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E vs. I - Not About Socializing

Wonkavision

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The following is a quote from "What Type Am I?", by Renee Baron.

BARON:
Those who prefer Extraverting get their energy from the outer world of people, activities, and things.

(Notice how she includes THINGS, not just people and activites)

BARON:
Those who prefer Introverting get their energy from their inner world of ideas, impressions, and thoughts.


The key difference between Extraversion and Introversion is not whether someone talks a lot or not, but whether they get energy from the OUTER WORLD or their own INNER WORLD.

The next important point is that what people DO with that energy varies.

Extraverts get energy from the outside world.
Sometimes Extraverts pour that energy into more talking and socializing, and
sometimes they pour it into a solitary activity.

Introverts get energy from their own inner world.
Sometimes they pour that energy into more solitary activities, and sometimes they pour that energy into talking and socializing.


In conclusion, you can not tell whether someone is an Extravert or an Introvert solely on the basis of how much they talk or socialize.

It would be nice if it were that simple, but understanding personality type goes beyond looking at the surface of things.


(By the way---

The original title of this post was "E vs. I Made Simple"

I changed the title because I decided it was innapropriate.

My point was not to provide a way to determine whether someone is E or I.

My point was that the amount of talking and socializing one does is not a reliable indication of E or I.
)
 
Last edited:

BlackCat

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It's good that someone finally posted something to simplify E and I. No more of this "socializing or not" nonsense.
 

Lauren Ashley

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One of the best posts in a while. If only all of the extraverts claiming to be introverted would read this. Including, and especially, the ENxPs :)
 

Lady_X

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yeah that's good information wonka, thanks :)

i'm an e but not everyone would think so...i think.
 

LostInNerSpace

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You can call me an ENTP if you like.:rolleyes2: I don't see the point, but I don't care either.:biggrin:
 
G

Glycerine

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Thanks Wonka! That makes so much more sense. From that I am definitely an extrovert.
 

Quinlan

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By that measure I am an extravert.
 

NewEra

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Yeah, I'm an extrovert if that's the definition.
 

Walking Tourist

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According to that definition, I am definitely E and not I.
But I am still me.:devil:
 

Jeffster

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OrangeAppled

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I am definitely an introvert, but that definition & most any definition. Of course I seek and enjoy external interaction, but it is a drain on me. I must retreat into thought to restore my energy. I use things like music and books to expand that thought though. Those are technically outside sources, but I think it's still an introverted process I am engaging in. Even posting online can be more of a thinking process for me than an interaction.

I think it should be noted that an extrovert is still probably more inclined to seek out social interaction because it would be energizing for him/her, and an introvert would be inclined to prefer more alone time for the same reason.

And of course, extroversion & introversion are on a "scale" anyway.
 

Asterion

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You can find that same piece of information on wikipedia, and it doesn't really seem to help much when typing people, you still need more info than that. It's a good point to consider though, and like OrangeAppled said above, maybe the key is in linking this to where you get your energy from.
 

Wonkavision

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Quinlan:
By that measure I am an extravert.


TheChosenOne:
Yeah, I'm an extrovert if that's the definition.

Walking Tourist:
According to that definition, I am definitely E and not I.
But I am still me.

Jeffster:
Yep, me too. But then, by that definition I think like 98 percent of people would be E. Almost everybody needs external stimulation of some kind.


I'm not sure I understand these responses.

I started this thread because there seems to be a lot of confusion about Introversion/Extraversion, and I intentionally quoted a very standard definition in order to clarify the issue.

It is not something new or different from anything you would find in the usual Meyers-Briggs literature, and like someone else mentioned, you can find this on Wikipedia, so I don't understand how it changes anything.

If you could please explain how this definition changes your type, I would greatly appreciate it. :D


(P.S.---I wonder if it was a simple misunderstanding . Maybe the original title of the O.P. was misleading. )
 

Thursday

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Quite accurate. Thank you.
 

Virtual ghost

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I am familiar with this concept(since it did occure to me). Bur to be honest this doesn't make too much sense. At least if you want to keep introverted sensor group in the mix. Since by this definition only expressed introverted intuitives have the chance to be introverts.

As it was already said that would mean that pretty much everyone will be E. Which means that it is pointless to place this "dimension of personality" into classification if you define it this way.


I am introvert even if this is true/correct.
 

Asterion

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Quinlan:



TheChosenOne:


Walking Tourist:


Jeffster:



I'm not sure I understand these responses.

I started this thread because there seems to be a lot of confusion about Introversion/Extraversion, and I intentionally quoted a very standard definition in order to clarify the issue.

It is not something new or different from anything you would find in the usual Meyers-Briggs literature, and like someone else mentioned, you can find this on Wikipedia, so I don't understand how it changes anything.

If you could please explain how this definition changes your type, I would greatly appreciate it. :D

oh...... so that's how it is...... I'm just someone else to you..... :violin:

Anyway, I find this quality to hold true more often:
Introverts- Think, Do, Think. The 'do' could be just about anything, speaking for example.
Extroverts- Do, Think, Do. They need to have something to think about. Which is connected to the definition you've come across, as an extrovert needs to do something in the outside world to act upon primarily.

That suggests that introverts can also quite easily be focused on the outer world.
 

Wonkavision

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Anyway, I find this quality to hold true more often:
Introverts- Think, Do, Think. The 'do' could be just about anything, speaking for example.
Extroverts- Do, Think, Do. They need to have something to think about. Which is connected to the definition you've come across, as an extrovert needs to do something in the outside world to act upon primarily.

That suggests that introverts can also quite easily be focused on the outer world.

Yeah, that's a great way of putting it.

In retrospect, I think that the original title of the O.P. was misleading.

It was not my intention to provide a way to determine E or I.

My intention, as I stated in the conclusion of the O.P., was to dispel the myth (or rather the habit of thinking) that how much one socializes or doesn't socialize indicates E or I.
 

Quinlan

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I'm not sure I understand these responses.

I started this thread because there seems to be a lot of confusion about Introversion/Extraversion, and I intentionally quoted a very standard definition in order to clarify the issue.

It is not something new or different from anything you would find in the usual Meyers-Briggs literature, and like someone else mentioned, you can find this on Wikipedia, so I don't understand how it changes anything.

If you could please explain how this definition changes your type, I would greatly appreciate it. :D

Well first of all "getting my energy" makes little sense to me, I get my energy from what I eat and drink. I do get easily drained by interacting with people, especially strangers but at the same time I also get very much energised/excited by things, activities and even people in the external environment, I can't see how anyone with Se in their top two could be any different.

I think I am ISFP because I relate really well to pretty much all of the ISFP type descriptions, I don't relate to ESFP descriptions in the same way. I'm very reserved, an observer, a responder, I think before I do, I reflect on things a lot, yet at the same time I feel energised by the external environment, I don't see why this doesn't make sense for ISFP anyway.
 

LostInNerSpace

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E or I? So What? You can call me Betty for all I care. But even though I may exhibit some extroverted behavior the fact is my behavior is much more consistent with the profile of the INTP than the ENTP. For one thing, I don't think I would be happy ending up with an INFJ (ideal for ENTP). I have had a thing for ENFJ women long before I knew anything of MBTI.
 
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