I love that the “Introvert Revolution” has started (we even have a fight song now) and that more people are starting to think about their own and others’ temperament. I know a lot of us were relieved when we learned the word introvert, as having a name somehow gives an object substance and weight. I had hoped that the Introvert Revolution would result in us being more tolerant and respectful of each other’s temperament, except I’m becoming increasingly aware that when I’m talking about introversion and extroversion I’m still leaving out a large section (perhaps the majority) of the population – ambiverts.
So many of the labels we use to describe ourselves–religious, racial, etc–seem so precise that people tend to forget that there are those who identify as a mixture. The internet isn’t helping either. Most web pages that ask for your personal details only provide two choices for gender–Male and Female–ignoring people who don’t consider themselves as falling into that dichotomy. Likewise many surveys don’t offer a “multiethnic” box to check. I consider myself multiethnic and those one-or-the-other questions hurt. But it occurs to me that I’m doing the very same thing when I talk about introversion and extroversion as if it was a black and white dichotomy instead of a continuum. After all, the influential psychologist Hans Jürgen Eysenck thought of introversion and extroversion as existing in a continuum, and Jung thought that we have both sides inside of us, at one point even saying “There is no such thing as a pure extrovert or a pure introvert. Such a man would be in the lunatic asylum.”
I’m not sure this American inclination for seeing the world in terms of black or white is going to go away anytime soon. One of the first tasks when setting up a Twitter account is to fill in the bio, which are often then used to state firm likes and dislikes. Cheese Lover, entrepreneur, hates driving, etc. There are very few bios where people describe an ambivalence, or acknowledge that, for instance, they like cheese most of the time but they just don’t feel like it at other times. Meanwhile, over on Facebook people are breaking up friendships because the other person dares to express an opposing opinion. I see very little compromise or middle ground on Facebook posts.
So ambiverts – I’m sorry I’ve ignored you. I’m sorry that you’re often grouped into one label or the other when you feel equal parts of both. Most introverts are ambiverts anyway, we just lean one way instead of existing in the middle. I’ll try to include you in more of my posts and I will try to remember that the world is made up of wonderful grays.
