Active Archetypes: Jester & Caregiver --> Shadow: Orphan

Jester being the strongest score I received, it is the most active in my life.  This means that I assume that life is meant to be enjoyed.

The assessment stated:

“At your best (now or when you fulfill your potential), you are happy, playful, funny, and fun to be around. In fact, you bring out the joy in life for everyone around you, showing others how to "be here now," to be playful and inventive, to enjoy the gift of living, even in stressful or difficult times. When everyone else is going crazy with fear and anxiety about how much change is going on in the world, instead of feeling anxious, you experience a rush of excitement. Like court Jesters and wise fools everywhere, you have a deep wisdom and use humor to say things with impunity that others might not want to hear. Implicitly politically incorrect, you are irreverent and apparently unconcerned with what others think, but really know how to share what you think in ways that provoke laughter, not outrage. In fact, you find nothing more satisfying than making others laugh.

When problems arise, you think outside the box. Having a trickster side, you know how to maneuver so that others help you out, like Tom Sawyer getting friends to paint his fence. By nature, you also look for ways to enjoy the process of dealing with the issue.

You tend to notice chances for fun in almost any situation, clever ways to get around obstacles, and the absurdities of life, which eventually become the basis of funny stories. Like a kid in a candy store, you are drawn to new experiences, the more the merrier. You may be a bit oblivious to the seriousness of situations or how seriously others are taking them.

You may want to be on guard against the Jester's tendency to be irresponsible, to give into debauchery (it is fun to party!), or to play tricks or make cracks that really hurt people—or at least hurt their feelings. You may also fail to take yourself seriously enough to fulfill your own dreams.

You like and live stories that are playful and fun. A natural clown, you enjoy stories that are light, humorous, and perhaps satirical. Even with very serious or upsetting material, you prefer approaches that emphasize the absurd.  You see yourself as helping to free people from their illusions, depression, and a limited view of life's possibilities.

As a leader, you may find that others look to you, especially for solving contradictions and problems in the current system/regime. However, you may not be comfortable in thinking of yourself as a leader, and the acceptance of leadership is likely to be an important area of growth. Without this acceptance, you may eschew not only the trappings but also the responsibility of leadership, leaving your followers feeling startled and even abandoned.

You want to be seen as a fun person, so you try not to do or say anything that makes you seem boring or a drag on others. This means that you may clown your way through difficult times, making it difficult for others to be there for you.

Others may appreciate your humor and enjoy being around you. They also may wish you would stop fooling around, settle down, be serious, and get a life.

You may (or do) benefit from:

Being certain to fulfill your responsibilities, even if they are boring

Finding fun ways to do work that might seem routine or dull

Remembering to have empathy for how others may experience your jokes

Taking time to clarify your values and protect what and who are really precious to you

Practicing moderation and common sense”

I also scored high as a Caregiver with a 27/30.  Although I scored a 28/30 as Jester, I believe that my archetype is a strong mix between these two archetypes. I am often very sarcastic and known as the jokester but when it comes right down it, I have a very nurturing instinct and would NEVER want to upset anyone.

As a caregiver I assume I should help others.

“At your best (now or when you fulfill your potential), you may demonstrate a saintly nature, full of love and caring for your fellow creatures. You model altruism both in material ways and in seeing others with kind, compassionate, and forgiving eyes. You make the world a safer and gentler place for everyone. In most of your relationships, you act like a caring parent who creates nurturing environments where people can heal or grow.

When problems arise, your tendency is to notice who is hurting and try to do whatever you can to help them, perhaps even without thought to what it will take to do so. You are likely to provide emotional sustenance and comfort; guide and teach; perform maintenance tasks that allow a system to operate (cleaning, repairing, editing, decorating, etc.), and build a sense of community characterized by nurturing relationships.

You tend to notice problems concerned with the physical and emotional side of life—poverty, ill health, and the ways people hurt one another. You immediately take action to help people in need. You also focus on resources and strategies for helping, being open to a wide field of possibilities for aid and comfort. Everything else, including one's own health and well being, may escape notice, except in exhaustion, when what beckons is anything that revives energy (like a good meal or a talk with a close friend).

You may want to be on guard against the Caregiver's tendency to use control and manipulation to get people to do what the Caregiver thinks is best. Caregivers may be uncomfortable asserting their needs directly, making it easier to use guilt or other means to get their needs met. In their desire to help, they martyr themselves, undermine their health, and, in modeling this behavior, implicitly pressure others to burn themselves out as well. If they are not careful, they also enable others' weaknesses, reinforcing rather than reducing their dependency.

You like and live stories where a kind and giving person demonstrates generosity by helping others in ways that make a real difference and where others show their gratitude by giving back or where the Caregiver learns to balance care of the self with care for others.

As a leader, you have (or could have) a wonderful ability to take care of those you lead—whether family members, employees, constituents, or community members. You also have a natural ability to provide wonderful customer or client services, simply because you really care about others. For this reason, people tend to trust you, so you partner well with other individuals and groups.

You want to be seen as generous and caring, and you want to avoid doing anything to seem selfish, self-aggrandizing, or egotistical.

Others may appreciate your kindness and generosity, take advantage of you, or deride you as controlling and codependent.

You may (or do) benefit from:

Making sure your own physical and emotional needs are met, showering the same quality of care on yourself that you habitually show to others. 
Expecting others to do everything they can for themselves, thus avoiding the unconscious habit of enabling others' weaknesses and fostering dependency.

Learning to have good boundaries, saying "no," protecting your time and priorities.

Letting others give to you and appreciating their efforts on your behalf.

Balancing the virtues of the Caregiver with those of the Warrior.

Learning to say "no" and remaining aware of my priorities has been a struggle of mine.  I am becoming much better at prioritizing.  I have noticed that it not only benefits me to tell others no sometimes because it allows me to do other things to my best ability without stretching myself too thin.  

Krystal’s Shadow Archetype:

The lowest score I received was as the Orphan. This archetype assumes that it pays to be careful.

At your best (now or when you fulfill your potential), you demonstrate the resilience to survive life's tragedies and disappointments, a deep egalitarian belief in the dignity of ordinary people, a hard-boiled realism that does not need to sugarcoat life, and a deep empathy for others, especially those in need. You may also make effective use of self-help, twelve-step groups, or friendship networks; and you may band together with others to advocate for those who are weak, hurting, poor, or otherwise in trouble.

When problems arise (which they always do), you may have a tendency to feel like "here we go again." This can either trigger a sense of despair or, conversely, boost your confidence in your ability to weather hard times. You tend to articulate the problem clearly (bear witness), emphasizing how serious it can be if not addressed, and work (alone or with others) to get the attention of those who can fix it. Recognizing that not all problems can be solved, you also try to help people support one another to cope with intractable issues that will not go away.

You tend to notice and anticipate difficulties so that you can head them off, serving as the squeaky wheel that gets attention to a problem. With people, you are careful to discern their character before placing any trust in them, and you have an acute awareness that whatever can go wrong will. You may fail to notice opportunities, especially if they come from unexpected sources or in unanticipated ways.

You may want to be on guard against the tendency to be fatalistic, cynical, or fearful of trusting again because Orphans have been let down many times. In fact, the worse things get, the less likely you are to trust others and get the help and support you need. Often you hunker down, protect your turf, and let others cope as best they can. As an Orphan you can excuse your own hurtful actions because "everyone does it," "the person deserved it," "it was really the other person's fault"; or you can use the bad things that have happened to you as an excuse for inappropriate behavior.

You like and live stories that begin with trauma, betrayal, or victimization, in which a person learns the skills and perspectives that allow him/her to overcome adversity or survive difficulties. You also may be attracted to rather fatalistic or cynical stories, as well as stories where the dispossessed help one another.

As a leader, you are (or could be) realistic about what can be accomplished, you do not promise what you cannot deliver, and you are good at identifying problems and addressing them. You are empathic with people in difficulty but not likely to let them use excuses to get away with not doing what they are supposed to do.

You want to be seen as realistic, tough, and resilient, and you want to avoid seeming naïve or like a potential patsy or victim.

Others may appreciate your tough-minded realism, your self-deprecating or sometimes cynical humor (think Dilbert cartoons), and your resilience. While others may sympathize with the difficulties you have gone through, they also may be put off by what to them seems like chronic whining, complaining, or negativity. Some may try to rescue you while others may identify you as a target for victimization.

You may (or do) benefit from:

Avoiding settling for too little; instead setting your sights higher, being willing to excel.

Collaborating with others for self-help or for economic or political advantage.

Disconnecting responsibility from blame, so that you can take responsibility for your life without blaming

yourself or others when things go wrong.

Learning what part your own behavior might play in your difficulties and making indicated changes.