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What percentage of the population is introverted?

highlander

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I've seen different things:

Just under half
About 35%
"a minority in the regular population but a majority in the gifted population."

Any thoughts on what statistics are the most reliable?
 

FDG

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nah, about half
 

ajblaise

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I'm going with 25%. And I'm pretty reliable.
 

highlander

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50.9% according to the National sample figures in the MBTI Manual

That's interesting. The MBTI Manual states the majority of the population are introverts.

How could these things be so far apart?

I've had similar questions over the years on the % of various types - why the ranges or numbers are so different in different places.
 

Arclight

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Please Understand Me Claims it's about 50/50.
 
R

ReflecTcelfeR

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If anything I'd say they have at least a slight majority over extraverts.
 

skylights

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i'm curious too, but i think it's really hard to know because

1) testing figures may very well be biased (introverts and intuitives generally being slightly more inclined to individually be into something like the MBTI; even any place which randomly tests a larger population may have been self-selected to some degree by what kind of place it is)

2) not everyone even knows their correct orientation. sometimes it's hard to differentiate between the two. not to mention that cultures on a whole demonstrate introversion and extraversion to different degrees. in the states, to all accounts, i'm an introvert, but i'm not, functionally. interestingly i do think that's been more evident in other countries where i've lived.

i guess a decen way to get a somewhat accurate figure would be to take mass amounts of tests across types of workplaces and cultures and run statistical testing on them... but that assumes most cultures even know about the MBTI...
 

OrangeAppled

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Aren't introversion and extroversion often viewed as more of a scale than two distinct categories? In that case, I think most people probably land around the middle somewhere and will seem extroverted to a more extreme introvert.

There are different ways people define E & I though, and based on Jung's definition, it seems to me that true introverts are the minority. I think when people think of an extrovert, they think of the extreme version, and so they cannot see themselves in it. I wonder how many people who test I are highly introverted or actually near the middle mark...
 

highlander

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Aren't introversion and extroversion often viewed as more of a scale than two distinct categories? In that case, I think most people probably land around the middle somewhere and will seem extroverted to a more extreme introvert.

There are different ways people define E & I though, and based on Jung's definition, it seems to me that true introverts are the minority. I think when people think of an extrovert, they think of the extreme version, and so they cannot see themselves in it. I wonder how many people who test I are highly introverted or actually near the middle mark...

Good point. I guess I was just thinking of somebody whose dominant function is introverted or who comes up as an I on an MBTI assessment.
 

Aleksei

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Statistically, supposedly a little under half (45% or so).
 

Metamorphosis

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Is this world population or population in a certain country?

I could see it making a difference.
 

highlander

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Is this world population or population in a certain country?

I could see it making a difference.

Good question. I once read that INTJ is the predominant type among Japanese business leaders. How? Why?
 

Aleksei

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I once read that INTJ is the predominant type among Japanese business leaders. How? Why?
Well, INTJ and ENTJ are extremely common types among business leaders in general, and Japan is a very introverted country. In the US the most common type among business leaders is likely ENTJ.
 

highlander

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Well, INTJ and ENTJ are extremely common types among business leaders in general, and Japan is a very introverted country. In the US the most common type among business leaders is likely ENTJ.

I think your first sentence is right. With regards to the second one though, the percentage of business executives by type in the US is:

ISTJ - 32.1%
ESTJ - 28%
INTJ - 15.8%
ENTJ - 9.4%
ENTP - 5.3%

The rest are other types. It's interesting that ISTJs and INTJs are represented in numbers that far exceed their proportion of the overall population.
 

Metamorphosis

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I recall seeing a study done once (on a documentary) that studied children adopted into different cultures, and they still tended to display personality characteristics more in line with their ethnicity/original culture than their adopted one, even when adopted at birth. There was also a noticeable difference in disposition on average. MBTI type wasn't referenced, though, and it's been awhile since I've seen it.

If you're a believer in the effect of genetics on type than that would make sense. Of course, it could also just be that certain cultures tend to prize certain types more than others (like E's in the US).
 

Xenon

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Good point. I guess I was just thinking of somebody whose dominant function is introverted or who comes up as an I on an MBTI assessment.

By that definition, it might be close to 50/50. Stats like "25% of the general population; 70% of the gifted" (or whatever it is) and discussions of introverts as a misunderstood minority likely use a stricter definition, and refer to a more pronounced introverted preference.
 

Halla74

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50.9% according to the National sample figures in the MBTI Manual

Interesting! :yes:

"National" as in U.S.A., or by nation (Australia, Germany, France, Lichtenstein, Uzbekistan, etc.) I'm only half being a smart ass, because I actually do have a genuine interest in how that statistic might vary across various nations, especially those whose cultural values are significantly different than in Western societies.

For instance, in a fundamentalist Muslim nation, it does not behoove females to be too extroverted. Gaining energy from social interactions could very well get women in such nations a caning, beating or worse at the hands of the Muttawah, or their own husbands for the matter. So, does such fear of punishment predispose women in fundamentalist Musilm societies to "become" more introverted for the sake of self preservation?

On the flip side, are American women more prone to "become" extroverted in order to pursue the many potential gains available to individuals willing to put themselves out in all kinds of situations in order to find opportunities/wealth/a suitable mate?

The answer to these questions seems to hold part of the answer as to how powerful GENOTYPE is Vs. ENVIRONMENT. (That is assuming that one's MBTI type is genetically inherited in some significant capacity. Come to think of it, is it? Has anyone ever prone that?) :shock:

-Halla
 

Such Irony

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Please Understand Me Claims it's about 50/50.

I thought they claimed 75% E / 25% I

Aren't introversion and extroversion often viewed as more of a scale than two distinct categories? In that case, I think most people probably land around the middle somewhere and will seem extroverted to a more extreme introvert.

There are different ways people define E & I though, and based on Jung's definition, it seems to me that true introverts are the minority. I think when people think of an extrovert, they think of the extreme version, and so they cannot see themselves in it. I wonder how many people who test I are highly introverted or actually near the middle mark...

MBTI only looks at what side of the dichotomy you fall on. And I do agree that alot of people are near the middle, which means its not uncommon to question the result. Other personality measures like the Big Five do use a continuum.

50.9% according to the National sample figures in the MBTI Manual

That's what I've heard too. Its almost even between E and I.


You might be interested in this link: MBTI Proximity Chart at MROB

Apparently according to the official MBTI form M test, there are more F's than T's at about a 60:40 ratio. Only 1 in 4 females tests as a thinking type. About 1 in 5 females are ISFJ, the most common type overall. Only 1.8% of females are INTP, making me a rare breed indeed.

Also, there is a slight correlation between E/I and gender. For females about 55% are E. Reverse is true for males.
 
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