Is Impatience an Advocate (INFJ) Virtue?

It’s often said that patience is a virtue, and that’s certainly true, for the most part. Advocate (INFJ) personality types are known for valuing virtuousness, yet many struggle to maintain their patience. What if their impatience is sometimes for a good reason? Can impatience be a virtue for this personality type or, at least, stem from a place of virtue?

Any given personality-related behavior can have an upside and a downside, depending on the context, and understanding the difference can lead to valuable personal growth. The intent and meaning underlying Advocates’ habits can also play an important part in whether they have a more positive or negative effect. Let’s explore how Advocates’ impatience can relate to their virtues – and maybe even be a good thing in itself.

Excited to Act on Ideas

It’s hard to sit on a good idea or wait to do something fun. Advocates have a deep capacity for imagination, often coming up with inspired plans for everything from work to recreational pursuits. When their mental energy hits a peak, they’re quite susceptible to impatience. How people with this personality type express that impatience can vary, but it doesn’t necessarily have to become anything negative. Advocates may actually benefit from embracing their impulses more promptly than they usually do.

Advocates are prone to overthinking things or getting stuck in their heads, so anything that helps these personalities shift from thought to action can be a helpful step in their lives – and their personal growth. Sometimes losing patience can provide that kick start. It’s also common for some impatience to naturally go hand in hand with excitement, and while we’re often taught to see that as “immature,” there’s little virtue in restraining creative energy when it can be expressed in positive ways.

Anxious to Address Problems

The flip side of the above point is that, sometimes, negatively charged expressions of impatience can be a virtue when they lead to corrective action. For example, Advocates tend to be idealistic and may grow impatient with anything that they see as wrong. That can stimulate some negative feelings, but in some cases, it may also prompt some kind of positive choice or action. Sometimes negative impatience can push Advocate personalities to confront someone or something around them and try to resolve the problem. That can be a good thing.

Advocates may also have an impatient response to their own choices and behaviors that aren’t working well for them in life. If they avoid falling into self-blame or shame, that can also be a good thing, motivating them to grow and change for the better. Sometimes that moment when we say, “You know what? I’m done with this!” about our unproductive habits and attitudes is a powerful pivoting point. Is it pleasant? Not always, but it can still end up leading to happiness.

Trying to Maintain Structure

Sometimes Advocates may get impatient because their desire for structure is thwarted. These personalities tend to have well-defined expectations and prefer organized methods to achieve their desired outcomes. If things get too chaotic, they may try to exert control to get things back on track. Their focused urgency can look like impatience – especially to other people who are affected by it.

However, the desire to impose structure can be a positive thing when it’s turned toward good ends. Advocates hate feeling tyrannical, and their approach to creating structure is usually shaped by compassion and a desire for harmony. If they’re impatient, it’s often because they want things to be their best for the sake of others as well as themselves. When their impatience is expressed cooperatively and considerately, it can be a source of energy that helps make everything better.

Conclusion: Maintaining Balance

Is patience a lack of restlessness or merely not acting on one’s restlessness? Advocate personalities can get pretty intense when they have a strong motivation, and suppressing the need to take action is not always a healthy thing. Tranquility has its benefits, but achieving great things is rarely one of them. Agitation is energy, and energy can be directed beneficially.

To be happy and productive, Advocates can be less concerned about whether they’re inwardly impatient and more about what their impatience causes them to do outwardly. If losing patience is like a dam breaking, where will the waters go? Who will be affected and how? When an action itself is positive, there’s little virtue in waiting to act.

Excited to Act on Ideas

Anxious to Address Problems

Trying to Maintain Structure

Conclusion: Maintaining Balance

Further Reading