Are you an introvert?

Reading up on what constitutes an introvert, I found that apparently the difference between introverts and extroverts pretty much comes down to how we "recharge our energy". An introvert apparently needs to go off by him or herself, while an extrovert likes to have lots of people around.

If that is true, then I am definitely an introvert. I like to be around people, but in small doses.

Please notice that I am not stating what I found as fact, but rather that it is what I found. I used the word "apparently" to indicate that I am not stating what I found as fact. I am not a mental health person, so I can't say that I have evidence to support that. If somebody here does have that sort of expertise, and wants to correct me, I am all "ears".

Tony
 

From all the reading I've done on it they say that introverts don't deal with external stimuli too well and in order to recharge we need the alone time. For me if I had to be around constant noise and talking all day every day I would go bonkers. LOL
 
I've been an introvert all my life and like it that way. Through the years I've gone to gatherings with family or friends because that's part of life but I've never really enjoyed myself.
My idea of a relaxing evening was having no more than 2 couples for a quiet dinner and I would rather have the dinner at my home than at theirs.
I guess I felt more at ease that way, because I could control the evening.
Lord help me if someone suggested playing games or cards.
Either way I generally would end up with a rip roaring headache .
 
I think that the worst part of being an introvert is that too often extroverts tend to think of us as needed to be changed, reformed, or even "healed." We're happy and just fine as we are, really. So go off to your party while I watch a good old movie... šŸ“½
 
I can 'do' extrovert pretty well, but am an introvert. Alone time has always been a necessity. Almost every personality test I've taken puts me smack in the middle or barely over the line as introvert, but I'm much more so as I age and deal with chronic pain.
 
Fyrefox said:
I think that the worst part of being an introvert is that too often extroverts tend to think of us as needed to be changed, reformed, or even "healed." We're happy and just fine as we are, really. So go off to your party while I watch a good old movie... šŸ“½
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My best friend in high school would get angry with me on weekends because I wouldn't go out with the group on both Friday and Saturday nights. I would only do one and wanted to stay home and read or do needlework the other because week nights Sunday nights were study nights. Not exaggerating using the word angry!
 
tbeltrans said:
Reading up on what constitutes an introvert, I found that apparently the difference between introverts and extroverts pretty much comes down to how we "recharge our energy". An introvert apparently needs to go off by him or herself, while an extrovert likes to have lots of people around.
If that is true, then I am definitely an introvert. I like to be around people, but in small doses.
Please notice that I am not stating what I found as fact, but rather that it is what I found. I used the word "apparently" to indicate that I am not stating what I found as fact. I am not a mental health person, so I can't say that I have evidence to support that. If somebody here does have that sort of expertise, and wants to correct me, I am all "ears". Tony
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Good post, I don't know the answer to the question your post has posed, but am prepared to accept the views you've found as fairly accurate.
I would only add something my father might have said, or others have said, "It wouldn't do if everyone in the world were/was alike",(and it wouldn't do would it, far too boring!)
 
Yes, I'm an introvert. The world would be a better place if more people were like us...thinkers. I think many people who are diagnosed as autistic are actually introverted. Those who enjoy noise and large crowds think quiet thinkers have something wrong with them, so they label them as mentally ill.
 
The idea that extroverts need to be around people while introverts are happy in their own little world is too much of a generalisation. I don't particularly like large gatherings, but I find it easy talking to others and exchanging views. Being a 'quiet thinker' and avoiding others is no use if you don't let those thoughts out and discuss them.
I see that as a weakness.

If you were a true introvert, would you post on this forum :unsure:
 
Capt Lightning said:
The idea that extroverts need to be around people while introverts are happy in their own little world is too much of a generalisation. I don't particularly like large gatherings, but I find it easy talking to others and exchanging views. Being a 'quiet thinker' and avoiding others is no use if you don't let those thoughts out and discuss them.
I see that as a weakness.

If you were a true introvert, would you post on this forum :unsure:
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Yes I would.
 
Capt Lightning said:
The idea that extroverts need to be around people while introverts are happy in their own little world is too much of a generalisation. I don't particularly like large gatherings, but I find it easy talking to others and exchanging views. Being a 'quiet thinker' and avoiding others is no use if you don't let those thoughts out and discuss them.
I see that as a weakness.

If you were a true introvert, would you post on this forum :unsure:
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I believe I am a true introvert and sometimes it causes me not to stand up for myself which is a weakness.
I post on this forum and enjoy it, but I'm almost certain that if all the people on this forum were all together in one room I'd probably be hiding behind the potted palm.
 
Depends on the situation. Not essentially shy, whatever reticence I might display for anything is highly situational. For example, some people might misjudge listening and not talking much as shyness. The same can be said for just being bored out of your mind at some social event, as opposed to be very participatory at a craft club.
 
I'm an archetypal Ambivert...

I absolutely need people to help recharge my batteries,crowds,groups of friends etc.. .... but once I've had that I can go without people for days

That said I absolutely detest parties where there are strangers...

My Idea of hell is a non family members' wedding....


Being able to balance both extroversion and introversion is an asset. Study these associated traits, courtesy of Larry Kim:


  • Flexible: Ambiverts typically can adapt to context and situations more easily.
  • Stable: According to psychologist Hans Eysenck, who coined the term ā€œambivertā€ in 1947, ambiverts offer a good balance between the hypersensitivity of some introverts and the domineering attitude of some extroverts.
  • Intuitive: Daniel Pink said that ambiverts ā€œknow when to speak up and when to shut up, when to inspect and when to respond, when to push and when to hold back.ā€



Ambivert Problems​


With all that flexibility comes some liabilities. Since ambiverts can be so flexible, they often run into a few problems:


  • They love to talk to people, but want to plan it out first.
  • They say yes to too many things because they arenā€™t sure what will work best for them.
  • Their extroverted side says yes to things in the future, but then their introverted side had a hard day and no longer wants to go.
  • When theyā€™re in a bad moodā€¦nothing sounds fun.
  • They like going out only when they are in the right mood, with the right people.
I absolutely need people to recharge my batteries.... but once I've had that I can go without people for days

https://www.scienceofpeople.com/ambivert/
 
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