Introversion vs. Extroversion: it’s not an exact science
If you have read our blog on Understanding Introverts at Work, you will have an understanding of the difference between extroverts and introverts. A common misconception when defining introverts and extroverts is that introverts are anxious and shy, and extroverts are confident and love to be centre of attention, however, although this may be true for some, for a lot of us, this isn’t the case.
When psychologist Carl Jung, introduced the idea that people are 1 of 2 personality types: introverts or extroverts; he explained that every individual will fall somewhere along a sliding scale.
Jung proposed that defining whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, depends on where we direct our energy. Jung believed that extroverts direct their energy outwards, towards other people, and as a result, gain energy from social interactions; and introverts, direct their energy inwards, and therefore, gain their energy from spending time on their own.
As you’re reading this, you’ll probably have an idea of whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, and where abouts on the sliding scale you fall. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, your position on your side of the sliding scale can vary from time to time, however, your preference as to what you do to recharge the batteries will stay the same.
As part of his theory, Jung also considered that some people will feel like they can identify with characteristics of both introverts and extroverts, and therefore, fall in the middle of the scale. He labelled these individuals as ‘ambiverts’. As with everything, psychological research on personality is constantly evolving, and since the publishing of Jung’s theory, a further personality type that also falls in the middle of the scale, has come out of the woodwork. These people have been labelled as ‘omniverts’. When looking at the literature on these two personality types, it’s not always clear what the difference between ambiverts and omniverts is, but we think we’ve worked it out.
Ambiverts:
Extrovert biased
Behaviour changes depending on the situation or their mood
Comfortable with social interaction but also relish time alone
Recharge their batteries by socialising with others
Omniverts:
Mild introverts
Behaviour changes depending on the situation or their mood
Enjoys spending time on their own, but also comfortable with social interaction
Recharge their batteries by spending time alone
If we were to place ambiverts and omniverts on the sliding scale, we think they’d be positioned like this:
So, now we’ve got the definitions out of the way, we would like to introduce an addition to Jung’s theory. At the beginning of this pathway, we stated that a common misconception of introverts is that they are often thought of being shy and anxious, and that extroverts are highly confident and love the limelight. However, from our experience, we can argue that this isn’t the case.
What do Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates all have in common? They’re all introverts. Are they shy and lacking in confidence? No. In fact, these individuals have delivered the most inspiring and thought provoking speeches in history, and even today, their words are quoted on a daily basis. Similarly, extroverts aren’t necessarily always outgoing and the life and soul of the party. Although they get their energy from socialising with others, extroverts can suffer from low confidence and anxiety. A prime example of this is Robin Williams. Robin loved to entertain and be around people, but he was seemingly a very anxious character and struggled in isolation, which inevitably led to a negative impact on his mental health.
So how do we explain this? We have identified 4 personality types:
Confident Introvert
Confident introverts are very comfortable in their own skin. They enjoy spending time on their own, and seek stimulation from doing tasks alone. Despite favouring spending time on their own, they are comfortable socialising and are confident speaking to and in front of others.
Anxious Introvert
Anxious introverts are what most people would think are stereotypical introverts. They are shy and quiet in social settings, and would much rather be at home in their own company than attending parties and networking events. They often have a small circle of trusted friends and family, and very rarely deviate from familiarity. They care about what others think of them, and therefore, do not put themselves in situations where they will be open to judgement. Due to their introverted nature, you will find that anxious introverts are extremely loyal people and will only surround themselves with people that they trust and feel comfortable with.
Confident Extrovert
Confident extroverts are the polar opposite of anxious introverts. They are literally the life and soul of the party, extremely comfortable in their own skin and enjoy being the centre of attention. They gain their energy from spending time with others, therefore, have a large social circle made up of friends, family and acquaintances.
Anxious Extrovert
Anxious extroverts are rather complex characters. They enjoy spending time with people, and are energised by external stimuli, however, they crave validation from others and care about what people think about them. This can make anxious extroverts very self-conscious and anxious individuals, traits which become more exaggerated when they spend time on their own. However, in the right company, anxious extroverts can thrive and be the life and soul of the party.
Looking at the diagram above, right now, where would you put yourself? Why not take our test and find out:
Like the introvert/extrovert scale, your position on the confident/anxious axis can change. However, whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert is highly dependent on you as a person, your personality, it is something that is deep-set and innate. Therefore, although your levels of introversion or extroversion can change throughout your life, it is a rarity that you will ever cross that middle point and completely change preference. On the other hand, the confident/anxious scale is heavily influenced by environmental factors, meaning you can pass the middle point on this scale. There could be periods in your life where your confidence levels are sky high, and then something can happen which causes you to slide into the anxious zone. It’s totally dependant on what’s happening in the here and now, who you’re surrounded by, and your current state of mind.
In Summary: whether you’re an introvert or extrovert is dependent on where you direct your energy. Generally, people will label themselves as one or the other. Some people may identify with characteristics from both sides of the scale and label themselves as ambiverts or omniverts. We at T2 have added a vertical axis which represents a person’s levels of confidence or anxiety. With the addition of this axis comes the creation of 4 new personality types. It also provides an explanation as to why someone who is generally reserved can deliver a powerful speech in front of a large audience, and someone who is generally expressive, can lack self-confidence. Theories of personality are never black and white, but we believe we may have discarded some of the grey area surrounding this topic.