Common Stereotypes About Introversion and Extroversion in Life

Introversion and extroversion have long been familiar concepts in life that we easily encounter. It has even become a catchphrase when many people want to comment on someone or want to introduce themselves.

For example, when seeing a person talking very naturally and engagingly in front of a crowd, someone will surely comment like "he is really an extrovert". Or when a person introduces himself as "I am an introvert", it is enough to generalize that his personality is somewhat shy and easily embarrassed.

However, despite being so commonly used, not everyone is fully equipped with knowledge about these concepts. Instead, we often use them based on general, superficial understandings. That understanding gradually causes us to form prejudices about people that we consider similar to introverts and extroverts, reducing the value of these concepts in perceiving and understanding people.

Common stereotypes about extroversion that we often encounter:

- Always like to go out and interact with crowds, like to live in groups.

- Like to express oneself verbally, often talkative.

- Very easy to talk to, like to get to know others.

- Often make decisions based on spur-of-the-moment things without careful consideration.

- Often uses body language or actions to support the expression of thoughts.

- Often stressed, even depressed, psychologically disturbed if isolated from the outside world for too long.

And the common stereotypes about introversion that we often encounter are:

- Be careful when making decisions, often explore, think before making decisions.

- When I'm sad or hurt, I often look for a quiet moment to be alone.

- Like to chat privately when there are only 2 people.

- Usually think and make decisions by yourself, rarely ask for other people's opinions.

- Thinks a lot but speaks little, does not dare to express personal opinions, only speaks his mind when asked.

- Not afraid of being isolated, even proactively isolating himself, likes to live an introverted life.

In reality, each individual will never always behave in such extremes. Introverts can still like to socialize outside and extroverts can still like to be quiet alone. These tendencies also depend on each individual, depending on each situation or stage. Believing in these common statements can easily lead us to fall into prejudice when we see and judge others in a one-sided, one-sided way because it is only based on external expressions, but does not describe the nature of why they have such actions and expressions.

In other words, these stereotypes do not help us to understand the nature and internal rules of each personality group so that we can better understand the way of thinking of the people around us. On the contrary, judging personality based only on external, superficial manifestations like that makes it easy for us to misunderstand others, leading to errors in the way we approach and behave with the people around us.

Redefining extroversion and introversion

Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl G. Jung wrote Psychological Types in 1921 to introduce one of the most groundbreaking concepts in his study of human personality: the concepts of extraversion and introversion. Let's learn about the nature of these concepts so that we can apply them most accurately in life.

Introversion

People with introverted tendencies define the objective world based on subjective criteria. At the same time, they will also be oriented in thinking by these subjective criteria.

Introversion is the process of forming energy from within, through the introvert's own orientation toward the power of controlling subjective things in life, such as personal thoughts, personal feelings, personal experiences...The more introverts maintain and affirm these subjective things, the more confident and comfortable they will feel.

This does not mean that introverts are always in a state of introspection, but instead they can express their subjective view of the outside world. They can interpret objective things and events based on a subjective perspective such as talking about personal feelings, personal experiences, personal standards, etc.

Subjective perspective is a manifestation of a subjective reality formed inside the minds of introverted people, it is not an objective reality at all.For them, every thing must be recreated in the inner world.

Because the energy of introverts is detached from objective things, they will have expressions such as secretiveness and unpredictability when approaching new objects. To explain this, we should understand the behavior of creating "distance" of introverts. They often create distance between themselves and the outside world to maintain their subjective world inside, and this is often misunderstood as them being shy or afraid, but in fact, it is not necessarily so. It is just their way of protecting their subjective world by being wary of objective influences.

In short, the nature of introverts is that they are concerned with preserving the subject from the effects of the object.

Extraversion

People with extroverted tendencies will define their inner world based on objective criteria, and at the same time be guided by standards and actions based on phenomena and information coming from objective sources.

However, we need to note that perspectives, no matter how objective they are, still have a certain subjectivity. Because an individual's perspective is not comprehensive, it is almost impossible to fully grasp the objective world. Here, we can understand this objectivity based on the subjective cognitive limits of extroverts, that they always try to deny their own subjective factors when receiving information about the subject, but in fact, those subjective factors will still partly affect their perspective.

Extroversion is the process of forming energy by external objective factors, the objective criteria are the most important for extroverts. Because they are always oriented by objective criteria, extroverts tend to change themselves to adapt to the external environment. The more they are able to adapt/influence the external environment, the more confident, comfortable and energetic they feel.

Extroverts tend to think and act in a direct and responsive way to the external situations that are occurring at the moment.

Extroverts do not necessarily have to be good at socializing, as this depends on the individual’s ability. However, not being able to adapt/affect the external environment over time can cause extroverts to become less confident and lose their motivation.

Even neglecting the inner world can cause pain and suffering for extroverted people. They can change to adapt to objective conditions, but if things in the subjective world such as personal feelings and opinions are suppressed without being satisfied or expressed, they can easily fall into a state of imbalance. At such times, they will become closed and less expressive as a way to reshape themselves.

Furthermore, extroverts are always under the influence of the objective world, so in their thinking there may be two cases: either in harmony with the environment or against the inappropriate environment. However, if we compare, in cases of disharmony with the external environment, introverts will be in a defensive or evasive position, while extroverts will actively resist the outside world in an offensive position.

In conclusion, we can conclude that the nature of extroverted people is that they are interested in how the subject can affect the object.

What can extroverts and introverts do to conserve/renew their energy?

As said, peopleintroverttend to preserve their subjective world, trying to avoid external influences. The subjective world includes factors such as: personal emotions, personal attachments, personal experiences, personal views or perspectives... Being able to maintain control of these personal factors makes introverts feel confident, safe and comfortable.

On the other hand, introverts will feel drained when faced with environments that change a lot and challenge their subjective factors. For example, they feel that what is happening in the surrounding environment is outside their own experience, or are influenced by others to change their inherent perspective.

Based on the above characteristics, the way for introverts to preserve/regenerate their energy is that they should seek out environments, relationships, and things that already share the same harmony, emotional attachment, views, perspectives, and experiences with them and avoid environments that are too different or opposing. Being in an environment that already shares the same values ​​makes introverts feel their personal values ​​protected, more firmly affirming themselves; this helps them feel confident, comfortable, and not need to be vigilant. That is also the way introverts can do to preserve/regenerate their energy.

Peopleextroverted, on the contrary, have the need to influence/change the objective objects. They are interested in whether the subject can do something to create an impact on the object. Creating the widest possible influence on the environment makes extroverts feel confident, that they are grasping and maintaining their control over the external environment.

The inability to maintain one's influence on the objective environment can make extroverts feel out of control, stressed, and even afraid because they cannot locate themselves, cannot determine their own thoughts or actions.

To avoid falling into that situation, extroverts should seek environments where they can comfortably debate, persuade, and influence others. They always need environments with many changes, with many new elements to satisfy their need to grasp the objective world. That is how extroverts are energized.

In the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic directly affecting our lives, connecting with relationships and environments that suit us is very limited. At this time, introverts can choose activities that protect and enrich their subjective world such as reading, translating books, writing, painting..., as long as they feel this is related and familiar to them; or try to maintain their existing habits to adapt to the new situation.

As for extroverts, who always need stimulation from the objective environment, when forced to stay at home, they can choose activities such as: joining online groups to debate and interact; searching for information, cultivating new knowledge; or starting a new activity that requires them to learn, experiment and have continuous interaction.

More information

If you want to learn more about "introversion", "extroversion" or MBTI, you can visit the pageMBTI with MeU. This is one of the groups that often posts and shares useful, diverse and easy-to-understand information about personality patterns when placed in everyday life.

Reference: Psychological Types - Carl G. Jung

Minh Thang