Image from cinismoilustrado
An introvert is someone who gains energy by being alone, while an extrovert recharges by being social. If you’re into visual metaphors you could picture a cup. The cup exists to hold your energy. When you’re tired out from work your energy cup is empty. When you’re ready for a day of adventure your cup is full. Some people fill their energy cup by going to a party, others by reading a book. Still others, called ambiverts, are in the middle.
Or at least that’s how I like to define it, but there are many other definitions of introversion and extroversion out there.
If I were writing this post in the 1930s, I would have given a different definition and quoted Carl Jung, the famous psychiatrist, who popularized the words introvert and extravert (notice the spelling) in his text Psychological Types (1921). Instead of describing the difference between introversion and extroversion in terms of physical energy, as we often do now, Jung theorized there were two ways of reacting to the world: the Extraversion attitude (focusing on the object), and the Introversion attitude (framing things around the subjective). In other words, is a person more oriented towards the outer world or the inner world? Jung believed that no one is completely an introvert or extravert, and that we have both sides within us, with one side being more dominant than the other side.
Jung also theorized that there are four different functions people use to orient themselves: Thinking, Feeling, Sensation, and Intuition. If this sounds familiar it’s possible you’ve come across the popular MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) test, which is based on Jung’s theory.
You may have also come across Hans Eysenck’s theory. Eysenck thought that our temperament — where we lie on the Extraversion/Introversion, Neuroticism/Stability, and Psychoticism/Socialization continuum — is determined by our genetic makeup. He theorized that we all have a base level of cortical arousal. Introverts have a higher level of arousal and therefore seek out lower amount of stimulation. Extroverts, on the other hand, have a lower level of arousal and so they tend to seek out sources of stimulation. Ambiverts are in the middle.
Throughout this blog I will be using the definition of an introvert as someone who gains energy by being alone rather than from being with people. All introverts, whether gregarious, people-loving introverts or introverts with a heavy dose of social anxiety are welcome here.
