Are you an Introvert?

Are you an introvert and what is the definition? being an introvert is a type of personality preference which is often mistaken for shyness.

Introvert Definition

Introverts gain their energy and recharge their batteries by being alone. To seek peace and quiet, deep thinkers. They’re more inwardly focused, often finding their inner world more interesting than the outer world.

The concept of introversion and extroversion was created by psychologist, Carl Jung. It’s a psychological concept which is mainly to do with inward or outward focus, and energy, where we get our energy from and how much interaction with people we require and want. Plus a large array of other personality traits.

Introvert Personality Traits

Introverts enjoy being around and interacting with people. However, for the most part they prefer their socializing to be less frequent and perhaps in shorter intervals. There’s perhaps an exception to this, get an introvert talking about a subject that they have a strong interest in and you might not be able to shut them up. They also prefer their interactions to be of more substance and perhaps importance with a greater level of depth. They are less likely to be the first people to engage in small talk as many introverts don’t like it as most find it mentally draining.

While extroverts gain energy from social interactions and being in groups, these same situations can be an energy drain for introverts. An introvert may become mentally drained by a group or social situation and may actively seek out their own personal alone time, or they may just simply become more quiet and less responsive to attention.

Introverts tend to be more thought oriented then extroverts, introverts are more likely to think before acting or speaking. Extroverts tend to be the opposite, an extrovert is more action oriented. Introverts are more likely to become bored of performing the same learned skill over and over and they’re more likely to move on to other challenges and skills.

Myths about introverts

Being introverted is just shyness and people can overcome it

Being shy is more to do with lacking confidence and a lack come comfort around people, while some introverts may be shy the two are very different things. Being shy may come from a lack of social skills which will probably improve in time, therefore confidence will also improve resulting in a person coming out of their shell and becoming more social. However, a strong introvert with good social skills may still seem more reserved, dislike small talk and avoid unnecessary social situations, events and still largely enjoy their own company.

Introverts are unfriendly

Because of the introverted characteristic of being thought oriented they spend more time in their own heads thinking, so they’re sometimes less aware of what is going on around them. An introverts focus is more on the internal rather than the external world and the people in it, they find their internal world more stimulating than the outside one. This may lead them to not noticing people and forgetting about certain social niceties, even forgetting about annual events such as birthdays.

Introverts don’t like people

Introverts do like people, well some people anyway. They prefer to have fewer friends but deeper connections with those friends. They’re also more careful with whom they talk to about personal information, this makes them harder to get to know. Introverts are normally more selective when it comes to talking to people and making friends. They look for people who have similar interests and ideas, and they don’t like to speak just for the sake of it.

For more myths about introverts see the top 10 myths about introverts page.