For me personally, when in any social situation, I get very tired as the night goes on. I am just...not as interested in the experience of most social situations as I am my own personal activities and to push myself to continue to be in them is difficult and draining. When out with friends at a bar, club, or party, I feel like I'm ready for bed at 12; whereas if I am home alone reading, watching a good movie, or even watching these forums I will turn to the clock and it will read 4 AM. It is an interesting thing to me and since I've become aware of MBTI and type I've been trying to pay more attention to how different situations tend to tax me and how I tend to react to them.
Also, an important view to reconstruct is the perception that introverts are passive, while extroverts are active. I like to think that extroverts and introverts are both active, however the domain in which that activity takes place is different. If you were able to somehow "watch" what goes on in the introvert's domain, it would definitely not be "passive." We are just as active in our minds, thoughts, and activities as the extrovert is with people, conversations, and their activities. It's an interesting dynamic.
Also, introversion is not "huddled inside of our rooms" all day. It just really means when we do something, we don't really do it with anybody else. I can't count the number of times I've just roamed the streets of Boston, pacing newbury street as I listen to music and stare at the sky, or lay on the grass in the Commons reading a book.
I hope this illuminated things a bit for you EA...
Hmm, I think I may be becoming an introvert.
Or can I be both?
I choose, enjoy and need to spend a lot of time alone, whether walking by myself listening to music, thinking, sitting outside or in the bathtub reading, or perusing and participating on this forum. I need alone time to be with me and only me, in order to think without distraction from other people.
I think I need this alone time due to the fact that other people are heavily reliant on my full, active participation of their company. When in the company of others, *I care about*, I rarely withdraw, and feel more than inclined to engage them. Due to this inclination, hanging out with others is essentially spending time on/with others instead of spending time with myself.
However, it should be noted, that the more intellectually stimulating I find my company, and the more I feel I get them and they get me, the less I feel as though I am spending time on/with them as opposed to it being our spending time together, lol, if that makes sense.
But, I stimulate myself better than others, often, so due to the fact I am a stimulus whore, I need to spend time with myself in order to get that fix. I sort things out when alone, think about things that others may very well not be interested in.
I am picky with my company, I don't hang out with people just for the sake of hanging out with people, I don't have much tolerance for mindless chit chat.
I am ranting, the end.
