Confusing Introversion, Depression, & Loneliness

[entropie]

I just came across a sentence in another thread, I didnt want to get offtopic in. "I lived alone for 4 years that pretty much made me an introvert". Sentence was something like that.

According to type theory that is just wrong, because the general understanding of Introvertism and Extrovertism does not relate to that at all, does it ?

I am alone like all my life and I am earth's poster child, when it comes to being introvert. I dont like the term though, I think eccentric sounds better.

But this does not make me intp according to type theory, does it ?

 

[disregard]

No.

 

[entropie]

Alright, for a moment I was thinking back then, I was loosing my mind

 

[Bella]

What About Introversion and Depression

I suppose you could go through your whole life thinking you're an Introvert, when all you are, is depressed.

(This is a pretty obvious conclusion, I think I'm wasting Internet space.)

 

[ThatsWhatHeSaid]

Merged and retitled.

 

[Salomé]

Depressed extroverts do effect introversion, in my experience, because their energy levels are, well, depressed.

This also leads them to misjudge introverts as universally depressive, since they would have to be in that state of mind in order to act as an introvert does naturally.

 

[INA]

This thread sounds like one of my earliest posts:

It is a good question. I sometimes think self-identified introverted rationals are just depressed extroverts. I certainly became much more introverted over the last 5 years. Then, I had a tendency to flip between I and E. I liked defending and befriending the outsider loner types. From there I would conscript them into a gang of nerd-supertroopers snickering in class at the common sheep. I got people who ordinarily would not have anything in common to be friends through their connection with me. All that has been scaled back and this coincides with some recurring dark, pessimistic view of humanity. I still flip the switch now, but far less often.

it's in this thread: http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/nt-rationale/5917-possible-intp-has-entp-tendencies.html

But then I think of my childhood, and realized I've always been the introspective loner type, even if I was also the mouthy troublemaker/class clown at times.

They say extroverts get their energy from outside, and I find it is often the case, but what if that's coupled with a great desire to get alone after partaking of the energy-fest? Like you subconsciously need it, but at the same time must run away from it before you just go up in flames?

Then again, imagine a depressed extrovert who mistyped self as introvert. S/he won't get the energy s/he needs while retreating to introversion because s/he prefers to be alone, so s/he's always depressed . . .

Wait . . .

 

[Bella]

This thread sounds like one of my earliest posts:



it's in this thread: http://www.typologycentral.com/forums/nt-rationale/5917-possible-intp-has-entp-tendencies.html

But then I think of my childhood, and realized I've always been the introspective loner type, even if I was also the mouthy troublemaker/class clown at times.

They say extroverts get their energy from outside, and I find it is often the case, but what if that's coupled with a great desire to get alone after partaking of the energy-fest? Like you subconsciously need it, but at the same time must run away from it before you just go up in flames?

Then again, imagine a depressed extrovert who mistyped self as introvert. S/he won't get the energy s/he needs while retreating to introversion because s/he prefers to be alone, so s/he's always depressed . . .

Wait . . .

You talk about looking back at your childhood and realizing you were, after all, introspective and a loner. But trauma could whack someone early, when they're still a toddler and they have depression from then onward leading them to belive they're Introverted.

 

[INTJMom]

I just came across a sentence in another thread, I didnt want to get offtopic in. "I lived alone for 4 years that pretty much made me an introvert". Sentence was something like that.

According to type theory that is just wrong, because the general understanding of Introvertism and Extrovertism does not relate to that at all, does it ?

I am alone like all my life and I am earth's poster child, when it comes to being introvert. I dont like the term though, I think eccentric sounds better.

But this does not make me intp according to type theory, does it ?

You're exactly right.
I read that type of thing every so often on this site and it reveals a lack of understanding of the true differences between E and I, or what they really are.
Just because I sit alone at home for a few years, when I used to be fun-loving and outgoing with lots of friends does not mean I suddenly turned into an Introvert.

 

[INA]

You talk about looking back at your childhood and realizing you were, after all, introspective and a loner. But trauma could whack someone early, when they're still a toddler and they have depression from then onward leading them to belive they're Introverted.

That would have to be some major trauma to forever turn their perceived preference outside in.

You're exactly right.
I read that type of thing every so often on this site and it reveals a lack of understanding of the true differences between E and I, or what they really are.
Just because I sit alone at home for a few years, when I used to be fun-loving and outgoing with lots of friends does not mean I suddenly turned into an Introvert.

And just because you're out gadding about and being a raucous drunk at parties doesn't make you an extrovert.
*must filter these things down to the essence*

 

[Haphazard]

It might make sense, then, that the reason why so many people think that introverts are perpetually depressed is because there are so many depressed extroverts that claim to be introverts.

And Lord knows what that's doing for us.

 

[Salomé]

It might make sense, then, that the reason why so many people think that introverts are perpetually depressed is because there are so many depressed extroverts that claim to be introverts.

And Lord knows what that's doing for us.

in fairness, there are a gawd-awful lot of depressed introverts too...

 

[Nocapszy]

in fairness, there are a gawd-awful lot of depressed introverts too...

Where's that statistic?

 

[Nocapszy]

People are nubz.

Introvert does not mean anti-social, lonely, or depressed. If you've got an introvert who's surrounded himself in an environment which matches well with and caters to their introverted ideals, then they'll be far more inclined to be energetic... well basically all those things that are 'exclusive' to extraverts.

Of course meeting those conditions is very hard, and for some, it's actually easier to find the conditions necessary to melt wood, but it's possible.
I've seen it.

So has everyone else, they just don't know what they've been looking at.

 

[Salomé]

Where's that statistic?

gawd-awful lot? that's from the "Heap Big Hokum" school of statistics
everybody knows that!

your barely veiled J-ness is raining sh*t on my happy place, i feel a depression coming on. i need to lie down.

 

[INA]

gawd-awful lot? that's from the "Heap Big Hokum" school of statistics
everybody knows that!

your barely veiled J-ness is raining sh*t on my happy place, i feel a depression coming on. i need to lie down.

That made my afternoon.

 

[Martoon]

I was reading the results on a study of happiness a while back (too lazy to try to find it now). There have been billions of studies on depression, but few on happiness - what do happy people have in common, etc.

One of the big things they concluded is that happy people spend most of their time surrounded by friends and family. They're always with people. So if you want to be happy, be an extrovert.

I have a strong suspicion this study was conducted by extroverts, who likely used extroverted tendencies as a metric of happiness. One thing I'm sure of; if I was always with people, I'd be decidedly unhappy.

 

[Kyrielle]

I was reading the results on a study of happiness a while back (too lazy to try to find it now). There have been billions of studies on depression, but few on happiness - what do happy people have in common, etc.

One of the big things they concluded is that happy people spend most of their time surrounded by friends and family. They're always with people. So if you want to be happy, be an extrovert.

I have a strong suspicion this study was conducted by extroverts, who likely used extroverted tendencies as a metric of happiness. One thing I'm sure of; if I was always with people, I'd be decidedly unhappy.

Do you think a more accurate way to put that finding is people who are happy have stable relationships with friends and family? Even if you don't see them all the time, you still have them to be there for you. Wouldn't that contribute to the ever elusive feeling of belonging?

Which also might be what they're driving at: happier people tend to feel like they belong somewhere regardless of their social tendencies.

 

[ptgatsby]

One of the big things they concluded is that happy people spend most of their time surrounded by friends and family. They're always with people. So if you want to be happy, be an extrovert.

Maybe happy people are extroverted...

Generally speaking, if you strip away at it, E has a very strong (and biological) relationship to positive emotions. Meaning, extroverts will tend to be happier, by virtue of the definition being linked.

It also means you cannot 'become' an extrovert to be happy, most likely.

Introverts have more issues with depression than extroverts, fwiw. There is an interactive effect between introversion and neuroticism, too, so it isn't cut and dry, but it's pretty clear that it has a big influence.

Having said all that, pure isolation also tends to make one depressed, and depressed introverts will certainly be prone to that.

 

[Martoon]

Do you think a more accurate way to put that finding is people who are happy have stable relationships with friends and family? Even if you don't see them all the time, you still have them to be there for you. Wouldn't that contribute to the ever elusive feeling of belonging?

Which also might be what they're driving at: happier people tend to feel like they belong somewhere regardless of their social tendencies.

I agree with that assertion, but in their report on their findings, they very clearly said that happy people spend most of their time around other people, and are seldom alone. They really pushed the "if you're not interacting socially most of the time, it's unhealthy" thing.