Introversion: What it is, what it isn't, and what it could be. | INFJ Forum

Introversion: What it is, what it isn't, and what it could be.

arbygil

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Nov 29, 2008
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I'm starting this out with a few extensive descriptions from a website that I visit from time to time on introversion (The Introvert(z) Coach). Introversion doesn't mean you like being alone 100% of the time. It doesn't mean that you hate people. It doesn't mean you're mentally ill or sick or weird. It is energy. Some people are "low energy" types and others are "high energy" types - its the way you were created. It's who you are. And energy levels (unless there is something chemically wrong) do not change.

Anyway...on to the list, with quotes from various sources around the Net. If you're not quite sure if you're an introvert or not - or even if you are or think you are - you can read through the entire list to get a better feel for it. Actual link (scroll down).



*[Introversion is] A mode of psychological orientation where the movement of energy is toward the inner world. [Jung Lexicon, Daryl Sharp]

*By Myers-Briggs' definition, an introvert derives energy from his or her internal world of emotions and ideas, while an extrovert draws from the outside world of people and activities for spiritual sustenance. [CIO.com]

* An introvert
 
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I would also like to say that it is possible to "train" yourself to be more extroverted, especially if the environment you are in forces you to adopt such behavior. I know I come across as extroverted here, mainly because I am comfortable but I also come across as extroverted in real life. However, I come from a culture that values social activities and being social. I can sustain extroverted activities for an extended period of time (more than 1/2 and an hour at a party LOL) and even enjoy myself, but, it does drain me. I agree with the definition regarding the fact that one of the best ways to determine your orientation is to look at the "energy" aspect of it.
 
The problem is with how it's perceived in our culture. So, even if it is a natural trait in our make-up, we're still often expected to deny those natural tendencies to suit the culture or environments we're in. Yes, we can become more extroverted and even enjoy it, but suppressing the importance of how we derive our energy can often lead us to be less productive, inefficient, or effective in our everyday lives. It can also cause depression if we're constantly expected to operate in a mode which tires you out or drains you so that you have little time to recuperate so that you can take on the next social event, project or task you can. I see this in myself everyday. If I have to be extroverted for long periods of time, by the time I'm finished I'm emotionally drained and exhausted and need to withdraw for long periods of time. I need the down time to recuperate or else I find myself struggling to relax if I'm thrust from one social engagement to the next. I'm also more pleasant and easier to get along with when I have that down time to recup. :D
 
I think the US must be different from the UK in these terms because I have never before felt that it was not ok to be reserved or been made to feel like I was not doing the right thing to be introverted. I doubt the split is different - there are still more extroverts here, I think - but there doesn't really seem to be much of a preference. I haven't noticed any cultural leanings toward extroversion, it doesn't seem to matter. But perhaps I have lived my life around introverts and that is why. I think I only know one extrovert (and even she has marked introvert traits), so yeah, probably :)

When it comes to the definition. I tend, as always, to go to the "why" of the matter to work out the difference. Yes, you can be extroverted or introverted by design, but also by culture, and I'm not sure it is accurate to say that introvert derive energy from quiet contemplation as this seems to suggest. I actually tend to feel energised by being around people, not a lot of people, and yes I do want to go home pretty quickly (much sooner than everyone else) because I get drained easily, but if I am on my own a lot I feel worse. I do derive my energy from being around people but I am quite a social person. The difference between me and an extrovert is that they may want more than three friends (I don't tend to want to meet new people, just because it sounds tiring and a lot of effort) and they tend to stay out longer, seemingly creating more energy as they go along.

I saw a programme on this that convinced me. The psychologists showed how introversion and extroversion come about (the programme is called Child of our Time Personality Test and is on YouTube). The theory is that an extrovert is brought up in an environment that is full of stimulation while an introvert is not. Your body gets used to a certain amount of stimulation. When we are stimulated, certain hormones are reduced, our bodies start doing different things. You see this a lot in anxiety sufferers, it isn't just frightening material that brings about a reaction in their body (shakes, sweats, palpitations for instance) and they don't necessarily have to feel worried - they are just sensitive. So they will feel unwell on other stimulation - I once met a person who watched gardening programmes all day for the first few weeks after a burnout because anything with fast music or bright colours made him feel unwell. I had the same thing. The body reacts to stimulation and, depending on your environment, you get used to a level that feels normal. So introverts have been brought up with lower levels. Stimulate them (with sensory material - I forgot to specify this!) and you will get a larger reaction. They showed this on the programme by showing that introverts produce more saliva when given lemon than an extrovert - their glands react more violently. The same is true for other occasions. Stimulate an introvert and they go into overdrive - for some this might feel like nervousness but it doesn't have to. What happens in a social situation is that they burn out quickly. Their body is not used to such stimulation, so can only keep it up for a certain amount of time. I would disagree that introverts actually create energy when dealing with their inner thoughts (I just can't see any reason why this would be true) and more recover their energy from doing so.

Meanwhile, extroverts are used to having a certain amount of stimulation. When they are alone, they are not stimulated enough - they get bored.

We seek to achieve comfort, which means reseting ourselves to our default levels. We develop to be suitable to our environment but our home environment is not our only environment, one day we go out into the world and then we need to seek to continue living at our levels despite differences around us.

This is what I believe anyway!
 
I prefer Eysenck's model of introversion/extroversion, which is based on differing base levels of cortical arousal and the Yerkes-Dodson Law.


According to this principle, the brain does not function very well if it is either understimulated or overstimulated. In any task requiring conscious thought, a moderate level of stress improves performance and too much stress causes a shutdown. If a task is simple and routine enough that we no longer need to think through it, then increases in stress will continue to result in slight increases in productivity.

Human interaction is always a stressor that increases cortical arousal. Extroverts are defined as those individuals whose default level of cortical arousal is low enough that this increased stimulation generally is beneficial, and introverts as those whose default level if high enough that further stimulation is more often detrimental.

There are two ways in which an introvert can reduce the stimulation to healthy levels. He can either withdraw from the stimulant, or acclimate himself to it. The degree of stimulation is inversely proportional to the degree of familiarity. Tasks practiced until they become second nature are much less stressful than attempts at something new. Strangers are a huge source of stress, but the stimulation provided by the most intimate of friends is almost negligible. Extroverts tend to seek out a large number of superficial relationships to keep their need for stimulation satisfied, whereas introverts prefer to keep themselves to a small number of close friends so as not to be overwhelmed.
 
I can be extroverted for about a whole day, after which point I need to lock down completely and be ALL alone (ie. not with one or two other people, my house must be completely empty.) Also if I'm at a busy even such as a party or crowd I can "go inside myself" for lack of a better term.