The Advocate: Personality Type 2

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Your personality greatly influences the way you communicate with other people in your life. In this Personality & Communication blog series, we have been discussing the 16 different personality types & their unique ways of communicating. So far, we have discussed The Entertainer personality type - this was the first one. You can check out the post on The Entertainer personality type.

Today, we are looking at The Advocate personality type.

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This type is person is quiet & mystical, yet very inspiring & a tireless idealist. 

They are not idle dreamers - they take concrete steps to achieve their goals & they make a lasting impact. They enjoy standing up for what’s right. They like connecting deeply with others. Advocates may be reserved, but they communicate in a way that is warm and sensitive.

They focus so intensely on achieving their ideals that they may fail to take care of themselves. They feel as if they are not allowed to rest until they achieve their goals. This may lead them to be stressed, burned out & ill-tempered.

They feel compelled to have a mission in their lives. When they encounter injustice, they feel an overwhelming need to speak up against it.

Notable personalities like Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman have been said to have this personality type. Even fictional characters like Galadriel & Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, Michael Scofield from Prison Break and Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird have been identified as having this personality type.

Strengths of the Advocate personality 

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Creative – Advocate personalities enjoy finding the perfect solution for the people they care about. To do this, they draw on their vivid imagination and their strong sense of compassion. This can make them excellent counselors and advisors.

As someone with an Advocate personality type, this rings true for me. You can see my creative projects here.

Implication- This means that they express themselves in an extremely creative way. Due to their vivid imagination, they are able to communicate in a way that will capture the attention of whoever they are talking to. Their compassionate nature helps them communicate in a way that will reach you emotionally.

Insightful – Advocates typically strive to move past appearances and get to the heart of things. This can give them an almost uncanny ability to understand people’s true motivations, feelings and needs.

Implication- This means that they communicate in an honest way. They tend to be direct because they want to get to the root cause of the problem or the real core of the conversation.

Principled– People with the Advocate personality type tend to have deeply held beliefs, and their conviction often shines through when they speak or write about subjects that matter to them. 

Implication- This means that their default setting is to communicate in a truly passionate way. This is multiplied tenfold when they are discussing a topic that they are really passionate about – whether it’s justice or their favourite hobbies or creative pursuits.

Advocates can be compelling and inspiring communicators, with their idealism persuading even the hardest of skeptics.

Passionate– They are very passionate about their causes. These personalities rarely settle for “good enough.”

Implication- This means that they communicate in a very passionate way. This is especially so when they are talking about things they really care about.

Altruistic–  They love to help others. They really dislike succeeding at other people's expense. Their goal is also to make the world a better place. 

Implication- This means that they generally aim to uplift others through not only their words but also their actions. They communicate with a lot of kindness and altruism.

Weaknesses of Advocate personality 

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Sensitive to Criticism– When someone challenges their principles or values, Advocates may react strongly. People with this personality type can become defensive in the face of criticism and conflict, particularly when it comes to issues that are near to their hearts.

Implication- This means that they may lash out or shut down. It also shows that, if not careful, they may shut their minds off to values that are different from theirs. While it is important to stand one’s ground, Advocates need to realise that just because others disagree with their values doesn’t mean that they are being attacked. They can disagree politely & still stand their ground.

Reluctant to Open Up – Advocates value honesty, but they’re also private. They may find it difficult to open up and be vulnerable about their struggles. This might also be because they think they need to solve their problems on their own or don’t want to burden other people with their issues. When Advocates don’t ask for help, they may inadvertently hold themselves back or create distance in their relationships.

Implication- This means that they have a hard time communicating their problems. If they’re having a hard time, it’s going to take them a while to tell someone about it. This can create stress or burnout because they feel they need to solve all their problems completely in their own. Furthermore, the people close to them may feel like the Advocate is trying to push them out of their lives.

Perfectionistic – The Advocate personality is a perfectionist by nature. They often want to do everything perfectly. They often want everything to be in its ideal state. They unfortunately have a tendency to fixate on imperfections. They often see what they’re doing wrong rather than taking the time to enjoy what they’re doing right & other things that are going well.

Implication-  This means that they will try so hard to communicate perfectly. The Advocate is the kind of person who will think & rethink about what they said long after the conversation is over. They’ll be thinking of how they could’ve said things better. This is the kind of person who will read & re-read an email or a text message after they’ve sent it. While it does show that Advocates are mindful of how they communicate, it also shows that they can become anxious about how what they say comes across in social situations.

Avoiding the Ordinary – Advocate personalities tend to be motivated by a sense of having a greater purpose in life. They might consider it tedious or unnecessary to break their big visions into small, manageable steps. 

Implication- They tend to get frustrated by ordinary day-to-day things. They need to realise that they have to turn their dreams into everyday routines and to-do lists. Without this, their goals may never materialize. This may not have a direct effect on their communication style but it does help to understand this weakness so that they can gradually work against it.

Prone to Burnout – Advocates’ perfectionism and reserve may leave them with few options for letting off steam. People with this personality type can exhaust themselves if they don’t find a way to balance their drive to help others with necessary self-care and rest.

Implication- This means that they try so hard to communicate in a way that is perfect. They will be so hard on themselves over mistakes they made in what they said in a conversation, a text or an email. On the bright side, their perfectionism makes their communication impressive, detailed & memorable.

Relationships

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Advocates have a deep desire for authenticity and sincerity in everything they do – from their daily activities to their relationships. As a result, people with this personality type rarely settle for friendships of convenience. They don't go for superficial interactions with the people they see every day at work or school. They will often be seen with a close circle of confidants.

This means that they communicate sincerely & openly with their friends. They also don't open up easily, except to their close circle of friends.

In romantic relationships, Advocates are true romantics. They look for deep relationships and dislike superficial connections. They like partners who appreciate them as they are. In the same way, they make their partners feel just as appreciated. They’re warm, caring, honest and insightful, with an ability to see the truth that lies beneath surface appearances. This means that they communicate in a warm & honest way with their romantic partner.

The downside is that they tend to keep waiting for "the perfect partner" who doesn't exist. They need to become more realistic in their expectations without lowering their standards. This will lead to more success in their search for a partner.

As parents, Advocates strive to raise their children to be independent and all-around good people. Their greatest hope is to interact with their children as equals. This is why Advocate personalities may also push their children to think independently, make their own choices and develop their own beliefs. They also expect their children to show the same high level of integrity & honesty that they themselves demonstrate.

This means that Advocates communicate in a very open way with their children. However, they may put too much pressure on their children to lie up to their high ideals. They must strive to let their children find their moral path.

Careers

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Advocates tend to seek a career path that aligns with their values rather than one that offers status and material gain. Fortunately, people with this personality type are able to find work that suits them in just about any field.

The only downside is that they are so capable of visualizing so many possible options for themselves that making a choice can be difficult at times.

Advocates want to find meaning in their work and to know that they are helping and connecting with people. This desire to help and connect can make roles as counselors, psychologists, teachers, social workers, yoga instructors and spiritual leaders very rewarding for Advocates. Careers in health care – especially the more holistic varieties – can also be attractive options for this personality type.

Many Advocates are also strong communicators. This explains why they are often drawn to careers in writing, authoring many popular books, blogs, stories, and screenplays. Music, photography, design, and art can all be viable options as well, allowing Advocates to focus on deeper themes of personal growth and purpose.

Advocates are drawn to creative paths like writing, music, photography, design and art.
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Advocates need creativity & art for their personal growth & purpose.
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This doesn't mean that you have to restrict yourself to these career paths if you have an Advocate personality type. For an Advocate personality type, they will be satisfied as long the work aligns with their interests, allows them to help others in some way & connect with others. Whatever the type of work, they love to spot unusual patterns and come up with out-of-the-box solutions, creating real change in others’ lives. They are also happy in jobs that let them explore and express their creativity.

Know thyself & Be happy

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If you have The Advocate personality type or you know someone who is, I sincerely hope this revealed so much to you about who you are. The goal is to give you a deeper understanding of not only how you communicate but also how you can make improvements on it. It is also a celebration of your strengths & a guide to better your weaknesses.

Want to know more about The Advocate personality type? Click here!

Did you get The Advocate as your personality type after taking the 16 personalities test? 

Do you agree with your results? Share your thoughts below.

References:

• https://www.16personalities.com/infj-personality