Nowadays there is a lot of talk about the uniqueness of each human person. And these are not just big words – we are really all different and completely unique. But still there is something that unites us. We can talk about the similarity of temperament traits, characteristics of the emotional sphere, the level of intelligence or attitude to the surrounding reality. This allows psychologists to group people according to the characteristics of their mental activity. Extroverts and introverts are two such large groups. Can absolutely any person be attributed to one of these groups? What are the differences between the extraverted and introverted personality types?
Who are extroverts
Being a social being, a person from the moment of his birth to a ripe old age feels the need to communicate with his own kind. Loneliness is one of the hardest trials for a person, and any hardships and hardships are easier to bear if close relatives, friends, ready to support and help people are nearby. Everyone has a need for social contacts, but it manifests itself in different ways, and the level of this need is different.
The most striking desire to interact with other people is noticeable among extroverts, they are literally focused on society. No wonder the very term “extrovert” is associated with the Latin prefix extra – “outside”. For the first time this concept, like the term introvert, was proposed by K. Jung in his book “Psychological Types”. To date, a huge number of psychological studies have been carried out, confirming the theory of C. Jung and complementing the characteristics of these types.
- Extroverts are always in the midst of people, they draw energy from the crowd and willingly throw it back in the form of emotions, sociability, demonstrativeness and desire for popularity. The best work for an extrovert is in a team, and the best rest is in a noisy, cheerful company.
- When faced with problems, the extrovert immediately runs for help and support to friends, and he usually has a lot of them. But he also willingly and often noisily shares any of his success with those around him. Therefore, often the extrovert is “too much” – he is tired of his assertiveness, excessive sociability, talkativeness and heightened emotionality. In addition, these people are often intrusive or aggressive, and they have serious problems with a sense of tact.
- A large number of people around the extrovert not only like it, it excites him, acts intoxicating. Therefore, once in the center of attention, the extrovert completely loses the brakes, which he already has not very good.
People of this type absorb the world with all their senses, they grab onto a lot of things, get carried away with a bunch of different things, but rarely know something deeply and thoroughly.
Summarizing all of the above, the following personality traits inherent in extroverts can be distinguished:
- social orientation;
- sociability and sociability to the point of obsession;
- openness and interest in people;
- activity and assertiveness;
- increased excitability, especially among people;
- a tendency to dominate and often to aggression.
However, these traits in people manifest themselves in different ways, so in psychology it is customary to talk about the level of extraversion. There are also special tests that allow you to determine the severity of these personality characteristics. That is, someone is more extrovert, and someone less. The same applies to another type of personality – the introvert.
Introverts – who are they?
As the name implies, introverts are turned inward, focused on their inner world and are in no hurry to open their souls to the first comer and to the second too. Unlike open, outgoing, and hyperactive extroverts, introverts are withdrawn, self-absorbed, and appear to be slow-witted.
But it is not so. It’s just that introverted individuals spend their energy sparingly and within themselves, and do not throw it out like extroverts.
- They are characterized by immersion in their thoughts and feelings.
- Very often these are people of a creative mind, although their isolation and unsociability do not allow them to openly demonstrate the results of their work, they do not like to brag and avoid any publicity.
- Introverts are less visible than extroverts, but no less, and often significantly more productive than people with an extroverted personality type, who demonstrate the achieved results rather than doing.
Introverts are called reclusive hermits. This is also not entirely true. Of course, the crowd, the noisy crowd and the hustle and bustle of the people arouses their rejection, and often frightens them. But the only friend, the closest person, the introvert will always be faithful, although he will not shout about this loyalty at every step.
An introvert is unobtrusive, he prefers to cope with his troubles and problems on his own, but will not refuse to help his neighbor. True, he tries to avoid too persistent and obsessive types, their pressure forces him to withdraw into himself, to hide in his shell. This often leads others to view the introvert as a callous, selfish egoist. Among this type, such people are also found – if a person is only interested in his inner world, it is difficult to love other people.
Summing up the analysis of the characteristics of an introvert, we can distinguish a number of inherent traits:
- calmness and equanimity;
- isolation and lack of communication;
- laconic, inexpressive facial expressions and gestures;
- lack of communication and unwillingness to work in a team;
- a low level of emotionality or experiencing emotions within oneself;
- a tendency to think;
- things and theories interest him more than living people;
- he is never bored with himself.
However, in their pure form, these two types are quite rare. Therefore, they are so noticeable that no testing is needed to determine who is in front of you – an introvert or an extrovert. But there is also a third type.
Ambiverts
If you translate this term from Latin, then the ambivert will be something like “two-sided” or “shape-shifter”. Sometimes this type includes people with mild extrovert and introvetric traits. This is not entirely correct – the characteristic features of both types of ambiverts are manifested quite clearly.
In one situation, an ambivert may behave like an introvert, in another, like an extrovert. This is a kind of chameleon with a changing type of behavior, emotionality and sociability. Despite this fickleness (or perhaps because of it), people of this type get along well and adapt in any social environment or alone.
In a pleasant company and in the mood, ambiverts can be sociable, incendiary, and cheerful. However, even in solitude, they will always find a business for themselves. They love to engage in self-education and creativity and are not alien to the public demonstration of their talents.
Ambivert is:
- a successful writer organizing a presentation of his book and surrounded by a crowd of fans;
- a scientist giving a brilliant report on the results of many years of research;
- a teacher who lectures emotionally and artistically and demonstrates deep knowledge in various fields of science.
Yes, an ambivert is able to enjoy success and willingly works in a team, but he never rushes to lead it, and success is his personal achievement. A person of this type can become the “soul” of a party (or can just sit in a corner as an observer), but will never initiate it. Different people perceive representatives of this type in completely different ways, sometimes it seems that we are talking about completely different personalities.
Thus, the following personal characteristics are inherent in the ambivert:
- versatility, complexity of personality;
- quick transitions from activity to brooding passivity;
- equally comfortable perception of the crowd and loneliness;
- flexibility of mind and behavior;
- the ability to adapt to changing conditions.
That is, the ambivert, although it combines the features of an introvert and an extrovert, is not something in between. These people do not fit the definition of “average” at all; most likely, they are really bilateral, more precisely, even multilateral.
Reasons for type differences
Each of the described psychological types (especially for extroverts and introverts) has not only positive, but also negative sides that we would like to get rid of. For example, the gloominess, isolation and selfishness of introverts and excessive sociability, obsession and aggressiveness of extroverts. How are these types formed? Or is upbringing to blame for everything, and with the right approach, you can raise ambiverts from all children?
Even K. Jung wrote that the traits of introverts and extroverts are innate. Later, psychophysiologists and psychologists proved that the characteristics of the behavior of these types are associated with the originality of higher nervous activity, primarily with such an indicator as the ratio of the processes of excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system.
- Extroverts have strong and stable processes of excitation of nerve cells. This allows them to maintain high activity and emotionality for a long time. To feed their nervous system, they need a constant influx of information from the outside, primarily emotional and sensual.
- Introverts have more pronounced inhibition processes. The suppression of arousal leads to lethargy, detachment, coldness. An excess of external information that their brains are unable to quickly process causes irritation and fatigue.
- But among ambiverts, the processes of excitation and inhibition are not only equally strong, but are also in equilibrium. And thanks to the mobile nervous system, a high level of excitement can quickly be replaced by an equally strong inhibition.
The strength of arousal and the speed of the course of nervous processes affect the speed of reactions, and the level of sociability, and the brightness of emotions. That is, correct upbringing can smooth out the extreme manifestations of types that interfere with living in society, but it is impossible to completely “re-educate” an introvert and an extrovert. And it is undesirable, since this can lead to disruption of the psyche.
Yes, the grounds for the formation of these mental types are of an innate neurophysiological nature, but if you have found the features of an extrovert or an introvert in yourself, then there is nothing terrible or unpleasant in this – the world is rich in its diversity. Success in our lives, as well as happiness, is available to both introverts and extroverts. Only they go to them in different ways.
