Discovering whether you are an introvert or extrovert can be one of the most important revelations about yourself. Firstly, it can lead to a profound understanding of who you are, setting you apart from the other half of the population. Secondly, it serves as an essential foundation for further learning of MBTI and the eight cognitive functions.
However, many people lack the correct understanding, often simplifying introversion and extroversion to mere social energy or talkativeness. This oversimplification can be confusing, leading many to adopt a vague label like “ambivert,” which doesn’t provide much clarity. The accurate definition, as proposed by Carl Jung emphasizes that as self-aware psychological beings, we inherently distinguish between our inner world, representing our identity, and the outer world of external experiences and other people.
Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology.
He was the first to distinguish the two major attitudes or orientations of personality – extroversion and introversion. He also identified four basic cognitive functions (thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuiting).
To continue, you can read the article below. If you are a visual learner, you can also watch the video version instead.
To determine whether you are an introvert or extrovert, the first fundamental step is to observe your consistent patterns of judgment and perception. Consider whether your important decisions and behaviors stem from something unique about yourself or if they are geared towards seeking approval, interacting, or accommodating the tribe (other people). The second way involves assessing your sense of energy gain and drain.
Step 1: Understand the Inner World (Identity) and Outer World (Others)
First, let’s take a step back and define two distinct psychological worlds as proposed by Jung. For any self-aware human being, there is the objective outer world, encompassing people, objects, common shared knowledge, and even ideas that are widely accepted by the public. This domain is external, not under personal control, and some consider it part of one’s conscious or ego. In contrast, the subjective inner world comprises thoughts and memories, representing personal, controlled aspects, often tied to one’s identity.
To illustrate, consider the above photograph of the Waterloo Bridge in the UK. Different artists could then draw distinct paintings based on the same scenery, showcasing the subjective nature of art. Artists, often labeled as introverts, prioritize their unique perceptions and thoughts. This sets the stage for the first crucial distinction—two different worlds based on the attitude toward them.
Step 2: Determine Your primary attitude towards the two worlds
There is a fundamental difference in their approach: extroverts tend to adapt and orient themselves toward the external world of people, feedback, and objects. While everyone uses both introversion and extroversion to make decisions and considers feedback, the external world plays a deciding and final factor for extroverts.
On the other hand, introverts seek to orient themselves away from the external world. Their final deciding factors revolve around subjective opinions, interpretations, and personal goals—elements that are intrinsic to themselves and not dependent on the external world’s popular opinions. The distinction becomes evident when observing individuals in private, where their true colors emerge.
Step 3: Where do you gain your energy from
I would say this is the more popular (and still quite correct) understanding of introversion and extroversion, which has to do with where we naturally direct our energy and recharge in regards to the inner world and the outer world:
Extraverts have a stronger relationship with the objects of the outer world because they feel a stronger cognitive need for frequent interaction with the world. To Extraverts, what’s going on outside is more important than what’s happening inside. Overall, they are more “action-oriented”.
Introverts have a stronger relationship with the inner world because they feel a stronger cognitive need to connect with their inner subjective experiences. To introverts, what’s happening inside is more important than outside. They are characterized for being more “reflective”.
A good metaphor for extroversion vs introversion is land vs water. You can naturally be comfortable in both, but to an extrovert, the outer world is like the shore and the inner world is like water. They can certainly enjoy staying in water but where do they eventually get respite from? The shore. Vice versa for introverts, the inner world is like the shore and the outer world of objects is the water!
Bonus: Neuroscience Point of View
Neurologically, scientists have discovered that Extraverts and Introverts have different pathways in the brain for processing information. Extraverts use a shorter pathway and are much faster at processing incoming information from the world. Therefore, they have a higher tolerance for stimulation and tend to actively seek out stimulating experiences.
Introverts’ pathways are much longer as the information is processed and filtered internally. They are easier to suffer from “information overload” given the same amount of external stimuli. Hence they prefer a slower “reflective” pace and tend to avoid situations that might overwhelm them. This difference is noticeable in babies as young as 4-months old!
According to statistical studies, Extraverts and Introverts are roughly evenly split in the general population, with a few studies finding a slightly greater number of Extraverts.
I hope you have now gained a deeper and fundamental understanding of the definition and your preference between introversion and extroversion. Still not sure where you fall in this dichotomy? You can read how to know if you are an introvert or extrovert using a behavioral approach.
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