Am I an Introvert or Extrovert - or Both?

We may become attached to being one way or the other - the introvert may be seriously inhibited by worries and fears, whilst the extrovert may be caught up in their outgoing feelings and be impulsive. Or we may retain our self-awareness... in the course of daily activities we may swing healthily and appropriately between these two ways of being - introverted as we consider, learn and plan; extraverted as we get involved, express ourselves and put plans into action. Remaining mindful is key to not getting caught up in being introverted or extraverted as a means to escape from thoughts and feelings we are afraid of - instead confronting, experiencing and learning on a path of personal growth.

Michaela continues, “While extroverts are verbal processors, who speak as they think, introverts need to think before we speak. This leads to a slower, more thoughtful communication style that involves fewer words and longer pauses.” People who are largely introverted can be great achievers, just as extroverted people can be likewise.

As Laurie Helgoe says, “As an introvert, we can be our own best friend or our own worst enemy. The good news is we generally like our own company, a quality that extroverts often envy. We find comfort in solitude and know how to soothe ourselves.”

When we are introverted we're stimulated by being in our own company, while when extroverted we gain energy from being around others. At a glance, an individual might seem to be quiet, inward looking and intense. Introverts just don't talk unless they have something to say. However, behind closed doors or when the time is right, that person can be a standup character who is assertive, expressive and uninhibited. Individuals should not be taken at face value nor labelled; their complexity is profound.

Concepts of the duality, or two-sidedness, of human nature and thought have been postulated by philosophers and scientists from many different times and cultures. The key idea is that there are two parallel 'ways of knowing': thinking and feeling, intellect and intuition, objective analysis and subjective insight. Continues...

A paratelic state of pleasurable excitement and involvement may reverse to a telic state of anxiety and withdrawal to reassess goals. These states relate closely to introversion and extroversion. Continues...

Extroverts, according to Eysenck's theory, are chronically under-aroused and bored and are therefore in need of external stimulation to bring them up to an optimal level of performance. Introverts, on the other hand, are chronically over-aroused and jittery and are therefore in need of peace and quiet to bring them up to an optimal level of performance. Continues...