What Is An Introvert? Everything You Need to Know About Introverts

What Is An Introvert? Everything You Need to Know About Introverts

I studied Law in University and during that time, I had no awareness of the fact that I was an introvert. And if you had told me, I would have panicked and asked how to change that.

I was desperately trying to fit in, and somehow nobody seemed to like a quiet, introspective person.

So unconsciously I did my best at acting like an extrovert. And what a show I’d put on! I almost believed myself.

I used to go to networking cocktails, parties and attend all the events organized by my faculty and was the social butterfly/shark I thought I had to be to become a “good lawyer”.

But the truth was, I was exhausted. All the time. And I had no idea why.

My life was noisy. Exhausting. And cruelly lacked awareness.

Pretending to be this outgoing and social person was extremely tiring for me. I had absolutely no downtime to recharge. But I was doing it anyway.

It just meant that I drank ridiculous amounts of coffee every day.

I thought that was the only way. I remember I used to think “Everybody else is doing it so why can’t I?”

I was living completely disconnected from myself, thinking that’s how I had to be.

I was trying to be an extrovert, and it was killing me.

It took me years to understand that the way I was acting was not sustainable. I was no extrovert, and I had to stop trying so hard to be one.

And, it took me several more years to finally accept and embrace my introversion.

Suzan Cain, in her book Quiet, describes how society is biased against introverts, and that, with people being taught from childhood that to be sociable is to be happy, introversion is now considered "somewhere between a disappointment and pathology".

And actress Emma Watson said: “If you’re anything other than an extrovert you’re made to think there’s something wrong with you.”

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

In my case, that which at first I considered as a personality flaw ended up being my biggest asset.

Introverts do not need to be ‘fixed’ and turned into extroverts. 

It’s important to understand that introversion is not a "second-class" trait.

Introverts have a myriad of gifts to offer the world and it’s time to embrace your introversion and shine your quiet light.

If you are wondering if you’re an introvert, if you find yourself acting like an extrovert or perhaps if you are a closeted introvert having trouble stepping into your most beautiful self, then this article is for you.

And if you happen to be an extrovert, then this article is for you as well, as it will help you better understand and respect your more quiet friends and family members.

SO, WHAT IS AN INTROVERT?

Definition by Carl Jung

The concept of introversion isn’t new in any way. Theories about introverts and extroverts have been flowing psychological literature for years and years.

In the early 1900s, psychology was a discipline that was developing. 

The terms introvert and extrovert were first coined in the 20th-century by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. 

In his theory, Jung said that the principal distinction between introverts and extroverts lays in the source and directions of the individual’s expression of energy.

“Each person seems to be energized more by either the

 external world (extraversion) or the internal world (introversion).”

Carl Jung

The introvert’s expression of energy is directed inwards. Introverts feel, think and act in consequence with their rich inner world. In his work, Jung describes the introvert as a person that is contemplative and reserved and generally focused inward towards its own thoughts and feeling.

Extroverts, on the other hand, tend to direct their expression of energy at the outer world. They think feel and act in response to their surrounding environment. On the opposite, extroverts tend to be outgoing, active, aggressive and quick on their feet and their attention is focused on the outwards directed towards other people and the outside world.

Introversion is a spectrum

Based on Jung’s Psychological Types, he writes that each person falls into one or the other personality category. You are either an introvert or an extrovert - making these two personality traits mutually exclusive.

Although many things in life can be easily categorized (yes-no, white-black) we know today that this is not the case with personality traits.

No human behavior falls neatly into one of two categories.

Today, we know that introversion and extroversion aren’t mutually exclusive personality traits but rather two traits on a spectrum and most individuals will have qualities of both types and fall somewhere between the two.

Personalities are complex and multi-faceted and most people fall somewhere in between.

Let’s have a look at different introvert-extrovert personality differences.

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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN INTROVERT AND AN EXTROVERT?

Our brains like to categorize things.

Somehow labeling things, putting them in a box makes it easier for us to understand and evaluate our surroundings.

Something is good or bad. Hot or cold. Wrong or right.

Unfortunately, personalities are not so easy to categorize.

It’s not all black and white.

Same goes for introversion and extroversion - These two personality traits are polar opposites on a continuum scale.

Few people can be characterized as purely introverted or purely extroverted.

Sure, some people may score at the extremes the same way that some people are extremely tall or extremely thin – but most people will fall somewhere in the middle of this scale with characteristics more or less of both.

As you continue reading you might realize that some of these characteristics may be stronger for one or the other which is why you could be able to identify yourself as either an introvert or an extrovert.

So, how to know where you stand?

Here are a few traits that characterize the polar ends of the scale:

10 COMMON TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH INTROVERSION

• You enjoy spending time in solitude

• You start to get tired and unresponsive after you’ve been out and about for too long and you need to spend time alone to recharge and reflect

• You prefer working in quiet, independent environments or even better- alone

• You prefer to have a smaller circle of friends with a higher quality of friendships

• You tend to be introspective

• You feel like you can express yourself better in writing than talking

• In social settings, you like to observe and pay attention to nonverbal cues because you know body-language reveals more than words

• You don’t like to talk about trivial things and shallow conversation and prefer deep, philosophical and thought-provoking discussions

• You speak dog and you treat books as your old friends

• You are a good listener

10 COMMON TRAITS ASSOCIATED WITH EXTROVERSION

• You love meeting new people and attending big social events leaves you feeling energized and renewed

• You feel like communicating with others is easier through talking

• You thrive being the center of attention

• You tend to have a large circle of friends

• You like to spend time with people, engage in social event and activities

• Speaking is an essential skill for you tend to speak as a way to explore and organize your thoughts and ideas

• You are very approachable and easy to get to know

• You have an outgoing nature and people often describe you as friendly

• A room full of strangers doesn't intimidate you. With your friendly nature and ease with words you are able to navigate any social situation effortlessly

• You are much more comfortable in large social gatherings as opposed to the confinement of your own room

• You constantly seek the company of others, loneliness tends to make you restless and easily bored

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU'RE AN INTROVERT?

Are you still unsure about whether you're an introvert or an extrovert?

Would you like a more detailed analysis of your personality type?

If so, then I strongly recommend that you take this 16-Personality Test and get a freakishly accurate description of who you are and why you do things the way you do.

This test is free to do and you do not need to create an account or give any pieces of information to be able to take the test.

Which is nice.

It’s super easy to navigate and I find the design to be super cute, which makes it fun.

» Take the 16-Personality Test and find out if you’re an Introvert!

At the end of the test, you will be sorted within one of the 16 personality types based on 5 dichotomies: introversion-extroversion, observant-intuitive, thinking-feeling, prospecting-judging, and turbulent-assertive. This test is based on observations made by Carl Jung and his theories of personality alongside Isabelle Myers-Briggs, an American author and co-creator of a personality inventory known as the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

To know if you fall into the introvert category, all you’ll have to do is check out if the first letter of your personality is “I” which stands for introversion.

Examples: INFJ, INTJ, ISTJ, etc.

The accuracy of this test just blows my mind!

» Take the Test Here !

If ever you decided to do it, let me know your results by tagging me on Instagram @thepathprovides!

MAIN TAKEAWAY

Introversion has been a hot topic since it was coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology in the early 20th-century.

The theories have evolved over time and we know today that introversion/extroversion are personality traits that fall on a continuum spectrum.

Each and every one of us falls somewhere along the introvert/extrovert scale with traits that tend more towards one or the other.

The main way to know if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert is to look at the way that you recharge your batteries.

Introverts tend to recharge by spending time alone in quiet environments while extroverts recharge their batteries by engaging with the outside world and being social.

From there on stem many divergences in these two personality traits.

If you are more introverted you most likely enjoy spending time in your own company, are introspective, gravitate in a smaller circle of friends, notice the small details and cue others don’t, etc.

If you would like to learn more about your personality trait then let me suggest that you do the 16-Personality Test.

You’ll get a freakishly accurate description of who you are and why you do things the way you do.

And it might just help you know if you gravitate more toward the introverted or extroverted type.

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