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ISFJ-T: Strengths And Weaknesses
It’s good to know what makes us tick, and how to apply it in our lives.
I once typed ‘what’s your truth’ into Google and fell into a rabbit hole of information. I clicked on several links and came across different tests. One of those was ‘Dressing Your Truth’, where I recognized myself as a type 3 and the test confirmed it.
That was when I started looking for personality tests. I did some of those in the past during my bachelor study, but as I don’t see myself as a self-aware person (I’m a dreamer and accept things in life as they are), I never remember the outcome of the tests. It was time for another test.
The test
I could’ve chosen any test I wanted, but I went for the first one in the search results. On the homepage it said:
Take our Personality Test and get a freakishly accurate description of who you are and why you do things the way you do.
I took them up on the challenge.
The outcome was that I am an ISFJ-T (Introverted, Observant, Feeling and Judging — Turbulent) personality. My role is a sentinel and my strategy is constant improvement.
These were my scores: * 18% extraverted / 82% introverted * 20% intuitive / 80% observant * 15% thinking / 85% feeling * 64% judging / 36% prospecting * 11% assertive / 89% turbulent
Reading the report following those numbers made me curious to learn more.
The Defender personality type is quite unique, as many of their qualities defy the definition of their individual traits. Though sensitive, Defenders have excellent analytical abilities; though reserved, they have well-developed people skills and robust social relationships; and though they are generally a conservative type, Defenders are often receptive to change and new ideas. As with so many things, people with the Defender personality type are more than the sum of their parts, and it is the way they use these strengths that defines who they are.
Strengths & Weaknesses
According to the report, my strengths are:
- Supportive: I recognize myself in the description on the site, where it says defenders are universal helpers who share their knowledge, experience, time and energy, go for win-win situations and choose empathy over judgment.
- Reliable and patient: Whenever I do something, I am meticulous in what I do, and will bend with a situation only enough to accomplish my end goal, and sometimes go beyond what is required. This is especially true for both my job, my websites and my work here on Medium.
- Imaginative and observant: I’m an empathic person, observing others’ emotional states and try to see things from their perspective, practically imagining what it must be like to stand in their shoes. This frequently moves me to tears, such as when I listen to Ukrainians telling horror stories of the war.
- Enthusiastic: When I believe in something, I jump in with both feet, and make a success of it, even if it’s only to make someone’s day with a friendly word.
- Loyal and hardworking: I raise my hand to this. If I wasn’t loyal, I wouldn’t have been working for the same company (with enthusiasm) for 18+ years, and had this space on the web for 12+ years already.
- Good practical skills: Even mundane, practical tasks have their beauty, because it’s part of a bigger goal.
My weaknesses:
- Humble and shy: I recognize so much of what they say here, that defenders downplay their own success, and can dwell too long on minor mistakes. Also that they are so concerned about the feelings of others that they refuse to make their thoughts known. This has caused me so much distress through my life, because I know my own feelings are valid too, but still I put that of others before mine.
- Take things too personally: All I can do here is to nod. Yes, I do that, and it hurts every time.
- Repress their feelings: They say the defender type people are private and very sensitive, and protect their own feelings by internalizing, but the lack of healthy emotional expression can lead to stress and frustration. Been there, done that, repeatedly.
- Overload themselves: Yes, not only to meet the expectations of others, but also my own.
- Reluctant to change: They say defenders value traditions and history in their decisions and it takes a strong persuasion to alter their course. Over the years, I have learned to handle change better than I did before, and my love for other people, and putting myself in someone else’s shoes have frequently helped me to go against this weakness in me, to be less reluctant to change.
- Too altruistic: The following text as printed with this point: “This is all compounded and reinforced by Defenders’ otherwise wonderful quality of altruism. Being such warm, good-natured people, Defenders are willing to let things slide, to believe that things will get better soon, to not burden others by accepting their offers of help, while their troubles mount unassisted.” I never think of myself as altruistic, but I do always believe things will get better soon, and let things slide, and I don’t want to burden others with my own troubles. I will much rather help them with theirs.
Other points
The personality report also touched on romantic relationships, friendships, parenthood and career paths. I want to highlight two things I recognized.
In ‘friendships’ it said that defenders don’t make friends on a wild night out, but through comfortable and consistent contact, because they get to know the other little by little. I recognize this as without consistent contact, there can’t be any friendship for me. I invest much of myself in friendships, and many times have done so while I was the only one putting effort into it. Once I stopped, those friendships bled out.
However, I have also stayed in friendships that were not two-way streets, simply because of fear of saying no or causing turbulence. In this, I neglected my own needs in favor of the so-called friend, and apparently, this is the defender’s sense of loyalty that ‘pushed’ me to do this. I’m more aware of that now, and would rather end a friendship than be the only one putting energy in it.
The other point I want to highlight comes from ‘career paths’. It said defenders are the backbone of the workforce, as they are of service and support to others and genuinely enjoy being it. I know I do. And the best compliment I ever received is a manager saying: “If I can replace the others with three more Marie’s, everything will always run smoothly.”
My response to this? Reminding the manager of the qualities of my colleagues.
I’m sharing the above for a KTHT prompt.
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