am I in or am I out?
This article in American Way magazine caught my attention — and aggravated my personality confusion again. At the bottom of the article is this chart with characteristics of extroverts (outies) and introverts (innies):
Extroverts:
- talk first, think later
- seek out other people
- are transparent, easy to read
- tend to be “babbling brooks”: people often tune them out
- draw energy from other people
Introverts:
- think first, talk later
- prefer going solo
- show fewer facial expressions
- don’t speak up too often: people tend to tune in when they do
- are energized by time spent alone
I highlighted my characteristics in BOLD above, i.e. seek out other people + transparent + draw energy from other people + think first, talk later + show fewer expressions + don’t speak up too often. So what am I? Extrovert or introvert? Being alone drives me NUTS.
More than enough to give me a personality complex.
Now I lay me down to sleep. Gotta get up for an early morning meetup.
I used to think I was an extrovert, using criteria similar to what are listed there. Then I ran into the Myers-Briggs express. Accoring to their sorter, I am an introvert with a big fat capital I, not eveb close on the I/E scale.
Its all just words trying to describe a reality which is more complex than an duality, (or any comprehensive collection of dualities).
Yup, that's the ticket.. these personality tests oversimplify the richness and complexity of what it is to be human.