THE PSYCHEFILES
Introvert, extrovert…or ambivert?
People typically describe themselves as either introverts or extroverts. But what if you’re somewhere in-between?
Let’s play a game. Try and guess what my personality type is.
I really do enjoy the company of others, but I love to unwind at home watching a show or reading a book whilst drinking a hot cup of tea. I can perform tasks alone or in a group, and I enjoy both equally. Some people think I’m quiet, while others think I’m loud and chatty. I can get lost in my own thoughts just as easily as I can lose myself in a conversation. Sometimes I am skeptical about trusting people, when other times I dive right in.
What does that make me?
Confusing. In some ways I sound rather introverted but then also get energised by being around people. So where do I fit in?
Theories of extroversion/introversion have been prevalent in psychology literature for hundreds of years. Many theories incorporate an individual’s level of extroversion/introversion as a key factor which underpins personality and is considered key in understanding others as well as ourselves. However when trying to understand the complexity of our personality, is it really possible that human behaviour can neatly fall into two distinct categories…
It is in our nature to create categories as it’s easier for us to comprehend what we are talking about; whether someone is left or right handed, gender, species within a genus, countries and their borders…these are all examples of binary, socially constructed categories used to describe and explain what we are talking about.
Jung (1921) suggested the principal distinction of introversion/extroversion is the source and direction of an individual’s expression of energy — defining extroversion as “an outward turning of libido” and introversion as “an inward turning of libido” (libido here means appetite and motivation to do something rather than purely sexual!). These are some of the distinctive characteristics of introverts vs extroverts:
In summary, an introvert thinks, feels, and acts INWARDS i.e. the subject is the prime motivating factor. Extroverts, on the other hand, direct their interest OUTWARDS to their surrounding environment — they think, feel, and act in relation to external factors rather than the subjective.
Heidbreder (1926) suggested that
“pronounced introversion and pronounced extroversion merely represent extremes of behaviour, connected by continuous gradations. In other words, the evidence points to a single, mixed type rather than to two sharply separated classes.”
While the binary distinctions provide a broad-brush way to map people, visualising this as a spectrum provides a much more accurate picture. Consider two individuals who complete a personality test which also measures extroversion, for example, the Myers Briggs Personality test. One receives an extremely high score for extroversion while the other obtains a mild score — is it accurate to say that they are both extroverts?
Introversion and extroversion exist along a continuum
These results are better understood if we consider introversion/extroversion as a continuum. In fact, this personality trait is normally distributed i.e. like a bell shaped curve whereby there are the minorities at the two extremes (i.e. extreme introversion or extreme extroversion) and a majority of about 65% accounts for all the nuance in-between — the ambiverts. The below diagram demonstrates this spectrum:
Ambiverts don’t really prefer one way of functioning over another. In other words, you could say they’re the neutral, middle-grounders. Equally comfortable in situations where the introvert feels most at home and situations where the extrovert is having a good time.
However this is not prescriptive. The reason why this label is useful is because it will empower you to acknowledge your boundaries. The majority of us have traits of both personalities which are contextually driven. In other words, the majority of our behavior is a result of our interactions in a particular situation or around a particular group of people but we are still in control of how we choose to behave.
Jung, who was the pioneer of ambiversion as a concept, claimed that we each have preferences of what we would like to do, but we also have the capacity to be both introverted and extroverted. The majority of people, although predisposed towards one side of the spectrum typically operate using traits and preferences from both sides.
Using your personality type to empower yourself
In order to best handle ambiversion, one needs to know when to force themselves to lean toward one side of the spectrum when it isn’t happening naturally. Those with low self-awareness may struggle with this. For example, at a networking event, a self-aware ambivert will lean toward the extroverted side of the scale, even when they have had a long day and may feel tired. Mismatching your approach to the situation can be frustrating, ineffective, and demoralising.
There is often pressure on people to act in certain ways due to their personality type. Just because you’re the life of the party at your friend’s birthday doesn’t mean you’ll feel comfortable taking the same role in all settings and situations. You should respect your boundaries and appreciate that everyone needs a break. We are all along the continuum just at different increments.
Some mythbusters about personality type
Extroverts are NOT always the most successful. Adam Grant at Wharton set out to study this phenomenon, and his findings are fascinating. Firstly, it was concluded that two thirds of people do not strongly identify as introverts or extroverts. These people are ambiverts. The direction ambiverts lean toward varies greatly, depending on the situation.
In fact, Grant’s research disproved the widely held idea that the best performing salespeople are extroverts. Ambiverts’ greater social flexibility enabled them to outsell all other groups, making 24% more in sales revenue than introverts and 32% more in revenue than extroverts.
Furthermore, research examining personality and leadership concluded that it wasn’t extroversion or introversion that led to leader success. Good leadership was more closely related to having good social skills. Regardless of personality type, those who are inter-personally skilled make better leaders; and this is a skill which can be cultivated. Extroverts may have an advantage in the sense that they can do all the talking and find it easier to express themselves but that alone does not safeguard success.
I want to quash another myth. The defeatist self-fulfilling prophecy. “Oh I am an extrovert so I would never ever travel alone, I need people with me” or “I am an introvert so I’ll never be good at public speaking, I get too nervous”.
No!
Absolutely not.
Not an excuse.
Nuh huh.
Simply because something seems challenging because you’re not naturally attuned to it does not mean you should not give it a go! You know what the secret is?
Perseverance. Commitment. Drive. Belief in yourself. Hunger to have new experiences and combat personal challenges.
Those qualities aren’t a result of introversion or extroversion or ambiversion. If you ever try to convince yourself that’s why you shouldn’t do x y z I hope you stop yourself in your tracks and question why you’re avoiding taking on the challenge. Susan Cain’s viral TedTalk on introversion aptly highlights this. She identifies as an introvert, who had an intense fear of public speaking (to the extreme of being unable to sleep/eat properly weeks in advance of making a speech…and she was a lawyer who presented in court!). Yet she has now become a public speaker who tours the world, shifting mindsets on how introversion is perceived, and that it should not be a limiting belief in achieving things which appear difficult!
The lesson from all of this is to reduce focus on personality type as it may discourage us from exploring avenues which don’t match our personality. It is good to learn more about ourselves, in order to identify healthy boundaries, how to regain energy, and when to say no. But we should not let the labeling of a certain type restrict our ambitions or our success in life.
So a few psychebite takeaways:
- Ambiversion is the “in-between” along the introvert/extrovert spectrum
- Everyone is on this spectrum
- Respect your own boundaries and embrace your personality
- …however don’t allow your natural predispositions to hold you back from taking on challenging opportunities! YOU CAN DO THIS!
“Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.” –Bruce Lee
