Do you know the difference between introverts and extraverts? If your answer is no, then you have come to the right place. If your answer is yes, then you might be surprised when you read further.

What if I told you that the stereotypes of introversion and extraversion we know and love are broken all the time? The bold lines telling us who is introverted and who is extraverted are more like guidelines. An introvert can share traits with an extravert and vice versa.

What’s an Introvert?

Many people describe introverts as awkward and shy. Introverts tend to live in their own worlds. This means they’re more preoccupied with what’s going on inside of their head compared to what’s going on around them.

• Introverts often like doing things alone, not because they can’t go out and socialize, but because they’re comfortable with being alone.
• A room full of people tends to overwhelm an introvert. They get the energy they need from ideas and projects, but in a room full of people they become mentally and physically drained.
• They “Think to Speak,” which means they take the time to word their statements just right. You’ll notice because there’s a brief pause just before they answer. This is one of the common behaviors clues for an introvert.
• They choose to keep their sentences short and sweet rather than using detailed run on sentences. When they do speak, it’s in a quiet, soft manner.
• They live and long for peace and solitude.

What’s an Extravert?

Extraverts are described as the complete opposite of introverts. They live for the people, meaning they feed off of the energy of other people. They’re outgoing and prefer to spend their time at parties and events.

• Extraverts tend to talk openly and freely.
• Extraverts are known for having many friends of all walks of life.
• They’re known for being loud people and for thinking loud.
• Extraverts often “Speak to Think.” They get so excited that before you’re even done with a question or a sentence, the already know what they’re going to say. Most of the time they’ll even interrupt you, which is a behavioral clue of theirs.
• They’re very vivacious. Extraverts seek interaction with others.
• They love to talk more than they like to listen. They’re able to adapt easily when subjected to different environments.
• They want to talk things through and dissect the conversation, and their opinion tends to change as you go deeper and deeper in depth with the topic.
• Extraverts are known for running off on a tangent from time to time.

Divergent?

As you’re reading this you might fit squarely into one category or the other, or you might notice that you fit some traits in both. Who says an introvert can’t have extraverted traits or vice versa?

The great thing about personality typing is that you don’t have to be entirely one or the other. You may just heavily rely on one side more than another, but still possess the potential for both.

For example, in Divergent, a movie set in a futuristic dystopia, people are separated at the age of sixteen based on their personalities and capabilities. There are five factions: Erudite (the intelligent), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), Candor (the honest), and Abnegation (the selfless). During a psychological test each person is put into multiple situations and forced to choose which path to take to resolve the problem.

_{Photo Credit Here}

This is similar to a Myers-Briggs personality test you’d take on the Internet, choosing one preference over another. In the world of Divergent, this test tells every sixteen-year-old where they fit best and what they will do for the rest of their lives.

In the movie, on a rare occasion someone comes along who “doesn’t fit” or meet the standards of that society, because they’re versatile or unique. They call these people “divergent.”

The lines for a divergent personality are so blurred together that they cannot be categorized. In a similar fashion, introverts and extraverts are not the only option. Anyone may be a hybrid of both.

Not everyone can be neatly categorized. These are the people that are described as well rounded, versatile, and able to adapt. Some might call them “divergent.” Just as in the movie each person tends toward one side or another, but may still operate as both introverted and extraverted.

Where do you fit in?

To reach a higher level of self-understanding, we constantly search for answers; things help us understand what makes us who we are. According to a Jungian perspective of psychological theory, the first step towards knowing yourself is to decide whether you are an introvert, extravert or “divergent.”

In the next few articles we will discuss other pieces to the puzzle of personality. This is just the first of an in depth series on understanding personality profiles as a whole. It is important to understand where we fit on the spectrum of the various features of personality traits and functions so that we know how we prefer to communicate and how others prefer to communicate.

This knowledge can help in any aspect of life from personal relationships to business relationships, negotiations, etc. Once we know how someone else communicates based on their overt personality features, we can decide how to optimally interact with them.

For more on introverts and extraverts, visit the Intelligent Communication Blog.

If you have any thoughts or questions on innies and outies, leave us a comment.

The next article discussing sensing and intuition will be posted next week. Make sure you come back to read it.