Norrsken
self murderer
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2015
- Messages
- 3,633
- MBTI Type
- ENFJ
- Instinctual Variant
- sx/so
Undoubtedly the most frustrating part of discovering the Myers Briggs Theory is whether one is an extrovert or an introvert based on reading the various profiles of the personality types. Society has colored our views of what makes a person extrovert, and what makes a person an introvert. Images of the shy bookworm or the weird geek is pinned on the introvert label, unfairly causing many people to either doubt themselves or try and force themselves away from it by trying to become more social, and failing. With extrovert, people immediately imagine the party animal, the person who seems to know exactly what to say, and is charismatic with everybody they meet.
The point is, there is no such thing as the ideal introvert or an extrovert, and the MBTI stresses on some sources that we are all a different variety of these two extremes. The ISFJ type, for example, has made some people ponder that they seem very talkative and outgoing despite supposedly being an introverted type, and in other places, the ENFP and even the ENTP types are regarded as the most reserved extroverts out of the other extroverts in the MBTI. Many people are then, mistyped, either from their own doing, or asking others who are also confused on the introvert vs extrovert dynamic.
I hope, for some people, that this thread can help in deciphering where you fall in that first letter of your type. So, the most important aspect to remember is this: The first letter is literally how you conserve energy and how you expend it.
If talking to your friends, your coworkers, your family members, strangers, the deli guy, the florist lady, whomever it is, gives you an elated feeling that keeps climbing the more people you talk to, and you can do this all day without much issue, this may point to you being an extrovert. Now, it is also highly possible that you can also be a shy extrovert; the difference between that, and a true introvert, is that the extrovert has a strong urge to speak with other people and enjoy being out there with everybody else, but cannot due to their shyness. The introvert, on the other hand, whether they are shy or not, although they enjoy socializing and desiring relationships with others, become drained by repeated exposures of socializing and being outside of their heads and need to be alone to recharge. That's the biggest and main difference.
If you find joy of being inside your head, living in your own inner world of imagination, thoughts, and emotions, getting time alone in your office or in the bedroom, and daily life of chatty strangers and being outside gives you sensory overload, you might be an introvert. It is also possible to be this absolutely charming, charismatic, outgoing introvert whom most people in town know and love. It is possible to be an introvert and have hundreds of Facebook friends. It is possible and in the end, it doesn't make you an extrovert. Again, it is mainly an energy thing. You can be a great conversationalist, but if the prospect of hanging out with your dear friends for more than a couple of days gives you a miniature panic attack and dreaming up of an escape plan, then you are an introvert. And there's nothing wrong with that.
This thread is made because a lot of folks here are confused about this part the most and I totally get it. It's maddening, isn't it? But, hopefully this may be of help to some. And do remember that this is not an extreme black and white situation: Some introverts can socialize and stay out for days at a time, and there are some extroverts who enjoy time alone. It is a continuum, if you can imagine it. The question you must ask yourself is this: Does time alone help me recharge my batteries and I can then get back out there again, or does it drain me and I need to be with others in order to feel alive again? That's all you should really be asking yourself.
Till then!
The point is, there is no such thing as the ideal introvert or an extrovert, and the MBTI stresses on some sources that we are all a different variety of these two extremes. The ISFJ type, for example, has made some people ponder that they seem very talkative and outgoing despite supposedly being an introverted type, and in other places, the ENFP and even the ENTP types are regarded as the most reserved extroverts out of the other extroverts in the MBTI. Many people are then, mistyped, either from their own doing, or asking others who are also confused on the introvert vs extrovert dynamic.
I hope, for some people, that this thread can help in deciphering where you fall in that first letter of your type. So, the most important aspect to remember is this: The first letter is literally how you conserve energy and how you expend it.
[Source]The terms Extravert and Introvert are used in a different sense when discussing the Myers-Briggs Type IndicatorI®. Here Extravert and Introvert refer to where people focus their attention in order to get their energy – either the OUTER or INNER world. This innate and inborn preference has an important role in personality development and plays an important part in determing a person's dominant function.
If talking to your friends, your coworkers, your family members, strangers, the deli guy, the florist lady, whomever it is, gives you an elated feeling that keeps climbing the more people you talk to, and you can do this all day without much issue, this may point to you being an extrovert. Now, it is also highly possible that you can also be a shy extrovert; the difference between that, and a true introvert, is that the extrovert has a strong urge to speak with other people and enjoy being out there with everybody else, but cannot due to their shyness. The introvert, on the other hand, whether they are shy or not, although they enjoy socializing and desiring relationships with others, become drained by repeated exposures of socializing and being outside of their heads and need to be alone to recharge. That's the biggest and main difference.
If you find joy of being inside your head, living in your own inner world of imagination, thoughts, and emotions, getting time alone in your office or in the bedroom, and daily life of chatty strangers and being outside gives you sensory overload, you might be an introvert. It is also possible to be this absolutely charming, charismatic, outgoing introvert whom most people in town know and love. It is possible to be an introvert and have hundreds of Facebook friends. It is possible and in the end, it doesn't make you an extrovert. Again, it is mainly an energy thing. You can be a great conversationalist, but if the prospect of hanging out with your dear friends for more than a couple of days gives you a miniature panic attack and dreaming up of an escape plan, then you are an introvert. And there's nothing wrong with that.
This thread is made because a lot of folks here are confused about this part the most and I totally get it. It's maddening, isn't it? But, hopefully this may be of help to some. And do remember that this is not an extreme black and white situation: Some introverts can socialize and stay out for days at a time, and there are some extroverts who enjoy time alone. It is a continuum, if you can imagine it. The question you must ask yourself is this: Does time alone help me recharge my batteries and I can then get back out there again, or does it drain me and I need to be with others in order to feel alive again? That's all you should really be asking yourself.
Till then!