Introverts and Extroverts: They are not what you think
When people talk about introverts and extroverts, they often think about whether people like social interactions. In fact, the true definitions of introversion and extroversion depend on where you find meaning - and as such, knowing who you are can help you make life choices that make you happier and more fulfilled.
I was surfing the internet a few days ago and came across a site that defines introverts as people who don't like social situations and who are more comfortable being alone. If the author combined the word "introvert" with the word "social," you wouldn't be reading this article because I wouldn't be writing it. The site tries to portray psychological introversion but offers products and services specifically aimed at the social definition of an introvert, so my hacker got up and I jumped into my soapbox to find out what one of my pets was. To make it clear and unambiguous:
Psychological introversion and extraversion are not measures of how comfortable (or not) you feel in social situations.
The concepts of psychological introversion and extraversion were originally described by Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung to describe two distinct ways in which people give meaning to their lives. Jungian introverts derive their meaning from developing a rich inner life, and it is when studying this inner life that they feel most comfortable. To quote Merriam Webster's dictionary, introversion is "a state or tendency to be wholly or mostly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life". Jungian extroverts, on the other hand, make sense to interact with things in the outside world, and they are most comfortable studying the outside world. Cannon Webster again: extraversion is "an act, condition, or habit that primarily involves and enjoys that which is outside of oneself." While this doesn't seem dissimilar to the idea that introverts are "people who don't enjoy social situations," there is a big difference. In actual Jungian use of the concept, the focus is on where a person matters, not how, and often has nothing to do with one's comfort at a cocktail party.
The confusion between social introversion/extroversion and psychological introversion/extroversion is driven by the fact that most examples to explain concepts rely on observable behavior - which is only social because it is observable. And to emphasize clarity, most of the examples are presented as polar opposites. So you'll see things like "extroverts are common and love parties and political community and demonstrations" and "Introverts like secluded activities like reading and writing, playing computer games and listening to music". Do you understand what I mean? Psychological introverts do have social graces and enjoy parties and can be just as excited about public demonstrations as the closest humans can be. Psychological extroverts enjoy music, as well as reading and writing.
Psychological introversion/extraversion is a continuum within each of us. We all prefer one another (internal to external), but we all have abilities and often enjoy a variety of introvert/extroverted socials. This is why it gets so confusing when people try to use labels to describe a person based solely on observable behavior.
Knowing whether you are a Jungian Introvert or a Jungian Extrovert can be very important in making you feel more comfortable with yourself. It can help you make tough career decisions, determine which skills are most likely to outperform you and which aren't, understand why some environments are better for you than others, and choose the products and services that are best for your temperament. The same can be said about whether you are primarily a socially introvert or a socially extroverted.
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