meet. Some say it becomes less relevant as you get older. It changes every two hours, so if it doesn’t make sense, text your mom to confirm your birth time. Your Ascendant is in Libra, meaning you come across as compromising, courteous, and fair-minded, though sometimes passive aggressive. You seem inclined towards balance in all forms—aesthetic, romantic, and judgment.

MOON: AQUARIUS, 5°1’0″ FOURTH HOUSE

The moon rules your emotions, moods, and feelings. This is likely the sign you most think of yourself as, since it reflects your personality when you’re alone or deeply comfortable. Your Moon is in Aquarius, meaning your emotional self is intuitive, observant, detached, and rational. You are often in your own world, but are scared of how you truly feel. It’s in your fourth house, meaning you find security and safety through your home and family.

Virgo is the sixth sign of the zodiac, to be exact, and that’s the way Virgos like it: exacting. Those born under this horoscope sign are forever the butt of jokes for being so picky and critical (and they can be), but their ‘attention to detail’ is for a reason: to help others. Virgos, more than any other zodiac sign, were born to serve, and it gives them great joy. They are also tailor-made for the job, since common Virgo traits are being industrious, methodical and efficient. The sense of duty borne by these folks is considerable, and it ensures that they will always work for the greater good.

VIRGO SYMBOL, PLANET, ELEMENT, AND QUALITY

Virgo is represented by the symbol of the Virgin, although this association should not be taken literally. Rather, Virgos tend to take on some of the qualities of a Virgin, things like modesty and humanity. Some might consider them repressed, although Virgins would argue that it’s a noble quality, as opposed to a negative one. Most of all, Virgos enjoy indulging their practical and logical side and poring over their projects to the nth degree.

To say those born under the Virgo sun sign are good at fact-finding almost understates the case, since Virgos revel in their exacting (some would argue pedantic) behavior and are a whiz with minutiae. Those with a Virgo zodiac sign are an asset in the workplace as they can be counted on to get things right the first time, every time — and no detail will be overlooked. They are also balanced and fair in their assessments in keeping with the mutable quality assigned to this sign.

The Virgo astrology sign is ruled by Mercury, and as portrayed in ancient Roman mythology, Mercury wasn’t one to sit still for long. This swift-footed god was a bundle of energy, both physically and mentally, and that pretty much sums up the Virgin’s makeup. A Virgo sign’s brain is in overdrive most of the time, which is why these folks get so much done. Those born under this star sign are also able communicators and use their mental acuity to maximum advantage.

All of this brainpower can make Virgos prone to skepticism, and can even lead to the kind of over-think that surely leads to overkill. Thankfully, though, Virgos are also a studious lot and can temper their worst impulses with a bit of careful analysis. The element associated with Virgo is earth, and in keeping with that, most Virgos are grounded, salt-of-the-earth types.

VIRGO PERSONALITY: STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Virgos enjoy studying a situation in great detail, whether it’s a work project or a friendship. Virgins are truly interested in understanding things. The bane of many Virgos’ personality is the perfectionism that can get in the way of their usual clear thinking. ‘I’m not a perfectionist; I’m discriminating!’ a Virgo would say, happy in the knowledge that their taste is unparalleled. Along those lines, Virgos are also neat and clean, save for the occasional sloppy Virgin (they do exist). Virgins are also reliable and practical and oh-so-useful to have around.

The flash and dash can go to others, since Virgos would much rather be humble and easy-going. That said, Virgins do enjoy material possessions and are (dare we say?) picky about what they bring into their lives. Some might even go as far as calling them self-centered, but it’s really more of a desire to surround themselves with what’s right — for them. This knack for discernment also serves Virgos well in business, where their decisions are usually dead-on. Those born under this sign are eminently sensible and use their critical eye well.

While Virgos can be worrywarts, they do their best to temper these impulses. However, if this nervousness goes unchecked, it can lead to hypochondria, that ugly skeleton in the Virgo’s closet. For that reason, Virgos are extremely health conscious, to the point of being storehouses of information on diet and hygiene. Many Virgos even choose a health or medical career so they won’t miss a beat. Working out is elemental for Virgo, if only so they know intellectually that they’re helping themselves physically. See, the benefits of exercise are far more important to Virgo than the process itself. That’s why Virgos are likely to time themselves on their runs and get in those 300 sit-ups every day.

When it comes to the game of love, Virgos are able to loosen up somewhat and are devoted to their lovers, even if they can be a bit jealous. Since Virgo rules the intestines, worried Virgos need to be wary of bowel upsets. Soothing relief often comes in the way of earth tones, which is why Virgos like to be surrounded by shades of tan and a warm yellow.

The great strength of the Virgo-born is in their practicality, sharp mind and attention to detail. When merged with their willingness to serve, Virgos become essential helpmates. They can be picky — so what?”