Introverts, Extroverts, and the In-Betweens

Sometimes I think we live in a very contradictory society where introversion is both applauded and frowned
upon. One of the biggest issues, in my opinion, is that people mistake introversion for shyness and social
anxiety, as Cain gracefully explored in her NYT opinion piece.

Back in my high school, everyone had to take a Personality Test  as a discernment for future
studies and careers. The test comprises of four extremes: introversion--extraversion, observant--intuitive,
thinking--feeling and judging--prospecting, so everyone gets a four letter code at the end of the 12-minute quiz
that tells them exactly who they’re as an unique individual. The Myers & Briggs Foundation tells us that
introversion-extraversion is one’s most defining characteristic, and all else departs from there-- but I remain
skeptical of this quiz, because of its “elegance” in categorizing people.

I tend to think these different dynamics as more of a spectrum rather than two distinct umbrellas people fall
under. Humanity is difficult to categorize, or else we would all be vegetables in a supermarket with price tags--
some deemed more valuable than others.

We took this personality test multiple times throughout high school and some people’s results changed--
someone who was once “INTP” as a freshman might have become “INTJ” by senior year. I wonder if
introversion-extraversion is as innate as we believe it to be, as Cain observed in the children who were either
“sitters” or “rovers.” Perhaps like intelligence, which we once thought was static, our personality can be
trained. Or, the test is flawed in its certainty of how people are labeled, and anyone who falls in the middle of
the spectrum might find themselves a “different person” on different days.

I love how Cain’s article discusses the values and importance of introverts, but I think it should be a reminder
of the diversity of individuals, not a simplified confrontation between introverts and extroverts.

In classes where participation is valued-- for good reasons-- sometimes I wonder how one’s scale of
introversion plays-- for some prefer to observe and listen before jumping into the conversation, which doesn’t
mean they’re less involved or attentive, if not more.

Comments

  1. jdoutJanuary 24, 2018 at 9:00 AM

    What an excellent and thoughtful article. I like the image of people with stickers on our foreheads in a supermarket, being appraised, bought and sold for our "value."
    Thank you very much, author, whoever you are.
    p.s. Would you all please sign your blog articles from now on? We want to be able to thank you in person!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJanuary 27, 2018 at 2:05 PM

      Thank you for the kind comment! Sorry about the name situation, will sign always.

      Delete

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