Introvert, Extrovert Or Ambivert?

We are all individuals with our opinions and character, but we do share personality traits with other people.
One is extroversion, meaning whether we are introverted, extroverted, or ambiverted, which means we may oscillate between the two depending on circumstances.
This personality trait isn’t so much of a fixed label—that is, you are either one or the other—as a spectrum. But knowing where you sit on that sliding scale at any time goes a long way to understanding yourself and why you do and feel as you do at times.

I am very introverted.
Introverts internalise our thinking, and our emotions and gut feelings play a big part in any decisions we make. Silence and solitude are both golden to an introvert! “Me time” is vital!
We like to observe and listen to others—their emotions are also important in how we react to them. Personally, I prefer written communication to spoken—whether face-to-face or on the phone—so that I can take some time to process things and respond in the best way. The Internet is an ideal place for the introverts of this world!
We find large social gatherings draining, need alone time to recharge our batteries, and tend to have small groups of very close friends. We like things to be planned and hate surprises!
As a young kid, I had no idea why I needed to be alone at times; I just knew that I did.

Conversely, extroverts are energised by having many people around them and are often the life and soul of the party. They need that physical interaction.
One study found that extroverts responded more to seeing human faces than introverts. Simply seeing another human stimulates an extrovert’s brain.
Extroverts like talking to sort out their ideas rather than processing thoughts and emotions internally.
They don’t need as much “me time”.
They are more open to taking risks than introverts and cope better with surprises and sudden changes in plans. Spontaneity can be a delight to them.
They generally enjoy being the centre of attention, while most introverts are happier working quietly in the background.

There is a common misconception that introverts are shy or anti-social, but that isn’t true in the majority of cases. We just process things differently to those who are extroverted!

And I am sure we all know some people who belong in that fourth category! 😂

Maybe some of you have done an online personality test, such as the Myers-Briggs one. It is cruder than a formal psychologist’s test but can still give you great insight into your personality and why you think, feel, act and react as you do.
The result places you in one of 16 personality types, each one made up of 4 letters.

I did this myself only fairly recently, and wish it had been around when I was a kid. I spent most of my life feeling like an alien, as no one seemed to think or feel as I did.
When I read my results, it was like someone had got inside my head and turned on a brilliant light. Suddenly, I was no longer the “weird” one. I was different to many people, yes, but still normal, and there were others out there just like me!
I am an INFJ, meaning I am introverted, use my intuition and feelings as part of my thinking—both my feelings and those of others—and like to be organised, know exactly where I am headed, and have at least three backup plans already in place before I do anything. 😅

I have found quite a few other INFJs via the Internet, and we tend to spot each other pretty quickly! 😁

Are you generally introverted or extroverted or more of an ambivert?

Have you ever done a personality test such as the Myers-Briggs one, and if so, what was your result?
Did you agree with it?
And did you gain insight into yourself through that?

Serious or humorous, in whatever way you like, let’s Disqus all things personality!

All of our discussions stay open for 14 days, so please feel free to return and add more or just read and chat!