Extroverts who think they are introverts

10 Signs You're an 'Extroverted' Introvert

Although you find relationships deeply fulfilling, unlike a true extrovert, you don’t have the energy to maintain a large social network.

At times, when you read about what introversion means, you feel like someone is spying on your life. Yes, you love being alone. You hate making shallow small talk. Spending too much time socializing with other people leaves you feeling drained, irritable, and sometimes even physically unwell (a.k.a. the introvert hangover).

Yet other aspects of introversion don’t resonate with you at all. You have plenty of friends. You enjoy meeting new people. Even though you prefer meaningful conversation, you’re actually pretty good at making light chitchat.

So are you really an introvert?

What Is an ‘Extroverted’ Introvert?

Enter the “extroverted” introvert.

The extroverted introvert is known by many names. Some call it the “outgoing introvert” or the “social introvert. ” Others argue that this personality represents ambiversion, which is a combination of both introversion and extroversion.

So what does “extroverted introvert” really mean?

The thing to understand about introversion is that it is not an all-or-nothing trait. Even Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist who introduced the concept of introversion/extroversion, said there is no such thing as “pure” introvert or extrovert. Really, we all act introverted at times and extroverted at other times, depending on the circumstances, our goals, and our energy levels.

So, instead of thinking about ourselves as “pure” introverts or extroverts, we should think of ourselves as falling somewhere on the introversion/extroversion spectrum. Some of us will fall closer to the far ends of the spectrum, meaning we are very introverted or very extroverted. Most of us will fall closer to the middle, giving us qualities of both introversion and extroversion.

If you think of yourself as an extroverted introvert, it probably means you’re an introvert at heart — but you may be more outgoing than other introverts because your personality falls closer to the middle of the spectrum.

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Signs You’re an ‘Extroverted Introvert’

Are you an extroverted introvert? If so, you’ll recognize yourself in these 10 signs.

1. Your energy level is closely tied to your environment.

You’re sensitive to your surroundings. To you, it matters how your environment looks, what kind of music is playing, how many people are present, the noise level, etc.. The ambiance of a place can either energize or drain you, depending on whether it fits your preferences. A loud rock concert in a crowded stadium might be overwhelming, but an up-close-and-personal acoustic set at your favorite club is soothing.

2. You find people to be both intriguing and exhausting.

People watching? Yes. Meeting new people and hearing their life stories? Fascinating. Spending almost every night hanging out with friends? Not a chance. Outgoing introverts enjoy meeting new people but can only endure so much socializing. After a busy weekend or a long day at work, you may feel the need to disappear and recharge by spending time alone or with just one other person.

3. Certain people and interactions drain you while others recharge you.

You have a few friends who you could hang out with for practically forever. It seems like you never run out of things to talk about. Being with them is easy. You actually feel better after spending time with them, not drained — and you act pretty outgoing around them. Other people tire or bore you quickly and you need to get away fast. For you, being alone is better than settling for second-rate company.

4. You can be charming but also deeply introspective and reflective.

You can make small talk when it’s expected of you, like at your child’s parent-teacher conference or when meeting a new coworker. You also know that small talk can lead to deeper, more authentic conversation. People tend to feel comfortable around you, because you read others well, and you also have a knack for getting others talking and opening up about themselves. When you’re out with friends, you might be the person in the group who makes sure that everyone’s having a good time. However, most people don’t realize how “in your head” you really are. Although you appear social and lighthearted, your mind is always running behind the scenes.

5. When you feel rested and recharged, you reach out to others.

You’re often the one who organizes social events for others. Playing the host is ideal for the extroverted introvert because it allows you to spend time with people — but on your own terms. However, when you run out of energy, you’re out, and like a true introvert, all you want to do is hibernate at home.

6. You need time to warm up in social situations.

Your first impression often belies your real personality. At first, you come across as quiet and reserved. But once you feel comfortable around the person, you have no trouble chatting. No, you won’t spill your entire life story or divulge your insecurities to someone you’ve just met, but you will reveal intimate details once trust has built up. The better someone gets to know you, the more “extroverted” you seem.

7. It actually takes less energy to say what’s on your mind than to make small talk.

True extroverts rarely struggle with what to say. It’s easy from them to shoot from the hip and make chitchat about almost any topic. But not so for most introverts. Many introverts find it difficult to force small talk. They’d rather talk about big ideas or connect in an honest, authentic way. This is especially true of extroverted introverts. It’s far easier for them to say what’s on their mind than to fake a rousing discussion about the weather.

Do ever you struggle to know what to say?

As an introvert, you actually have the ability to be an amazing conversationalist — even if you’re quiet and hate small talk. To learn how, we recommend this online course from our partner Michaela Chung. Click here to check out the Introvert Conversation Genius course.

8. You’re selectively social.

Although you find relationships deeply fulfilling, unlike a true extrovert, you don’t have the energy to maintain a large social network. Plus, you don’t click with just anybody. So you make your limited “people” energy count by investing it into just a few close relationships.

9. You have no interest in trying to prove yourself in a crowd of strangers.

At networking events or parties, you’re not someone who “works the room.” Nor do you feel the need to draw a lot of attention to yourself in social situations. Yes, you see the value in making connections with others, and you especially love those rare moments when you meet a like-minded soul. But you’ll probably never be the most popular person in the room — and you’re okay with that fact.

10. You’re often confused for an extrovert.

Your friends and family don’t believe that you’re an introvert because you’re just so social. In fact, it may have taken you a while to realize that you’re an introvert, because you play the extrovert so well. Now you find yourself constantly having to explain your introversion and how you get your energy. Unfortunately, most people don’t get it.

Keep in mind that there’s no wrong way to do introversion. You can be outgoing and still be an introvert. It’s all about understanding your needs and honoring your own style, even if that means being the life of the party one night and then binge watching Netflix alone the next night.

Will the Real Introverts Please Stand Up?

Quick Quiz: Which of the following are signs of introversion?

Highly sensitive
Deep Thinker
Reflective
Introspective
Negative emotions
Socially Anxious
Defensive
Vulnerable
Always prefers solitude over social interaction

Answer: Not a single one.

Introversion is one of the most misunderstood dimensions of personality. Many people are not aware that the original definition of introversion, as posed by Carl Jung, is not how the term is used in modern personality psychology. Jung equated introversion with "inwardly directed psychic energy". Even the modern Wikipedia page for Extraversion and Introversion defines introversion as "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life. "

But that's not introversion.

Common Misconceptions About Introversion

Whereas Jung based his definitions of extraversion and introversion on his own theory, experience, and intuition, modern psychology identifies personality dimensions empirically, based on what patterns of behavior tend to go together within individuals. Today, extraversion-introversion is one of the "Big Five" dimensions of personality, the other four being neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and intellect/imagination.

The most common misunderstanding of the extraversion-introversion dimension is that introverts are more introspective than extroverts. In reality, introverts are not necessarily introspective and highly introspective people aren't necessarily introverted. In a recent analysis, Jennifer Grimes, Jonathan Cheek, and Julie Norem found that measures of Jung's conceptualization of "Thinking Introversion"-- introspectiveness, fantasy proneness, and having a rich inner life-- were not significantly correlated with Big Five scales of extraversion-introversion, including a need for positive stimulation and gregariousness.

In fact, what many people ascribe to introversion really belongs in the intellect/imagination domain [1]. Intellect/imagination represents a drive for cognitive engagement of inner mental experience, and encompasses a wide range of related (but partially separate) traits, including intellectual engagement, intellectual curiosity, intellectual depth, ingenuity, reflection, introspection, imagination, emotional richness, artistic engagement, and aesthetic interests.

Traits such as sensitivity and social anxiety are also not part of Big Five introversion-extraversion domain. To be sure, many people may think of themselves as introverted because they are highly sensitive. But research shows that sensory processing sensitivity is independent of introversion. The various manifestations of being a highly sensitive person-- inhibition of behavior, sensitivity to environmental stimuli, depth of information processing, and physiological reactivity-- are linked to neuroticism and intellect/imagination, not introversion.

What's more, there are lots of people who view themselves as "sensitive introverts", when they are really covert narcissists. These individuals are characterized by their sense of entitlement to social attention. Accordingly, they are hurt easily by the slightest remark of others, are hyper self conscious and self absorbed, and are frequently upset that others don't recognize their brilliance. Covert narcissism is strongly associated with neuroticism, not introversion.

Finally, there's a common misconception that all introverts enjoy solitary activities. However, that isn't a defining feature of introverts. Responses such as "Enjoy spending time by myself" and "Live in a world of my own" involve an equal blend of introversion and intellect/imagination. Contrary to popular conceptualizations of introversion, preferring to be alone is not the main indicator of introversion.

All of this, of course, leads to the major question: What is the essence of introversion? Let's explore the core of the extraversion-introversion dimension of personality.

The Core of Extraversion-Introversion

Extraversion-introversion comprises many related traits, including being talkative, sociable, friendly, gregarious, assertive, active, persuasive, and excitement seeking.

But what links all of these traits to each other?

One possibility is that the core of extraversion-introversion is simply sociability. Maybe extroverts are more social: plain and simple. However, the research doesn't support this conclusion. While it is well known that extraverts experience more positive emotions than introverts, extraverts tend to experience more positive emotions all throughout the day, regardless of whether the activity is social or solitary.

This doesn't mean that introverts experience more negative emotions during daily life (that's neuroticism). They are just lower in positive emotions. In fact, some researchers have suggested that "detachment" is a more accurate description of low extraversion than "introversion" [2].

Another possibility-- which has received more support-- is that the core of extraversion is sensitivity to rewards in the environment. Reward sensitivity refers to the tendency to experience "an incentive motivational state that facilities and guides approach behavior to a goal." As Colin DeYoung points out in an upcoming paper:

People who score low in Extraversion are not necessarily turned inward; rather, they are less engaged, motivated, and energized by the possibilities for reward that surround them. Hence, they talk less, are less driven, and experience less enthusiasm. They may also find levels of stimulation that are rewarding and energizing for someone high in Extraversion merely annoying or tiring (or even overwhelming, depending on their level of Neuroticism). Their reserved demeanor is not likely to indicate an intense engagement with the world of imagination and ideas, however, unless they are also high in [Intellect/Imagination].

Multiple studies are consistent with the reward sensitivity account of extraversion. In one set of studies conducted cross-culturally, Richard Lucas and colleagues administered traditional measures of extraversion, all of which involve reward. For example:

I enjoy talking to strangers
I prefer to be with people who are exciting rather than quiet
I like doing exciting things with people more than just talking quietly

They also administered a newly developed test that measured a preference for social over solitary activities. Crucially, they removed the reward value of the items. For example:

I always prefer being with others to spending time alone
I rarely spend time alone
I rarely go out of my way to find time for myself

Across four studies they found that the traditional measures of extraversion (that involved reward values) were all correlated with each other, and with positive emotions. But critically, their new scale (which removed rewards from the items) was not correlated with extraversion, or positive emotions. These results suggest that a mere preference for social interaction, independent of the reward/enjoyment of the interaction, is not the core of extraversion. In a followup study, Richard Lucas and Ed Diener found that extraversion was related to the tendency to enjoy pleasant situations (social and nonsocial) but was unrelated to reactions to unpleasant situations (social and nonsocial).

Therefore, it seems to be specifically the reward value of a situation, not the social nature of the situation, that predicts whether extraverts enjoy the situation more than introverts [3]. Consistent with this, several fMRI and EEG studies have shown that brain activity in response to a variety of rewards (favorite brands, humor, happy faces, monetary rewards and pleasant emotional stimuli) are associated with extraversion.

Not all behaviors are equally related to extraversion, however. The desire for positive social attention seems to be a particularly strong indicator of extraversion [4]. For example, Jacob Hirsh and colleagues found that taking into account the rest of the Big Five personality traits (agreeableness, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and intellect/imagination), the following 10 behaviors were most uniquely predictive of extraversion (from a list of 400 activities):

1. Told a dirty joke.
2. Planned a party.
3. Entertained six or more people.
4. Told a joke.
5. Volunteered for a club or organization.
6. Tried to get a tan.
7. Attended a city council meeting.
8. Colored my hair.
9. Went to a night club.
10. Drank in a bar.

Why might the drive for social attention be so strongly linked to extraversion? One possibility is that many human rewards are social in nature. Our complex social lives are probably the dominant force in human evolution, driving the evolution of intelligence, creativity, language, and even consciousness. The human reward system, therefore, most likely evolved to be particularly responsive to social rewards.

Indeed, one of the most important gateways to rewards (e.g., money, power, friends, alliances, mates, exploration of the environment) is the ability to capture the attention of other people. Along these lines, some researchers have suggested that extraversion represents a high-intensity strategy for gaining social attention.

There are costs to extraverted behavior, however. This includes time and energy that could be invested in other activities, such as accomplishing a goal (conscientiousness) or engaging with ideas and imagination (intellect/imagination). There is also the risk that inappropriate attention-seeking behavior can fall flat, leading to reduced attention-holding power. Finally, high levels of exploration of the environment can expose extraverted individuals to increased physical risks. For instance, extraverts are more likely to be hospitalized due to accident or illness, and are more likely to become involved in criminal or antisocial behaviors and get arrested.

From an evolutionary perspective, there's a reason why both introversion and extroversion evolved, as both have fitness benefits and disadvantages depending on the context.

The Engine Behind Extraversion-Introversion

It's important to distinguish, however, between the most prominent behavioral manifestation of extraversion (desire for social attention) and the core underlying mechanism of extraversion (reward sensitivity). Even though reward sensitivity need not be limited exclusively to social situations, high reward sensitivity likely motivates extraverts to seek out potentially rewarding positive social interactions, and fuels them to display behaviors that will increase social attention (e.g., friendliness, smiling, high energy, loudness, exhibitionism, positive emotions).

From a biological perspective, reward sensitivity is likely governed by dopamine. While dopamine is involved in a variety of cognitive and motivational processes, the unifying function of dopamine is exploration. According to Colin DeYoung, "the release of dopamine, anywhere in the dopamingergic system, increases motivation to explore and facilitates cognitive and behavioral processes useful in exploration."

Dopamine isn't only related to extraversion. Dopamine is also causally related to intellect/imagination, although differences in openness are more likely to reflect variation in salience coding neurons (which increase curiosity and the desire to obtain information). In contrast, extraversion is more likely to reflect differences in the operation of value coding neurons (which indicate the incentive reward value of attaining a specific goal). Indeed, fMRI studies have found that extraversion is associated with greater volume of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), a region known to be involved in coding the value of rewards.

This probably explains why a lot of introverts notice that they often need to be alone to recharge their batteries after vigorous social interactions, whereas extraverts appear to gain energy from social interactions. This can be explained by dopamine's function in energizing potentially rewarding social interactions, as well as its role in overcoming the cost of effort. For introvert's, such interactions are more effortful and tiring due to their less active reward system [5].

Are You an Introvert?

Researchers have found that the various facets of the introversion-extraversion domain can be boiled down to two related but separate aspects: enthusiasm and assertiveness.

Enthusiasm encompasses traits like sociability, friendliness, self-disclosure, gregariousness, and positive emotionality. Enthusiasm is primarily about social affiliation, but goes beyond sociability to include positive emotions, more generally, like joy, exuberance, and excitement [6]. Assertiveness encompasses traits like leadership, dominance, provocativeness, activity, talkativeness, and persuasiveness. Assertiveness is more about social status than social affiliation.

These 20 items have been found to accurately capture these major aspects of the introversion-extraversion domain of personality. Rate each item from 1 (doesn't apply to me at all) to 5 (really applies to me):

1. Make friends easily. __
2. Am hard to get to know. __
3. Keep others at a distance. __
4. Reveal little about myself. __
5. Warm up quickly to others. __
6. Rarely get caught up in the excitement. __
7. Am not a very enthusiastic person. __
8. Show my feelings when I'm happy. __
9. Have a lot of fun. __
10. Laugh a lot. __
11. Take charge. __
12. Have a strong personality. __
13. Lack the talent for influencing people. __
14. Know how to captivate people. __
15. Wait for others to lead the way. __
16. See myself as a good leader. __
17. Can talk others into doing things. __
18. Hold back my opinions. __
19. Am the first to act. __
20. Do not have an assertive personality. __

Now reverse code items #2, #3, #4, #6, #7, #13, #15, #18, and #20 (replace 5=1, 4=2, 3=3, 2=4, and 1=5).

Now take the average of all the items.

Results:

If you averaged 3.0 or less, you are probably an introvert.

If you averaged between 3.1-3.8, you're probably an ambivert.

If you averaged 3.9 or higher, you're probably an extravert.

(Note: If you score the first 10 questions and the second 10 separately, you can assess the engagement and assertiveness aspects of extraversion separately. Some ambiverts are high in enthusiasm (first 10) but low in assertiveness (second 10), and vice versa.)

Conclusion

It is my hope that this article helps you understand yourself better. There are many ways you differ from others. However, it doesn't all come down to the extraversion-introversion dimension. Maybe you realized that instead of being an introvert, you are actually an extravert (enthusiastic and assertive) who is also a highly sensitive person. Or maybe you realized that you are really an extravert who likes to daydream and reflect deeply about ideas. Or maybe you even realized you are actually an introvert who daydreams a lot, or an introvert who doesn't have a vivid fantasy life but is high in intellectual curiosity. All of these combinations are possible, and more.

But a first step is shedding outdated and inaccurate notions of what it means to be an introvert.

Acknowledgement: Thanks to Colin DeYoung for his feedback on this article, and for having so many discussions with me about this topic.

[1] What I refer to as "intellect/imagination" is frequently referred to in the personality psychology literature as openness to experience. I decided to label the domain intellect/imagination to emphasize that this domain of personality represents openness to new inner mental experiences, not just any kind of experience. In fact, extraverts are more likely to be open to new behavioral experiences that relate to exploring the external environment.

[2] This doesn't mean that introverts don't ever experience positive emotions, or don't enjoy social interactions. Research shows that both extraverts and introverts experience more pleasant affect in social situations than in nonsocial situations. This does have implications for happiness and subjective well-being, however. One of the most robust findings in the happiness literature is that extraversion and happiness are strongly related to each other. A major cause is most likely the positive emotions that extraverts feel on a more regular basis.

[3] It should be noted that introverts also want to experience pleasant emotions; it's just that what they tend to experience as pleasant is different than what extroverts report as pleasant. Also, a lack of negative emotions can also be experienced as pleasant, even if it's not specifically positive.

[4] This also applies to how extraversion is measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test. The MBTI extraversion-introversion scale only includes items relating to being talkative, gregarious, and sociable (vs. quiet and reserved). Since there's not a single item on the MBTI extraversion-introversion dimension that mentions being introspective or reflective, even the MBTI doesn't measure Jung's original conceptualization of the term!

[5] To be sure, extraverts also get drained by too many social interactions (even though their threshold for exhaustion during rewarding social interactions is higher).

[6] Of course, those scoring low in the enthusiasm aspect of extraversion may still show enthusiasm for specific activities. For instance, an introvert who scores high in intellect/imagination will likely be enthusiastic about engaging with ideas and imagination.

image credit: creativemarc / shutterstock

The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

Scott Barry Kaufman, Ph.D., is a humanistic psychologist exploring the depths of human potential. He has taught courses on intelligence, creativity, and well-being at Columbia University, NYU, the University of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere. He hosts The Psychology Podcast, and is author and/or editor of 9 books, including Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization, Wired to Create: Unravelling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind (with Carolyn Gregoire), and Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined. In 2015, he was named one of "50 Groundbreaking Scientists who are changing the way we see the world" by Business Insider. Find out more at http://ScottBarryKaufman.com. He wrote the extremely popular Beautiful Minds blog for Scientific American for close to a decade. Follow Scott Barry Kaufman on Twitter Credit: Andrew French

The whole truth about introverts and extroverts - Psychology on vc.ru

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If it seems to you that you are an introvert or an extrovert, do not rush to conclusions. In fact, it may indicate certain disorders. Psychologists do not talk about this, but the author of these concepts himself warned about this.

The basis of human intelligence is the ability to categorize. We put everything on the shelves in our head for the speed of memorization and recall: edible-inedible. Safe is dangerous. Friend or foe. One is many. Good evil. We also categorize others and ourselves. Strong-weak, tall-low, handsome-ugly, rich-poor, etc. You do not need to think every time what kind of person you are, it is enough to decide once. Therefore, our desire to ascribe to ourselves or someone else any category is understandable. And then you can assign a category to a category. For example. Desirable-unwanted, beautiful-ugly, strong-weak, smart-stupid. What suits men better, and what - women ? These are the very categories into which society and each person drives himself. Attitudes instilled from childhood for the benefit of those who use these attitudes. Men's work and women's logic. Female beauty and male cruelty. And the fact that an intelligent person is very rarely cruel is of little interest to anyone. Remembering the most intelligent representatives of mankind - how many hard ones come to mind?

Extraversion and introversion - these two words mean different directions, from the Latin words: intro-vers-io; extra-vers-io. Intro - inside, Extra - outside. Vers - orientation (Vice versa - vice versa). Io is a noun postfix. For example: advert (direct to yourself), versus - (face to). Total translation, literally: "introversion - direction inward", "extraversion - direction outward". In psychiatry, it denotes locus of control , in everyday life - the outdated classification of Hippocrates according to the type of fluid prevailing in the body: black bile and lymph in introverts, blood and bile in extroverts. Further, Jung used typology to classify experiences. Further, he criticized colleagues who used his topology for labeling. There is also Eysenck, but I do not approve of racist work. Besides, he just copied Jung.

> Jung, 2001, Preface to the Argentine edition, p. 45: “Even in medical circles, there is an opinion that my method of treatment is to fit patients into my system and give them appropriate “advice”. This unfortunate misunderstanding completely ignores the fact that this kind of classification is nothing but parlor child's play, every element of which is as trifling as the division of mankind into brachiocephalic and dolichocephalic. My typology is first and foremost a critical apparatus that serves to distribute and organize the welter of empirical material, but is in no sense intended to label people, as it might seem at first glance.

And if you use the ratio scale interesting-boring, to a specific society in which a person is currently , then the category of introversion-extraversion appears. But, this scale does not take into account one person, but the attitude of people to society. And this category cannot describe the person himself without society. Relationships are influenced not only by the personality of the individual, but also by the specific society with which the individual builds relationships and the environment in which this society is located. As well as the prerequisites for communication and a bunch of other factors.

But because we energy-efficient biological systems (lazy animals) - we observe a person who is cheerful and sociable and say that he is an extrovert. If the next time we see him depressed, let's say that he is an extrovert with a bad mood. We simplify to the average value of this characteristic for a person in the relationships that we can observe. Talkative - not talkative. And if a person is talkative and cheerful with everyone except you personally, then what is he like? Then another scale is already used, friend or foe. And vice versa, talkative with you, but not with others.

Let's say there is "Adam" - the first guy in the village and the soul of the company. Cheerful, tall, vast experience in psychological manipulation of emotions and threats. Clearly an extrovert.

There is a famous musician "Avraham", in his social circle - only his friend manager. Genius, unusually passionate about music. Around him are crowds of admirers and fans, girls jump out of their shorts. Lonely, shy and timid. Most of the time he spends with his guitar, or uses substances to relieve stress.

Place Adam in the society he is least likely to be in - the what-where-when game. Despite the fact that this is a television game, there is also an "individual-society" relationship in it, but in this case, the quality of the individual's personality "extrovert" will not justify itself.

Place Abraham in the society in which he is least likely to be - a society in which he will be admired by almost everyone. Where around the personality is so multifaceted and can create masterpieces of art, including music, from which he is breathtaking. And he himself will become a fan who will seek the attention of his idols, look for opportunities to talk and meet. In this case, the quality of the individual "introvert" will not justify itself.

i.e. personality disorders manifest themselves depending on many factors, but since animals are lazy - they use the tools they have. And the categorization tool or "shortcut" is innate. And hanging a label - you determine your attitude towards a person for a long time, including yourself. You have to be careful when using labels.

The profanation of this has clearly negative consequences for society in the Russian Federation. Obviously, introversion has a negative connotation for assessing the personality as such, which in turn, through a self-fulfilling prophecy, creates a lot of problems. A person who considers himself an introvert is more likely to voluntarily refuse to communicate, including marriage games, and participate in public life. The negative attitude of society towards introverts leads to a state of low self-esteem, because. society pushes for self-reflection, but the problem in relationships is not inside, but outside, which only exacerbates the situation. On the part of society, the introvert will be deprived of positive social strokes, which also leads to the alienation of the individual from society.

An extrovert will have difficulty communicating and interacting with people because is not able to understand the interlocutor, but replaces communication as communication with communication as entertainment, communication decreases from the cultural level to the level of physiology: emotions, physical impact, screams, laughter and other physiological manifestations. And problems in relationships are viewed from the outside, in the environment and others, although they are inside. Which only exacerbates the problem. An extrovert reaches out to a person, but he is protected from him, which causes misunderstanding and aggression, because. he will consider the causes in that person, and not in himself. On the part of society, such an individual will receive much less support and attention, which leads to even more extensive actions of the individual in order to attract attention and attempts to gain approval.

According to the ICD-11 classification, the most similar disorders in terms of the nature of manifestations are: dependent personality disorder for extroverts, anxiety personality disorder - for introverts. At the same time, if you endure loneliness without problems, this does not mean that you are an introvert. It just means that you don't show symptoms of an addictive disorder. And if you feel comfortable in the company and like to communicate with people, it means that you do not have social isolation.

Put a plus: it's not difficult for you, it's nice for me =) Thank you for your attention.

Extroverts, introverts, ambiverts: who they are and how to work with them

The company's team consists of a large number of people with different personalities. In order for an HR specialist to effectively interact with employees, understand their motivation, know which work is comfortable for them and which is not, you need to be able to determine the personality type of specialists. There are three types of personality types: extroverts, introverts and ambiverts.

In our new article, you will learn what these types of people are and how to interact with them for productive work.

Extrovert: Distinctive Characteristics and Secrets of Interaction

Extroverts are the "lighters" of the company that are open to the world and directed towards people. They are very sociable and easily get along with people. As a rule, extroverts quickly get used to the new team and can carry on any conversations.

Extroverts are filled with energy if there are a lot of people around them. The book Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Neuroscience states that there are two types of extroverts:

Active. Their key characteristics are assertiveness, success leadership, perseverance. Active extroverts like to be the center of attention and very often occupy leadership positions.
Affiliative. Friendly, open and sincere guys. They easily find contact with new people and value their loved ones very much, because relationships mean a lot to them.

The main features of extroverts:

love to be the center of attention;
do not like routine and monotony, they prefer variety;
know a lot of people and easily make contact with strangers;
they are driven by interesting work tasks, they are happy to take on a variety of complex tasks, but only if they are interested;
first they speak, then they think;
prefer to talk and talk about themselves than to listen to the interlocutor and try to understand his problem.

How to work with extroverts and set them tasks: 4 tips from the Hurma team

1. When setting tasks, it is very important to give them time and the opportunity to reason and ask interesting questions. Ask the extrovert for feedback on the task, let him tell you how he understood it, say deadlines and expected results.

2. Extrovert employees should be assigned to projects where they can learn something new for themselves. In addition, it is important to create a “competitive” environment for them, since it is these conditions that motivate them the most.

3. Give them the opportunity to be in the spotlight, be a mentor to someone, lead a discussion in which they can take the initiative and take action.

4. As a rule, extroverts have adequate self-esteem and are self-confident. But despite this, it is important to praise them and celebrate their achievements.

Introvert: distinctive characteristics and secrets of interaction

An introvert is the exact opposite of an extrovert. Such people focus more on their inner world than on the outside. Introverts are not very sociable, but at the same time, very pleasant interlocutors, if you talk with them on topics that interest them. In addition, if you find an approach to them and make friends, you can learn a lot of interesting things, since these are people with a rich inner world.

They place the main emphasis on their own knowledge and experience, and not on the views of other people. An introvert likes to read, plan things, work more productively in a calm environment. You can recognize an introvert by the expressions: "I need to think", "I need to analyze", etc.

only those people with whom they have developed close, trusting relationships are considered friends;
calm and balanced;
first they think and only then they speak;
do not like multitasking and work overload.

How to work with introverts and set them tasks: advice from the Hurma team

1. Introverts think a lot and that is why they cannot always answer the question quickly. Give them time to think things over, formulate an answer, study more information. If introverts do not know something, they study the issue, delving into the details.

2. Be prepared to answer a large number of questions, because it is important for introverts to understand the manager's analytics, why the task needs to be done in this way, on what grounds this or that decision was made.

3. Introverts have one feature similar to extroverts - they also need praise and recognition of their merits. And in principle, praise is important to everyone, do not spare praise, well, really 🙂

4. When working with an introvert and setting a task, accurately calculate the time frame, explain step by step how and what needs to be done.

5. These are not the kind of people who need to be constantly monitored. If you want to work with an introvert, give him more freedom of action.

6. If you do not have time to communicate with them personally, use e-mail or corporate messengers.

Ambivert: distinctive characteristics and secrets of interaction

Ambivert is the golden mean between a calm introvert and a hyperactive extrovert. Depending on the specific situation, they can behave both as introverts and as extroverts. If they are uncomfortable, they immerse themselves in themselves; if they like the surrounding conditions, ambiverts actively communicate with everyone.

These people value both social interaction and solitude, when they can be alone and think. Barry Smith, director of the Human Psychophysiology Laboratory at the University of Maryland, claims that 68% of people are ambiverts.

The main signs of ambiverts:

quickly join a new team and do not experience discomfort when communicating with strangers;
have empathy, understand and listen to the emotions of other people;
they have a wider social circle than introverts;
they establish deeper contact with people, unlike extroverts.

How to work with ambiverts and set them tasks: tips from the Hurma team

1. Ambiverts can work with both routine and interesting tasks. Therefore, if there is monotonous work in the list of tasks, they will do it.

2. If you have difficult tasks, you can entrust their implementation to ambiverts. They are easy-going and not afraid to take risks.

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