The last post in this blog started by poking some gentle fun at introverts, then shared some challenges of being an extravert, and finished by inviting others to respond with their thoughts. I’m obliging. As an introvert with a casual interest in personality typing, I thought I’d offer a mirror-image perspective of us introverts versus our friends, the extraverts.
- We introverts do find that social situations drain our energy after a while, whereas extraverts tend to be enlivened by them.
- We recharge through solitude whereas extraverts find being alone for an extended period unstimulating and/or boring.
- We like to listen more than talk, whereas extraverts prefer to talk more.
- We prefer to think through a subject on our own, form a point of view, and then talk about it with others. Extraverts prefer to think through it by first talking about it.
- Whereas extraverts tend to take the lead in discussions, sharing their views early and often, introverts like to listen to others first, think for a while, then express an opinion later in the discussion.
- It does not necessarily take a group interaction to drain an introvert. My idea of terror in the sky is sitting next to a chatty stranger on a long flight; I will arrive exhausted by just that one person.
- I have to agree with the author’s most recent conclusion that introverts probably do not feel they are being rescued by being small-talked by extraverts.
Writing this post prompted me to google this subject as I had not explored it in several years. This helped me update my understanding of the introversion-extraversion phenomenon.
The concept of extraversion and introversion originated in the work of psychiatrist Carl Jung, and was popularized by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which includes introversion-extraversion as a dimension of its personality typing system. The Myers-Briggs view of extraversion and introversion is based on where people get their energy. Extraverts are motivated and energized by the external world and interactions with others. Introverts get their energy from within; they prefer to be alone or with a few people they know. It’s not that they dislike people; they just don’t derive their energy from them.
The Myers-Briggs extraversion-introversion scale is a continuum. Few people are pure introvert or extravert. When people answer the test questions to determine their type, they usually find that they have elements of both preferences.
The popular view of extraverts and introverts is usually based on different things. Some think extraverts like people and introverts don’t. Others say introverts are shy and extraverts outgoing. As I read on the intranet, this combines two dissimilar things; shyness has to do with discomfort in social interactions, whereas introversion involves gaining energy by alone time. Many introverts aren’t shy; they are at ease around people, but need time alone to recharge after expending energy in social situations. So, at least according to Carl Jung and Myers-Briggs, the main way introverts differ from extraverts is that we recharge through solitude whereas they gain energy through engaging others.
Well that was fun. I continue to find this subject interesting and thank the last blogger for reminding me.