Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. Once upon a time, the concept of “psychotype” was the domain of psychology and psychologists. Now we hear from all sides (from every iron) words from this area and most often such as “introvert” or “extrovert” (I’m not even talking about sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic).
It is clear that this is some kind of designation of people of a certain group, but who are they? Are you interested to know if you, for example, are the kind of person who can be called an introvert? In general, is this good or bad? Maybe we should strive to be a charming extrovert? Or is an ambivert a better option?
In this short publication, I will try to talk about all this in simple words, and at the end you can take a short personality test to understand whether you were lucky or not to be born the person you would like to be.
Decoding the concepts: introvert, extrovert and ambivert
There are several basic personality characteristics that make each of us unique. These include the concepts of introversion and extraversion, which were identified by the famous psychologist G. Jung.
In the accepted classification, there are three types of people: introverts, extroverts and ambiverts. What characterizes each type and what is the difference?
Who is an introvert
Introvert
is a person who is turned inward. This type of personality is immersed in their emotions, experiences and thoughts.
Introversion is understood as a person’s orientation towards himself. This concept implies the predominance of the individual’s inner world over interest in the surrounding reality and other people.
Who is an extrovert
Extrovert
- this is a person who directs his interests to the outside world, turns more to other people than to himself. Extroverts are communicative, optimistic people, dependent on communication.
Extraversion is the process of expressing feelings, emotions and thoughts outward. The concept presupposes the direction of the inner world into objective reality, the outpouring of the content of the personality to the outside.
Who is an ambivert
Ambivert
is a person who combines the qualities of introversion and extroversion. At certain moments, a person listens to himself, wants to be alone, to reflect.
Under other circumstances, a person strives for communication and self-expression. In psychology, it is believed that an ambivert is the most stable and stable personality type, since it manages to avoid the extremes inherent in the other two types.
In a pure state, extroverts and introverts are not so common. Usually we can only talk about dominant personality traits.
Extraversion and introversion in psychology
If you think you don't fit all extroverted or introverted characteristics, you're not alone. The reality is that most people fall somewhere in the middle. Few people are of one personality type. Additionally, people can change personality over the course of their lives.
As a child, you may be closer to the introverts, but you will find that as an adult you become closer to the extroverts. Fluctuations on the personality spectrum are normal. Some people even work on themselves to be more or less extroverted with the help of psychologists or special programs.
Of course, much of your personality is determined before you are even born. Your genes play a big role in shaping it. One study found that genes that control how your brain responds to dopamine can predict your personality characteristics.
Of course, brain chemistry isn't the only factor in determining where you fall on the personality continuum, from introvert to extrovert. Your personal qualities are part of your development and personal growth. They are what make us unique.
Have you often wondered, “Are you an introvert or an extrovert?” If so, there's a good chance you're an ambivert. Ambiverts are charming people who can be excellent conversationalists as well as excellent listeners. But that's only part of the story. In this article, you can understand what ambition is, how to know if you are ambivertent, and how to use your natural gifts.
Characteristics of an introvert
It’s easy enough to recognize an introvert in any company. He can sit all evening with a glass of wine and contemplate what is happening around him, thinking about something of his own.
Such people rarely show their emotions; they are reserved and taciturn. Introverts give the impression of being calm people, but this is not entirely true. They are not used to venting their inner feelings on others. Introverts are more interested in understanding their experiences alone.
Positive traits of introversion include
:
- Independence from other people's opinions. An introvert's own value system is strong and unshakable. He is confident in his judgment and will not change his principles to please others.
- Stable external reactions. You can be sure that in the heat of a quarrel an introvert will not splash hot tea in his face.
- Thoughtfulness, perseverance, ability to take responsibility. An introvert often reflects, so he knows his strengths and weaknesses; he seeks support within himself, without appealing to others.
Introverts also have their disadvantages that hinder progress towards success.
:
- High level of sensitivity and self-criticism. The personality is prone to deep introspection and self-criticism, which adversely affects the psyche.
- Restraint of emotions, which can lead to psychosomatics. There are feelings that cannot be kept to yourself.
- Inability to make the right contacts, poor communication skills. An introvert has difficulty getting along with people and does not know how to ask for help. It is difficult for a person to build social relationships; she is indifferent to the opinions of other people. Negative traits hinder career development and adaptation in a changing external environment.
Which psychotype is better
It is believed that extroverts are happier and have an easier life. Perhaps this is only because introverts hide their emotions and do not react so violently to what is happening. But that doesn't mean they aren't happy.
Extroverts are sociable and friendly, which helps them fit into society, make friends and develop romantic relationships. They do not harbor negativity, so they are less susceptible to stress and neurosis. In this regard, it is better to be an extrovert. Introverts needlessly seem gloomy and boring. Often behind the mask of indifference lies a rich inner world, which only those closest to you can know. Getting married to an introvert is not so easy, because he needs to get used to the person before he can begin to trust him and open up. It might be worth it and you just have to wait.
You can’t call any psychotype bad; everyone is good in their own way. Introverts and extroverts have positive behavioral traits. The main thing is to choose the right field of activity and social circle in order to get what you need. Introverts value scope and the opportunity to turn to themselves; extroverts value society and its gratitude.
Extrovert vs introvert
Characteristics of an extrovert
An extrovert strives for publicity; he needs to participate in public events where there are large crowds of people. Such a person always strives to be the center of attention. At the party, we immediately recognize him: he actively communicates with all the guests, comes up with competitions and fun, and pulls us by the hand to dance.
All the energy of an extrovert goes outside, while an introvert tends to accumulate it. On the other hand, energy reserves are replenished through active communication with others. An extrovert can be easily identified by his direct gaze; in dialogue, he always looks into the eyes of his interlocutor.
The benefits of extraversion include:
:
- Openness and sociability. An extrovert will tell you everything about himself and will be happy to listen to your problems.
- Optimism and good nature. A person is always ready to help and is attentive to the needs of loved ones. He is not prone to judgment and moralizing.
- Active, wide range of interests. You will rarely find an extrovert at home on the couch. He is directed towards the outside world: today - a swimming pool, tomorrow - a cat show.
- A large number of friends and acquaintances, which helps in career advancement and business.
There are also negative aspects
:
- An extrovert literally wastes energy; without proper return, he can feel empty and lack of strength.
- During times of forced loneliness, a person cannot concentrate on himself and becomes depressed. It seems to him that “life is passing by.”
- Strong dependence on the opinions of other people.
- Expressed extroverts cannot be and live alone; if fate puts them in this position, then isolation becomes a problem. A person cannot even sleep in an empty apartment.
Sometimes extroverts give the impression of being superficial and frivolous people, incapable of introspection, which is not always true. An extrovert with a healthy psyche is quite capable of studying and adjusting his strengths and weaknesses.
Time for a change
As they age, many extroverts notice that their unbridled temperament comes into conflict with their deteriorating physical shape. The joys derived from constant movement and active communication are becoming less and less, and most of them, alas, have not acquired the habit of living an active inner life. What to do? A good way out is to take a closer look at introverts and follow their example. It is introverts who feel more comfortable in their declining years: they are less afraid of loneliness, they, as a rule, read more and generally have some activities and hobbies that are not associated with increased activity. Introverts not only spend their energy more rationally, but are also better able to accumulate it. Their innate caution and desire to plan everything in advance in their old age turn out to be a definite plus. Of course, a person is not able to change his nature, but adjusting his lifestyle with age is not only reasonable, but also necessary. Every extrovert will probably have introverts around him. The approach of retirement age is an excellent occasion for taking old friendships to a new level of quality.
Characteristics of an ambivert
Ambiversion involves a combination of the two personality types described above. Depending on the circumstances, a person is an extrovert or an introvert.
An ambivert can easily join any social group if necessary. However, he will not show that assertiveness and obsession inherent in an extrovert. A person listens to the emotions of others and tries not to offend, which distinguishes him from an introvert who is immersed only in his own experiences.
An ambivert's personality is open to communication, but he also knows how to listen without interrupting or making comments. Therefore, an ambivert has many acquaintances and has established long-term interpersonal contacts.
An ambivert can work independently or in a team with equal ease. For an extrovert, hard, monotonous work is always a burden; participation in a common cause is more important to him. An introvert, on the contrary, prefers to work alone, when no one distracts from the process.
These people are very flexible and adaptable. They subconsciously understand when to be active and when to remain silent. They always try to find a way out of difficult stories, without splashing out emotions like extroverts, but also without withdrawing into themselves like introverts.
An extrovert is a person who is “always with people”
An introvert lives “within himself,” occasionally experiencing a desire to learn something from the outside (from communicating with other people). An extrovert lives “outside” . He thinks of himself only as part of society. He easily makes contacts, knows how to win people over (or thinks he can). Also, people of this psychotype very easily and naturally express their emotions in public (they do not hide their feelings).
And he has been like this since childhood. Communicating is as easy for him as breathing. True, such people talk a lot more than they listen, but this is precisely their essence. It is very difficult for him to keep his emotions to himself, because they literally tear him apart. And all this has a real physiological basis.
Extroverts' brains are designed a little differently . Speech centers, centers for rapid information processing, and higher emotional sensitivity are more developed (they are brighter and more expansive). All this brain chemistry is perfectly illustrated in the first half of this video:
An extrovert can only succeed as a person in the eyes of society, which is why such people have very strongly developed ambition.
This is completely a “man of the crowd,” which means he must be able to follow its laws - be in trend, dress well, know how to present himself, be moderately generous and responsive. Their main feature is the ability to work in a team , which is extremely difficult for their opponents (introverts). Working in a team (where you can make a career) or working with people is the best area to use their natural sociability and initiative.
Naturally, among people of this psychotype there are different subtypes. These are cheerful optimists who love life and make the most of it. These are also careerists who, by establishing relationships, achieve a better position and various benefits. These are also romantics who need communication like air to maintain a positive emotional background (like Adamych from the Old New Year).
How to understand whether I am an introvert, an extrovert or an ambivert
To understand what type of personality you are, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the characteristic features of each of them in a concentrated form.
| Personality type | Dominant characteristics |
| Introvert | Does not strive to get into noisy companies and public events. It is difficult and long to experience failures and setbacks. He speaks little and listens a lot. Lives in the world of his fantasies. Holds back emotions. Likes to philosophize. Gets attached forever, knows how to remain faithful. Has patience. Meticulous, observant, focuses on details. |
| Extrovert | Strives to make new acquaintances. Easy to climb. Sociable, talkative. Emotional. Everything that's inside instantly spills out. He puts himself on display and dreams of being the center of attention. Can't stand loneliness. Focuses on the opinions of others. |
| Ambivert | He understands the mood of other people well and is intuitive. Equally psychologically stable alone and in company. The choice is always made based on one’s own feelings. Able to adapt to external conditions. Depending on the situation, he becomes a participant or an observer. Expresses emotions in adequate doses, does not keep them to himself, but does not become hysterical. |
If you have any doubts about your affiliation, we suggest you take a short test.
Answer only “yes” or “no” to the following questions and statements.
:
- Do you need new places or people to be happy?
- Do you easily give up on original plans?
- Do you need the support of loved ones to make a decision?
- Does your excitement often give way to low mood?
- Do you act first and think later?
- Can you bet on anything when you're excited?
- Do you like to talk about yourself and your emotions?
- You don’t know what melancholy and melancholy are.
- Do you meet the opposite sex without false modesty?
- You don't worry about what you might have said or done inappropriately.
- Do you not return your thoughts to this or that task if it has already been done?
- You prefer not to dream, but to act.
- When choosing between reading a book and going to a party, you will choose the party.
- Are you like a fish in water in a big company?
- Do you like it when everyone's eyes turn to you?
- You do not know the feeling of guilt and remorse.
- You cannot stand monotonous routine activities.
- You love meetings where people joke with each other.
- You talk a lot and with pleasure.
- Your sleep is sound, no thoughts can interrupt it.
Let's start counting the results. If you answered yes to 10 or more questions, then your type is “extroverted.” The more “yes” answers, the more pronounced the typical characteristics of an extrovert are in a person. Think about whether you should learn to understand yourself and listen to your inner voice?
If there are less than 10 positive statements, you are an “introvert.” Is your number of “yes” approaching zero? Then introversion can become a problem. Ask a close friend to describe you from the outside. Most likely you have a gloomy appearance and drooping shoulders.
If the answers “yes” and “no” are approximately equal, congratulations, you are an ambivert. This is the most stable type that achieves the greatest success.
An introvert is a person who is not bored alone
An introvert at its apogee is a person who is completely self-sufficient. The higher the degree of introversion, the greater the self-sufficiency. It is clear that absolute extremes are also absolute rarities. There are practically no completely self-sufficient people, and those whom we mostly classify as introverts are still not 100% self-sufficient.
All introverts are not particularly bored when alone. Even as a child, I heard the expression that a smart person alone is not bored. Then this phrase seemed flattering to me. But everyone's degree of introversion is different. For example, I consider myself a social introvert . What characterizes this:
- I can handle one-on-one communication with a person quite well, or, at worst, communication in a small company, but in this case, people should be well known to me. But the best option is one-on-one communication. There is less discomfort here, even when communicating with an ardent extrovert, for whom communication is the meaning of existence.
- I have few friends with whom I can communicate comfortably (my wife is probably more than half of them) and it is difficult for me to find new ones, but at the same time I sometimes like to be among people. That is, I don’t like to be in a crowd, but I enjoy being around and observing the behavior of others. In this sense, I am an introverted pervert (close to the golden mean called ambivert).
But there are much more advanced cases. For example, anxious type of introversion , when any prolonged communication causes discomfort. Such people communicate little and the best solution for them is strictly limited contacts, when they warn in advance that they have so many minutes (hours), and then they need to run (rest). There are a lot of outstanding personalities among such people, as well as among introverts in general.
There is an excellent video confession of an introvert close to the anxious type (with a tendency toward melancholy):
Let extroverts not be offended, but from the point of view of the rationality of the time they use, they are far from ideal and it will be more difficult for them to realize their potential. But you can't run away from your psychotype . If you are an extrovert, then you will definitely need communication, travel, music, a working TV and any other type of movement that creates a feeling of life.
How can an introvert change his personality traits and become an extrovert?
First you need to answer the question: “Do I need to become an extrovert?” After all, the opposite type has many disadvantages that we mentioned. If a person is comfortable with an introverted existence, then there is no need to change anything.
When introversion has become a problem and a person has literally withdrawn into his experiences, you can work on the skills of an extrovert. It is problematic to do this on your own, since changing types is subject to adjustment with great difficulty. It's better to see a psychologist.
You can help yourself if you start listening more to what other people say. Try to overcome the desire to delve into yourself, look at the world around you, notice everything interesting and useful in it.
Don't hide your emotions, express them outside. If you are angry - show it, if you are happy - dance or sing. Discuss your feelings with people. Don't be afraid to look on the bad side. By and large, we are all similar to each other and experience the same emotions.
Go out into public, attend public events. Don't be shy about people, meet people, communicate more. You come to an exhibition - discuss new paintings with a random visitor, work out in the gym - ask your neighbor how he achieved such outstanding results.
Over time, extroverted skills will become a habit, and you will not feel awkward or displeased from communication.
Flexibility is key
It is important for HR managers and executives to take into account the personality types of employees in order to assign them those projects in which they will show their best sides, and not vice versa. For example, if you want an extrovert to do a great job at a task, you shouldn't give him a task that requires a lot of attention to detail.
Encourage introverts to be active when they show it, and make sure that there are not too many extroverts and that they do not irritate their colleagues.
But most importantly, remember that there are very few people who are extroverted or introverted. So don’t prioritize what type you or your colleagues are, but flexibility and mutual respect.
Effective communication depending on personality type
We live in society and every day we come into contact with different personality types, among which we can find extroverts and introverts or ambiverts. Understanding the differences between these individuals will help you connect with them and build good relationships. Approaching these people correctly will give you advantages in both your personal and professional life.
Behavior of introverts in society
As already written above, many may misinterpret the aloofness of introverts and mistake their behavior for arrogance, coldness and unfriendliness. These people just need time to get used to a new person.
A superficial explanation of any question will not be enough for an introvert; the deep meaning and reason are important to him, and he will get to the bottom of the truth.
Close people enjoy communicating with an introvert because he knows how to listen and empathize. Thanks to his deep inner world and desire to study every situation from all sides, he will be able to objectively assess the current situation and express a truthful opinion. Just be prepared for the fact that it may not match yours.
Introverts are creative people, their essence is manifested in creation. At the same time, the products of their creative activity can be both intangible results: ideas, texts, poems, and material objects: paintings, handicrafts and others.
No matter how strange it may sound, introverts love solitude. It is vital for them, since in society they spend a lot of energy, and in solitude they restore lost strength, comprehend what happened and draw conclusions. Introverts avoid noisy companies and, once at a party, they will disappear from view and retire to chat with one or two people.
