Introvert and extrovert

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​This is one of the most popular topics, and every year I include it in the Summer Study program at the University of Practical Psychology. Let’s figure it out.

In the communication of psychologists, we often hear: “He is an introvert” or “He is an extrovert!” What is it about?

In popular literature, the issue has long been resolved in the most primitive way: sociable people with a strong nervous system are called extroverts, and the beautiful title «introvert» was given to people who are unsociable, withdrawn people with a weak nervous system, immersed in the world of experiences. This is a combination of three factors: sociability — isolation, strength — weakness of the nervous system and a person’s turning inward, into his inner world — as opposed to turning (orientation, aspiration) outward, into the outside world.

Compare Cattell’s Factor A (closedness — sociability) questions with popular questionnaires that determine your introversion-extroversion.

«Intro» — inside. «Extra» — out. «Version» — orientation, aspiration, conversion.

An extrovert may have a rich inner world, but he will deal with it only to the extent that he needs it for something in the outside world. In the choice to be alone or to communicate, he will rather choose to communicate. If there is a choice of «think» or «do», he will prefer to do. If you need to think, he will think, but only to the extent necessary to make a decision and act. An extrovert is not prone to self-digging and reflection: «If I dig the earth, I dig the earth!». He teaches himself to think in order to do, and is attentive to feelings to the extent that this helps to navigate in life. To immerse yourself in experiences for too long — no, this is not his. Life, people, what is happening around him is the real circle of his interests.

An introvert is different. Answering questions from popular tests, an introvert recognizes himself in the following description:

I like to be alone and with familiar people, preferably in peace and quiet, when I don’t need to do anything quickly, here I rest and gain strength. I do not like being around people, especially in new and noisy companies, in situations of stress and when something is required of me urgently.

Difficult, causes fatigue and irritation to the point of braking and shutting down.

After social events, I feel empty, even if I was fine.

I can disconnect if too many events are happening.

I feel anxious when a project is under deadline and I can’t relax.

I don’t like to interrupt others and I don’t like being interrupted.

I usually need to think before I react or say something.

Sometimes I feel empty in my head when I meet people or when I am unexpectedly asked to say something.

This is a person with communication problems, who does not tolerate stress and excitement. Everything new is perceived by him as discomfort, causes protest and fatigue.

Often I think with horror of having to make a phone call back.

In general, I prefer to listen rather than talk.

I don’t like overly exciting environments.

I can’t imagine why people go to watch horror movies or ride rollercoasters.

In general, I prefer to listen rather than talk.

As a result, in popular literature, the concept of «introvert» is understood very simply: it’s just a person who is not sociable, does not like to communicate or has difficulties in communication. And that’s all.

It would seem that everything is clear, but introverts are often called people who are not. A completely extroverted child may be uncommunicative and avoid company due to shyness and cowardice, but in order not to offend him, for reasons of political correctness, they prefer to call such children the worthy name «introvert». In psychotherapeutic practice, the concept of «introvert» is used as a calming explanation for lack of sociability: «this is your natural feature associated with the richness of your inner world,» especially since in many tests an introvert is interpreted as a person who is deeper and more thoughtful than an extrovert. Let’s say right away that there is no reason for this, thoughtful and deep people are found among both introverts and extroverts.

You need to know that the history of the terms «introvert» and «extrovert» is complex and confusing, and at present different experts put significantly different meanings into these words.

According to K. Jung, an extrovert prefers social and practical aspects of life, operations with real external objects, and an introvert prefers immersion in the world of imagination and reflection.

According to Karl Leonhard, an extrovert is a weak-willed person, subject to influence from outside, an introvert is a strong-willed person, with clear values, according to which he is not afraid to oppose himself to the environment.

An extrovert according to G. Eysenck is sociable, optimistic, impulsive, has a wide circle of acquaintances and weak control over emotions and feelings. On the contrary, the introvert is calm, shy, distant from everyone except close people, plans his actions in advance, loves order in everything and keeps his feelings under strict control.

There are other approaches, and in each the concepts of «introvert» and «extrovert» are interpreted in a special way.

One of the reasons for the terminological confusion is that the word «version» has two different meanings: direction and reversal, and this is not the same thing. The predominant orientation of the interests of the individual — to objects or people, to practical actions or theoretical knowledge, is one thing, and the predominant focus of his attention is another.

A person heading somewhere from home can be turned back to home in his soul. It would seem a subtle difference, but in practical psychology it has turned into a whole abyss.

Another reason why different specialists invest in the concepts of «introvert» and «extrovert» different content is the confusion in the axes external-internal and deep-superficial. When extraversion is understood as turning outward, and introversion as turning inside the personality, we get the same meanings. If we add here the understanding of extraversion as something superficial, and introversion as the depth of the personality, then the meanings turn out to be significantly different. Apparently, it is necessary to distinguish between two types of extrovert — a deep thinker and a superficial talker, as well as two types of introvert: an empty experiencer closed in on himself, and a person prone to deep introspection.

In this situation, we propose the following terminological solution. An extrovert is a person turned outward, open to the world, directed towards people. A problematic extrovert is a stupid, superficial and poorly controlled person, in contrast to a healthy extrovert who has a deep inner world and an inner core. The opposite of an extrovert is an introvert, a person who is turned inward and is primarily interested in his inner world. However, if a problematic introvert, looking at himself, and not at people and the world, loses contact with the outside world, then an adapted introvert is quite worldly and socially adequate.

Sometimes they try to distinguish between extroverts and introverts with the help of Jung’s poetic formula «The extrovert feeds on energy from the outside world and is charged primarily from communication with people, the introvert draws its energy from its inner world, being alone.» Unfortunately, this formula is only beautiful poetry, which has no observable features and therefore cannot be applied in practice.

For example, here is a young man immersed in himself, longing to be among people, thirsting for communication, but due to the fact that he does not know how to communicate and gets tired of problematic communication, he is constantly lonely. However, if you ask him what he flourishes from, he will say: “From drops of successful communication!” Is it an extrovert? But the energetic

You can often hear that an introvert and an extrovert are innate qualities, but such views have no scientific evidence. And most importantly, until the researchers agree on what content they put into the concept of Introvert and Extrovert, no research can be carried out. Today, while different researchers understand these words each in their own way or do not define them at all, this topic is outside of serious science.

If we want to be based on something solid, reliable, phenomenological descriptions of internal experiences will not help us, we need external, observable signs. Do they exist in this case? By external signs, it is not always easy to distinguish an introvert from an extrovert: only a problematic introvert and a problematic extrovert are confidently different. One of the signs by which you can outwardly distinguish an extrovert from an introvert is a look that looks directly at the interlocutor, and not past and not into oneself. Compared to introverts, extroverts tend to be simpler, more practical thinkers, and less prone to worry. Immersed in themselves, the introvert seems to slow down a little, the extrovert is more active, the problematic extroverts act thoughtlessly and impulsively. As a rule, extroverts are more open, look people in the eye more often, and make contact more easily. When listening to a partner, extroverts do not tend to complicate and invent “what is behind this word, that look and that intonation”: they hear what they are told. They are more expressive and not difficult to express feelings.

The division into introverts-extroverts makes sense only in the case of a clear personal pathology. Mentally healthy and developed people are usually ambiverts, that is, they combine the features of both types and do not fit this division. In the synton approach, the division of people into introverts-extroverts is not used as confusing, unnecessary and not working.