Thoughtful, anxious, reserved: what kind of introvert are you?

Introversion is a state in which mental energy is directed inward, Carl Gustav Jung believed. In his opinion, introverts and extroverts simply use different ways of adapting to their environment. But Jung’s conclusions did not immediately lead psychologists to the idea of ​​the equivalence of both. For a long time, introversion was considered a disorder or even a defect in personality development. Now we know that introversion is manifested not only in behavior, but also in the features of the brain.¹. And not all introverts behave the same way.

At the level of everyday communication, we are often guided by stereotypical ideas. “Ask a random person on the street what an introvert is. Most (if they know anything about introverts at all) will name thoughtfulness or a tendency to introspection as defining qualities, ”says Jonathan Cheek, professor of psychology at Wellesley College (USA). It seems to some that an introvert is a sort of beech who avoids the company of others and seeks to spend time alone. He smiles a little, does not like to be in the company of others, he is annoyed by cheerful companies. Others imagine a shy neurotic who demands careful treatment. Neither view captures the full picture.

Read more:

• Introverts: live at your own pace

Jonathan Cheek and his colleagues came to the conclusion that there is no single type of introvert². Rather, we can talk about four shades that differ significantly from each other: social, pensive, anxious and reserved. They are united by the trait noted by Jung – a tendency to conserve energy, more attention to the inner world than to the outer one. But each of them needs its own approach. “Of course, like any classification, this model is very conditional,” emphasizes the psychologist. You can be part social and part anxious introvert. But, knowing what features are characteristic of both, we can better predict our own and other people’s reactions and, ultimately, live in harmony with our nature.

TYPES OF INTROVERTS

Социальный

This type of introvert can be outgoing, relaxed, and even chatty within their small group. They carefully select their surroundings and truly reveal themselves only in the environment where they feel comfortable. They prefer to work alone, because the presence of others prevents them from concentrating and takes away energy. They may well do without communication for quite a long time, but they feel the need to be among people, to watch them, to feel their involvement in them.

Thoughtful

Thoughtful introverts pay a lot of attention to their own thoughts, their inner world, introspection. “They are said to live in the world of their dreams and fantasies,” says Jonathan Cheek. But that’s not a sign of neuroticism. For them, it is rather a way of perceiving the world, a source of creative energy.” They have a well-developed intuition, they evaluate the world through the prism of their own experiences. Work that requires actions according to instructions is given to them poorly. They approach the matter creatively, put a part of themselves into everything they do. Their “handwriting” can always be recognized.

Disturbing

Unlike social introverts, anxious people seek solitude because they are uncomfortable and even unpleasant to be surrounded by other people. In communicating with people, they often encounter misunderstanding, get into awkward situations, and become the cause of misunderstandings. Comfortable for them can be called a situation where communication is clearly regulated (for example, when there is generally accepted etiquette that prescribes how to behave in different situations). They expect others to be predictable and benevolent, and they themselves are always extremely considerate.

Restrained

Reserved introverts can come across as slow. They prefer to first think things over carefully, and then start acting or talking. They always need a little time to recover – for example, after waking up. “They are like a car that needs to warm up before driving,” explains Jonathan Cheek. At the same time, such people often put forward the most reasonable and balanced proposals, their thoughts are distinguished by depth and thoroughness. This quality often becomes an excellent counterbalance to the violent activity of bright extroverts.

Pass the tests

• Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
• Which hemisphere is your dominant?

You can take a test in English and find out what your type of introversion is at Online popular science publication Scientific American.

¹ S. Kane “Introverts. How to use the features of your character” (Mann, Ivanov and Ferber, 2014).

² The results of the study are presented at the annual conference of the Society for Personal and Social Psychology (SPSP).