Turbulent Personality Types: Adulting Superpowers and Projects

Turbulent. That word sounds messy, doesn’t it? “Turbulent weather” or “a turbulent marriage” indicates something ominous and potentially painful. But if we look at the word as a strong movement or direction, rather than stare too hard at its chaotic implications, then we get a little closer to our definition of the Turbulent Identity. Adulting can be just the sort of strong movement toward the better that people with this personality trait crave. They are likely to be almost jubilant when talking about completing tasks that demonstrate their sense of independence and their embracing of responsibility.

Let’s look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of having a Turbulent personality type when it comes to adulting. But before we start, if you don’t know whether you have the Turbulent trait or not, follow this link to our free test to find out.

The Adulting Superpowers of Turbulent Personality Types

These will make things easier for Turbulent personality types when they’re adulting.

Always an Opportunity to Be Better

People with personality types that have the -T for Turbulent tacked onto the end are always looking for ways to improve themselves and their situations. They are likely to think a lot about their imperfections and dwell on that which erodes their confidence. But this often spurs in them a desire to compensate for those things by trying really hard to counterbalance their perceived flaws with effort.

What could be better for adulting? “I’m not doing adult things that I need to be doing. That’s a flaw. So I want to try really hard to adult as much as possible.” Voilà. An adulting mission is born. The Turbulent Identity can provide powerful motivation not only to take on more adult tasks but also to maintain them as these personalities continue their journey through life.

More Attention to Details

A lot depends on a person’s other personality traits here. But all things being equal, Turbulent types are likely to pay more attention to details than their Assertive counterparts. A lot of adulting involves becoming aware of details that need attention and then attending to them. Turbulent individuals tend to look for and find problems that need attention before they turn into a crisis or, at the very least, disrupt the flow of achievement.

Another aspect of adulting is choosing the right way to do something. Attention to detail may make the difference between success and not quite going in the optimal direction. There’s a kind of vigilance built into Turbulent thinking that is likely to observe details, and this can provide an early-warning system that helps the fledgling adult avoid problems.

Potential Adulting Projects for Turbulent Personality Types

Nobody is perfect. Everybody needs to pay attention to the obstacles in their lives, and Turbulent types may be inspired to turn some into projects for improvement.

Getting Lost in Potential Problems

Balance is always something to be aware of. We mentioned above how attention to potential problems can be an asset. But like any hand that’s overplayed, excessive attention to the land mines that could lie ahead can create fear and, at the extreme, paralysis. Adulting is about doing things, and dread can be the enemy of action. So be aware of potential problems, but always ask yourself if you’re overdoing it a bit. Sometimes we can think our way out of fear and paralysis by correcting our self-talk and gaining a more realistic perspective on the things that scare us.

But sometimes we can’t reason our way out of these things. There’s an old self-help book by Susan Jeffers with the great title Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. Sometimes you have to acknowledge the fear and set up as many ways to prevent mishaps as you reasonably can. After that, the only thing to do is act. You don’t have to get rid of the fear of problems to neutralize its effects. You neutralize it by taking action and proving your fear wrong. Go about adulting, not necessarily fearlessly, but bravely.

The Need for Self-Forgiveness Is Strong with This Trait

One of the characteristics of Turbulent people is a tendency to harbor regret and self-blame. An excessive sense of failure can cause someone new to adulting to give up. And adulting is a lifetime commitment, so giving up isn’t helpful. Self-forgiveness is thought to increase the sense of well-being and productivity that is so important to becoming a functioning adult.

Self-forgiveness comes about in many ways. Some find that acknowledging their human imperfections as inevitable realities can bring about forgiveness. Ditch perfectionism. Many Turbulent people turn their mistakes into lessons and vow to improve their results. In their thinking, that effort earns them self-forgiveness. Reparative action can cure a lot of guilt.

But mostly, the advice I’d like to give concerning self-forgiveness is to be kind to yourself. Act like your own best friend when dealing with the mistakes you make. Your best friend is likely to empathize with you and comfort you rather than condemn you. (If they aren’t, you may need to look for a new best friend.) After an honest and objective assessment of things, do the same.

Final Thoughts

Turbulent individuals are motivated and work hard to become better in their lives. But they can also be pretty hard on themselves and face a lot of fear in anticipation of problems. Both of these things come from the same source. Balance is the key to making it all work when adulting.