Here's one for the INTJs out there.
Do people you meet and interact with think you're an introvert, or are they surprized when they find out.
This is actually related to something I've been running over and over in my mind, making myself bonkers the last few days. I am an
extreme introvert. Which is not, of course, to say that I'm shy; I'm not shy at all. I have no problem talking to strangers or even doing the old "cold call" if I see a woman I think is attractive out in public. When I entered college I had pretty much no social skills whatsoever, but after making pretty much every social flub in the book I learned the ins and outs of human interaction and I'm fairly confident in my social skills.
The problem is that I just can't maintain it very long at all. I posted a thread a while back soliciting small talk advice. The reason being, while I can handle a meet-and-greet or party chit-chat, in a work setting the small talk comes all day intermittently, and my ability to maintain the "small talk mode" gets taxed to the point where I have a headache by the end of every work day. People had good advice on ways to make due that have been a help, but recently I've just decided to hell with it, and don't try to pass myself off as anything other than the giant introvert that I am. (I can tell one of the women I work with thinks I'm a fat asshole now. It's a bit ironic since I can tell she's an introvert, too, albeit of the "S" variety.)
What I've been going nuts running over in my mind is this dilemma: I'm
damn tired of maintaining that front. I've learned how to do it, I've proven to myself that I can, but I'm tired of all of the mental effort that goes into it, not to mention how all of that mental energy could be better spent on my thoughts and theories! The problem is that I am, however, an NTJ and I don't abide by a lack of cordiality and respect very well. When I reveal myself to be an introvert, many people seem to think that means they can blow me off or otherwise treat me like a chump. I'm trying to figure out how to strike a proper balance.
If people have recommendations or what have you, I'm officially soliciting advice.