Introversion and extraversion in psychology. What is it, definition, examples, test

A person’s temperament, whether they belong to extroverts or introverts, is a very popular topic, especially among non-specialists.
Very often you can hear that a person explains some of his characteristics or habits by the fact that he is an extrovert or an introvert. But does everyone really know what they are talking about? Does publicly available superficial information about these psychotypes really provide sufficient insight? We'll figure it out now. The first in psychology to talk about the division of people depending on their temperament into extroverts and introverts was Freud's student, the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung. In his work on psychological types, he pointed out that the classification of people into extroverts and introverts depends on the direction of their vital energy, that is, the direction of libido.

Carl Gustav Jung placed a focus on interpersonal interaction between people at the center of his concept. Thus, the focus of introverts’ attention, the direction of their life, based on the thoughts of a psychoanalyst, is precisely in the subjective perception and understanding of mental content, that is, it is directed inward, towards understanding internal mental activity. Extraversion, as a behavioral type, is characterized by concentration of attention and direction of forces on external objects in the world. Jung's concept remains one of the most popular in typologizing people in psychology today. But it is important to emphasize that it is not the only one. Pavlov’s typology is also popular among psychological specialists, who divided people according to the type of nervous system, depending on what qualities are inherent in it: strength, mobility, balance, weakness, and so on.

However, today more and more questions arise regarding the concepts of extrovert and introvert. The knowledge formulated in scientific circles migrated into everyday wisdom. Nowadays, for many, it will not be difficult to explain to the first person they meet a general understanding of these two concepts: extraversion and introversion. However, as practice shows, everyday understanding may differ from the scientific concept.

About the concepts of introversion and extraversion

Dichonomic concepts in Personality Theory define people's attitudes according to their inclinations to evaluate internal sensations or external events. A person is endowed with a certain set of qualities at birth. Typological affiliation is the basis for the entire period of personality formation.

What is extraversion

Extraversion is a personality’s focus on relationships with the outside world. An extrovert may have a rich inner world, but he can only demonstrate his abilities in interaction with the surrounding society.

Extroverts do not tend to take a long time to understand their feelings; they quickly navigate the situation. People of this psychotype do not hesitate to make decisions, but are capable of radically changing their attitudes under the influence of the environment.

What is introversion

Introversion in psychology is a number of personal characteristics of an individual that are aimed at avoiding social contacts. A person with this orientation is focused on the mental activity of his inner self. The accumulation of energy during introversion occurs inside a person.

Introversion is the ability to control your feelings and plan your actions. Introverts take a long time to make decisions, but for them they become the only and unshakable ones.

Characteristics of introversion

A true representative of this type is characterized by the presence of the following personality traits:

1. He will never communicate spontaneously, always doing it with a clear goal, even if it is imperceptible from the outside.
2. Able to do without social contacts for a long time without much harm to himself.
3. Clearly adheres to the boundaries of his personality. He will quickly show his presumptuous interlocutor in his place, and at the same time he is distinguished by increased touchiness and temper.
4. He carefully thinks about what he is going to do.
5. They belong to the secondary type of reaction to events: they will “chew” an unpleasant incident for a long time, constantly returning to it mentally.
6. They have developed fantasy and imagination.
7. Very observant, they like to analyze what is happening.
8. Patient.
9. They know how to control their emotions.
10. They are highly goal-oriented.

Why know your psychotype?

Introversion in psychology is a psychotype that, like extraversion, manifests itself immediately after birth.

The psychological orientation can become more complex and improved, but cannot change radically. The question arises: why is it necessary to determine your personality type if this knowledge does not change anything? This setting is not correct. Knowing your ego changes, first of all, your attitude towards yourself.

• People who do not attach importance to innate qualities often begin to work on their weaknesses by imitating the models accepted in society. Failures are accepted as defeat and lead to nervous breakdowns and depression.
• Any problem can be solved by using your personal potential, your strengths.
• Thoughtful actions, according to your psychotype, help you gain self-confidence, calmness and harmony.
• In turn, the harmony of the individual helps to strengthen her health and relationships with others.
• Knowing your capabilities, you can build successful relationships in any field, forget the opinion of yourself as a mediocre and stupid person.

Personality characteristics

Introversion and extroversion - these characteristics give the owners certain character traits and temperament. The common belief that an extrovert is a sociable and open person, while an introvert is especially sensitive and has his head in the clouds, is not true.

In psychology, division into 2 groups is the most difficult concept, since introversion or extroversion in their pure form is extremely rare. Determination of a personality type according to any of the types is carried out by the presence of predominant qualities. It is very difficult to determine at the first meeting what kind of person you encountered, but some common features can be identified.

The difficulty of accurately defining a type also lies in the fact that relatively recently psychologists have identified a third personality type - ambiverts. These are people who are endowed with special flexibility in relationships.

They can combine the features of both psychotypes at the same time or periodically appear in the images of an introvert or an extrovert, depending on the circumstances. Individuals endowed with such abilities can relax equally well alone with a book and in pleasant friendly company.

Extraversion and introversion. System understanding

Sociable, joyful, striving for external and spiritual beauty, a vision that loves people - this is an extroverted vector. Absorbed into himself, in the full depth of the processes happening to him, loving peace and quiet, indifferent to everything external sound - an introvert vector. And both of these vectors are in one person, there is no contradiction.

7 31778 July 31, 2011 at 00:24 Author of the publication: Maria GRIBOVA, specialist in international law and international relations.

Often we try to explain a person's actions by saying that he is an introvert or an extrovert. These concepts, which are firmly integrated into our everyday speech, were first introduced by the Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist Carl Jung. His definitions were as follows:

Introversion literally means “turning inward.” A person's preference for his inner world of imagination. Introverts tend to be sensitive, introspective and self-critical. They are not characterized by spontaneous actions, they are not particularly sociable, they are not characterized by the expression of emotions; An introvert is more immersed in his thoughts and fantasies, and often prefers the opportunity to indulge in reflection to communicating with people.

Extraversion is literally “outward looking.” A person is an extrovert if his main interests lie in the external, objective world, in which he sees the highest value. Extraversion thus involves a preference for the social and practical aspects of life, as opposed to immersion in the world of imagination and introspection.

However, during Jung's lifetime these terms were criticized. The main argument of critics was that these definitions were too broad and comprehensive.

And really, is it so often possible to say unambiguously about a person whether he is an introvert or an extrovert? Let's look at an example to answer this question.

Here we see a handsome, stately man. Powerful physique, bright, clear gaze, intelligent, deep eyes. He is pleasant to talk to, kind and open, loves children, understands women well, at the same time loves to sit in a quiet corner with a book, loves to listen to good music, and night and solitude give him great pleasure. He appears to be an introvert at some moments and an extrovert at others. How to be?

System-vector psychology allows us to accurately understand the nature of such a person. In the example considered, we are dealing with an anal-cutaneous-muscular man from below, a sound-visual man from above. The composition of its capsule of living matter includes both extroverted and introverted vectors. Sociable, joyful, striving for external and spiritual beauty, observing and cognizing this world, empathizing with other people, loving people, vision is an extroverted vector. Absorbed into himself, in the full depth of the processes happening to him, loving peace and quiet, indifferent to everything external and looking for meaning in everything that happens, sound is an introverted vector. And both of these vectors are in one person, there is no contradiction.

Extroverts and introverts in their pure form are observed only in the case when the composition of one capsule of living matter (one person) includes only extroverted vectors or only introverted vectors.

For example, we are dealing with a pure anal sound. All his life he sits at home and reads science fiction, if he is not realized. And if realized, then he, like Perelman, is so immersed in science that he is not at all interested in any manifestations of the outside world. At the same time, unlike the sound engineer who reads science fiction, Perelman makes brilliant scientific discoveries - and thereby works for all of humanity.

An example of a pure extrovert is a skin-visual woman (as well as a skin-visual man). Doesn't sit still, always in motion, light airy gait, eyes large and deep, full at different moments of immeasurable love, sadness and compassion, huge emotional amplitude, desire for all living things and sociability. And these are just some of her features.

Systemic vector psychology identifies four extrovert vectors and four introvert vectors. Together they form four complete quartels, which, like everything in this world, have external and internal parts.

Quartel of time. The outer part is the urethral vector (extrovert). The inner part is the anal vector (introvert).

Quartel of space. The outer part is the skin vector (extrovert). The inner part is the muscle vector (introvert).

Quartel of information. The outer part is the visual vector (extrovert). The inner part is the sound vector (introvert).

Energy quartel. The outer part is the oral vector (extrovert). The inner part is the olfactory vector (introvert).

Jung's thesis about the opposition of extraversion and introversion is only partly true. If you focus on the external manifestations of the vector - whether it is sociable or not, prefers to be in society or not, etc. - then this is so. But if you look from the point of view of system-vector psychology, understanding the specific role of each vector, it becomes clear that within each quartile and all together they form the necessary integrity, mutually complementing each other.

You can better understand the manifestations of extraversion and introversion, as well as learn about the mechanism of their interaction when they are in the same person, at Yuri Burlan’s training “System-vector psychology”.

Proofreader: Galina Rzhannikova

Author of the publication: Maria GRIBOVA, specialist in international law and international relations.
The article was written based on materials from the training “System-vector psychology”

The theory of Carl Gustav Jung

The description of 2 main life directions became Carl Jung's most famous contribution to the development of psychology. According to his developments, 2 components exist in a person at the same time, but one of them manifests itself more clearly and becomes dominant. Jung insisted that typology is innate or acquired immediately after birth.

The psychologist explained that one direction in a person does not exist in isolation. One of them is the main one, the other is auxiliary. The different magnitudes of the presence of introversion and extraversion explain the diversity of personalities.

Introversion in psychology is, according to Jung’s teachings, an orientation towards contemplation, immersion in the thought process. Extraversion is, on the contrary, an interest in the outside world and other people.

To more fully describe human characters, Jung identified four main psychological functions:

• thinking;
• sensation;
• feeling;
• intuition.

As a result of combining the psychotype and one of the functions, 8 different typological portraits were obtained:

• An extroverted thinker is a type that acts in objective reality and makes decisions thoughtfully. In a positive sense, they are reformers and innovators. In the negative - emotionally poor individuals, incapable of deep feelings.
• Extravented emotional – subjects who tend to give a logical emotional assessment of the surrounding situation.

  
  Psychotypes introversion and extraversion according to Jung

• Extraventated sensory – a type of people who determine the value of their environment by the strength of the pleasure they experience. These are aesthetes enjoying life.
• Extravented intuitive - distinguished by extremely developed intuition, knows how to inspire. He quickly lights up with ideas and also cools down quickly. Among this type there are a lot of those who are called adventurers.
• Introverted thinking - characterized by thinking that is distant from the surrounding reality. The creator of theories that are rarely applied in practice.
• An introverted emotional person is a person within whom all sorts of emotions are boiling, while others may consider him cold and insensitive.
• Introvented sensory - the orientation of this type, unlike the extravented one, is directed not at the object, but at the feelings that it evokes.
• Introverted intuitive - this characteristic suits many science fiction writers and those called psychics.

Types of introverts

It’s not enough to just know whether an introvert or an extrovert is what it is; you also need to have information about the different types of the first category of people. So what could they be?

Logical-Intuitive (Robespierres)

They have strong analytical thinking. They can develop new revolutionary techniques. Such individuals are seduced by loneliness and quiet office activities. They are also unpretentious and ascetic - they do not like to take much care of themselves. They feel great if they know that no one can hear or see them.

Logical-Sensory

This type of introversion is characterized by the definition of a goal, the subsequent analysis of all known methods of achieving it and the selection of the best from them. Then the chosen method will be brought to absolute perfection, which will help the logical-sensory introvert to successfully implement his plans in life. Moreover, if he sets a goal for himself, he will reach it by any means.

Logical-intuitive-rational

They are used to living according to a schedule and maintaining order everywhere and in everything: in life, in their workplace, in their apartment. And in order to bring such a person out of a state of internal harmony, you need to provide him with a lot of free time.

After all, he always calculates all sorts of incidents in advance, but what to do if he arrived to a meeting with a friend half an hour earlier? What to do with those extra thirty minutes? Also, rational individuals trust only real facts. And just crazy about calculating and making plans.

Irrationals, logicians, intuitives

But this category, on the contrary, faints at the words “order” and “punctuality.” Although in fact its representatives do not like chaos, but, alas, they cannot do anything about it.

Irrationality manifests itself in pure energy and emotion. Planning for such a person means not accomplishing even half of what was planned in practice. If he suddenly manages to complete the mission at least 65%, this is already an indicator of success.

But irrationals perform the most important function - they generate new ideas. They do not accept rules and strict boundaries at all, which is why they so willingly create everything new.

Emotionally unstable

In this case, there is obvious social maladjustment. Such individuals suffer from uncontrollable emotions, low self-esteem, timidity, self-doubt, and hysteria.

In general, an introvert is able to in a matter of seconds come up with an unpleasant incident with all the terrifying consequences. Moreover, he will decorate the real picture with fantastic elements for a greater emotional coloring of the event. And he stubbornly refuses to believe that everything he has come up with is unlikely to ever come true.

According to Leonard

The human typology of the German scientist Carl Leonhard differs significantly from Jung's theory. In his monograph, published in 1964, he presented a classification of accentuations. By this term he understands the pronounced traits of individual personalities. Introversion and extroversion play a minor role in his interpretation. According to Leonhard, 12 types of accentuations are defined.

Personality accentuations: introversion and extraversion.

Character accents:

• demonstrative;
• pedantic;
• affectively stagnant;
• excitable.

Temperament accentuations:

• hyperthymic;
• dysthymic;
• affect-labile;
• exalted;
• anxious;
• emotive.

Leonhard notes that one personality can combine and manifest traits characteristic of different types.

Extrovert or introvert - what's the difference?

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While studying introversion and extraversion, Jung made the main difference in the direction of movement of vital energy:

• introverts – concentrated on mental processes within themselves;
• extroverts - focus mainly on external objects.

Based on this, it turns out that an introvert is able to accumulate energy within himself, and an extrovert spends it by interacting with people around him.

Subsequently, Jung's terms were borrowed by the British psychologist Hans Eysenck, who added his own characteristics to them. Initially, Eysenck perceived introversion and extraversion, starting from the processes of excitation and inhibition, but then he began to place the main emphasis on internal qualities. At the same time, the scientist came to the following conclusions:

1. An extrovert has difficulty controlling his emotions, but for the most part he maintains an optimistic attitude.
2. Introvert - tries to take control of his feelings and emotions, strives for careful planning of his actions and order in everything.

The third person to study the issues of introversion and extraversion was the German psychiatrist Karl Leonhard. He made a division, focusing on volitional qualities:

• extroverts weak-willed, easily falling under the influence of others;
• and introverts - unshakable in their views and decisions.

Hans Eysenck's theory

German-British psychologist Hans Eysenck presented personality structure as a collection of various traits that form an independent category. In 1952, Eysenck in his works proposed a division of types based on polar ranges: introversion - extraversion; stability – neuroticism.

As a result of this characteristic, when combining the ranges, the scientist received 4 types of temperament that correspond to personality types:

• A phlegmatic person is a stable introvert. A person whose main features are calm and equanimity. He talks little, works a lot. It is difficult to anger him and is indispensable when working in extreme conditions. He is peaceful and caring with others.
• Melancholic is a neurotic introvert. Personalities are passive and insecure, touchy. Able to work in strictly regulated conditions. They require moral and material support.
• A sanguine person is a stable extrovert. This type of temperament is characteristic of leaders. They are moderately mobile, but they know how to control themselves and soberly assess situations. This type is characterized by healthy excitement and easily adapts to new things.
• Choleric - neurotic extrovert. The temperament of a self-confident person, overly excitable and hot-tempered. Such people are overly mobile, do not tolerate monotony, and have a hard time with failure. They work easily if the activity is not associated with monotonous and monotonous duties.

Eysenck did not identify the best or worst combinations. He also focused on the fact that most people are in the middle points of the scale, successfully combining traits of different types. The individuality of a person gives superiority to any characteristic.

What job is suitable for an introvert?

In order for a person who prefers his own company to society to feel comfortable in life, it is extremely important for him to choose the right occupation. This presents difficulties, since introverts are perfectionists and workaholics, wanting to see the listed qualities in their employees. If these are directors, they will be highly demanding of their subordinates.

Regarding collective activities, introverts will prefer a small team. In small groups they feel “like fish in water,” which has a very beneficial effect on the result of their work. At the same time, in the work itself, such an employee shows extreme responsibility for tasks.

For a deep introvert, it is best to focus on home work. An emotionally unstable individual is remarkably successful in creative activity.

In any case, if such a person does not accept the very idea of ​​​​being in the office every day from morning to evening, then a job that does not require constant interaction with a nervous boss, gossiping colleagues and picky clients will suit him. And from all these presentations, meetings, planning sessions, conferences and (oh horror) constant communication, an introvert will most likely feel exhausted, emotionally exhausted and deeply unhappy.

Fortunately, today there are enough professions that can satisfy the needs of unsociable individuals. I suggest you familiarize yourself with the five most popular of them:

1. Freelancer . As a freelancer, an introvert is his own boss and, as a rule, prefers to work from home. This arrangement is a real boon for those who don’t really like communication and feel uncomfortable at the thought of brainstorming or meeting together at work with employees.
2. Social media manager . You may be surprised by the word “social” in this profession, because by default it implies communication. But communication via the Internet is much easier for closed people than in real life.
3. Software Developer . This type of activity is very popular these days and perfectly satisfies the needs of individuals who do not like teamwork. Having received the task from the customer, they can act completely freely, realizing the set goal.
4. Writer . An ideal job option for a creative introvert. It contains only him, his laptop (or sheets of paper) and a sea of ​​ideas. It is much easier for uncommunicative people to realize their creative potential in writing, because they express themselves not through real communication, but through texts.
5. Accountant . A person focused on his inner world is much more interested in the company of numbers than people. Then accounting is an excellent profession. It is especially suitable for deeply self-absorbed individuals, because in accounting (if you do not work in an office, of course) there is only dry statistics and no need for work discussions.

In addition, people who are not inclined to communicate are recommended to choose a profession for themselves:

• laboratory worker;
• artist;
• librarian;
• scientist.

Temperament test

As can be seen from the interpretations of leading psychologists, it is extremely difficult to visually determine belonging to a certain personality type. Tested personality temperament tests help to find out which type of traits are inherent in a particular individual. With the modern development of communications, you can take them online and for free.

• Keirsey Questionnaire – test for determining temperament according to Jung’s concept. The test consists of 70 questions, each of which has 2 answers. You need to choose the one that is most typical in everyday situations for the respondent. It is advised to answer questions quickly, without hesitation. It is the first intuitive assessment that most closely matches the individual’s inherent thinking.

• The Personality Type Test, developed by John Oldham and Louis Maurice, is a 107-item personality questionnaire. Allows you to determine the components of a personal character and understand why a person behaves the way he does. Answers are selected from the following options: “Yes, I agree,” “No, I disagree,” “Maybe.” In this case, you are advised to think about your answers.
• The Introversion-Extraversion Questionnaire is one of the first tests for personality type, proposed by Hans Eysenck in collaboration with Glenn Wilson. 210 test questions have 3 answer options. You should answer quickly, without thinking for a long time.
• The Leonhard-Smishek test was designed to determine personality accentuation. The test is available in several versions. The regular version consists of 88 questions relating to different aspects of personality. The extended version already contains 98 questions; an additional scale of sincerity of answers is maintained. The children's version of the questionnaire differs from the adult version only in the wording of the questions.
• The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire evaluates the subject on an introversion-expoversion scale, as well as for neuroticism. Consists of 70 questions.

When conducting personality tests, you should remember that there are no right or wrong answers in the proposed answers. Each choice concerns only personal feelings and preferences. The most accurate result is guaranteed in the case of sincere answers, in most cases given without thinking. A transcript of the interpretation of test results can be obtained through consultations with practicing psychologists.

Which psychotype is better?

Introversion in psychology is simply the direction in which a certain personality develops. In the philistine environment, there is an opinion that extroverts are more successful in life. This opinion is extremely wrong. It is enough to refer to the statistics, which claim that approximately 25% of the total population in the world are extroverts. Moreover, among the most successful people on the planet, an increased tendency towards introversion is already evident in 40%.

There are no psychotypes better or worse. Each person is individual in his own way, especially since, as mentioned above, temperaments and psychotypes in their pure form are not found in practice. People with different inclinations have different views on situations.

• Extroverts have many friends. Introverts are often considered socially phobic and have few attachments, but forever.
• To find inspiration, an introvert needs free space. An extrovert is a spectator.
• Extroverts quickly assess the whole situation, while introverts are attentive to details.
• Extroverts easily meet people, these qualities come first in the fields of sales and advertising. Introverts need time to establish contact and respect personal boundaries.
• Extroverts need fame and attention, while introverts can do without it. For them, the main thing is pleasure from work.
• An introvert tries to solve his problems himself, extroverts share them with others.
• Jobs that require monotony and perseverance are better suited for introverts.

There are many such examples that can be given. It is impossible to draw a conclusion from them which people are better. The question should be different: which application area is more beneficial to a certain type of person?

Definition of Temperament

In order to better understand who extroverts are and who introverts are, let's pay attention to the everyday definition of temperament and its difference from the scientific one. There is a general opinion that extroverts are such active, sociable guys who do not think, do not worry, and certainly do not tend to get upset over all sorts of trifles. Introversion was endowed with another worldly wisdom. These are sensitive, responsive, shy, timid and, without a doubt, vulnerable creatures. Such thinkers and philosophers of their time are always self-absorbed, abstracting from reality and closing themselves off from people. As often happens, the popular opinion about the definition of temperament does not fully correspond to the scientific approach.

Is it possible to become an extrovert?

By examining the work of psychologists and sociologists who worked in the field of determining human psychotypes, we can conclude that certain orientations are innate and do not change throughout life.

The advertising suggestion that with the help of training an introvert can become an extrovert is nothing more than a myth.

What you can really change is your attitude towards yourself and others. The right psychological attitudes help introverts from birth achieve significant success.

Examples of successful introverts:

• Bill Gates;
• Abraham Lincoln;
• Charles Darwin;
• Joanne Rowling;
• Steven Spielberg;
• Keanu Reeves;
• Audrey Helburn;
• Salma Hayek.

The concept of introversion is not a diagnosis that should be treated. A number of scientific developments in psychology are aimed at identifying attitudes that will help people with a certain type improve their strengths and accept their weaknesses. By studying yourself, you can conquer the world.

Author: Nadya Boyko