Introversion and extroversion
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The terms introvert and extrovert (also spelled extravert) refer to "attitudes" and show how a person orients and receives their energy.
In the extroverted attitude the energy flow is outward, and the preferred focus is on people and things. Extroverts tend to be energetic, enthusiastic, action-oriented, talkative, and assertive. Therefore an extroverted person is likely to enjoy time spent with people and find less reward in time spent alone.
In the introverted attitude the energy flow is inward, and the preferred focus is on thoughts and ideas. Introverts tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and disengaged from the social world. Thus, one who is introverted is more likely to spend time alone or in contemplation, as these activities are rewarding. They may avoid social situations entirely, not because of shyness, but because they choose to.
While most people view being either introverted or extroverted as a question with only two answers, this is more of a scale, with people falling on both ends and in between. The term ambivert was coined to denote people who fall more or less directly in the middle and exhibit tendencies of both groups. An ambivert is normally comfortable with groups and enjoys social interaction, but also relishes time alone and away from the crowd.
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History
Ancient medicine recognized four temperaments: sanguine and choleric types roughly correspond with extroversion as understood today, while phlegmatic and melancholy temperaments correspond with introversion.
The terms introvert and extravert (spelled with an a) were originally employed by Sigmund Freud and given significant amplification later by Carl Jung. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Socionics expand on Jung’s theories and use introversion/extroversion as one of their key types.
Hans Eysenck’s P-E-N model of personality includes extroversion, together with neuroticism and psychoticism. Raymond Cattell’s 16PF personality questionnaire includes the factors of Warmth, Liveliness, and Social Boldness, which later became extroversion in the big five personality traits.
Measurement
Introversion/extroversion is normally measured by self-report. For example, a questionnaire might ask if you see yourself as someone who is the life of the party or who thinks before you talk (agreeing with the first statement would increase the extroversion score, while agreeing with the latter would push the score towards the introversion end of the scale). Or you may be presented with various sets of adjectives (for example: thoughtful, talkative, energetic, independent) and asked which most describes you and which describes you least.
Self-report questionnaires have obvious limitations in that people may misrepresent themselves either intentionally or through lack of self-knowledge. Some research, particularly on children, relies more on third-party observation.
Causes
The relative importance of nature versus environment in determining the level of introversion/extroversion is controversial and the focus of many studies. Twin studies find a genetic component of .39 to .58. In terms of the environmental component, the shared family environment appears to be far less important than individual environmental factors (not shared by siblings) Template:Ref.
Eysenck proposed that extroversion was caused by variability in cortical arousal; "introverts are characterized by higher levels of activity than extroverts and so are chronically more cortically aroused than extroverts". Because extroverts are less aroused internally, they require more external stimulation than introverts. This theory may be backed up by evidence that extroversion is tied to a gene that shapes the brain's response to dopamine Template:Ref. Other evidence of this “stimulation” hypothesis is that introverts salivate more than extroverts in response to a drop of lemon juice Template:Ref.
One study found that introverts have more blood flow in the frontal lobes of their brain and the anterior or frontal thalamus, which are areas dealing with internal processing such as remembering and problem solving. Extroverts have more blood flow in anterior cingulate gyrus, temporal lobes and posterior thalamus, which are involved in sensory processing such as listening and watchingTemplate:Ref. It is difficult to determine the causal relationship in this case. The differences in brain activity may cause the differences in personality, or the person's tendency to introversion/extroversion may manifest itself in brain activity, or there may be some complex interaction between the two.
Implications
Acknowledging that introversion and extroversion are normal variants of behaviour can help in self-acceptance and understanding of others. For example, an extrovert can accept his introverted partner’s need for space while an introvert can acknowledge her extroverted partner’s need for social interaction.
Social psychologist David Myers found a correlation between extroversion and happiness; that is, more extroverted people reported higher levels of personal happinessTemplate:Ref. The causality is not clear: it is not known if extroversion leads to greater happiness, happier people become more extroverted, or there is some other factor such as social status that affects both. Introverts may have advantages when it comes to long-term memory and problem solving Template:Ref.
Commentators such as Jonathan Rauch have observed that extroversion tends to be seen as normal and desirable in Western and particularly US society, and that introverts can be viewed as antisocial and arrogantTemplate:Ref. This may not be true in other societies, for example Japanese culture places value on quietness and self-control.
Career counsellors often use personality traits, along with other factors such as skill and interest, to advise their clientsTemplate:Ref. Some careers such as computer programming may be more satisfying for an introverted temperament, while other areas such as sales may be more agreeable to the extroverted type.
Although neither introversion nor extroversion is pathological, psychotherapists can take temperament into account when treating clients. Clients may respond better to different types of treatment depending on where they fall on the introversion/extroversion spectrum. Teachers can also consider temperament when dealing with their pupils, for example acknowledging that introverted children need more encouragement to speak in class while extroverted children may grow restless during long periods of quiet study.
However, use of the terms may encourage pigeonholing or stereotyping. As noted above, introversion/extroversion is a continuum and most people have a mixture of both orientations in their personalities. A person who acts introverted in one scenario may act extroverted in another, and people can be taught to act “against type” in certain situations.
Notes
- Template:Note Auke Tellegen, David T Lykken, Thomas J. Bouchard, Jr., Kimerly J. Wilcox, Nancy L. Segal, Stephen Rich (1988) Personality Similarity in Twins Reared Apart and Together Journal of Personality and Social Psychology Vol. 54, no. 6. 1031-1039
- Skov, Martin (2006) Reward processing and extrovert behaviour Brain Ethics January 23, 2006
- Template:NoteLemon juice experiment Wired-up March 18, 2005 issue: 22
- Template:Note Garcia, T (1999) Brain activity indicates introverts or extroverts ABC News in Science April 6, 1999
- Template:Note Myers, David G (1992) The Secrets of Happiness Psychology Today
- Template:Note Van Mourik, Orli (2006) The Introvert Advantage NYU Journalism February 26, 2006
- Template:Note Rauch, Jonathan (2003) Caring For Your Introvert The Atlantic Monthly; March 2003; Volume 291, No. 2
- Template:Note Ateel, Saqib Ali (2005) Personality Career Tests
See also
- Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
- Big five personality traits
- Personality
- Trait theory
- Socionicsda:Extravert (psykologi)
de:Introversion und Extraversion es:Introversión y extraversión fr:Introversion et extraversion pl:Introwersja i ekstrawersja fi:Introvertti ja ekstrovertti