Community Chat

[Moonchilde]

Have been thinking about this with all the 'does this/that bother you' and 'would you do this/that' threads lately (all interesting). It got me musing on what peoples' perceptions are of both introverts and extroverts, and how many of those perceptions and ideas are right, and how many are wrong. Since I'm an Introvert I can mostly speak to that, but it would be great if someone felt motivated to start an Extrovert POV thread too.

I think a very common misconception is that introverts are meek, mild, shy creatures who keep to themselves and are invariably weenies in their interactions with others and can easily be bullied and fooled. Bwahaha!

I have never been shy, just quiet - and among good friends I feel comfortable with, am very social. With strangers or acquaintances, not very social, with a limit to how much small talk I will participate in.

As for being fooled - introverts are *readers.* We tend to research things by our nature. Well before the Internet made it easier, we used the library.

What other misconceptions do you think people have about Introverts, and what do you wish people knew about them?

[FLgardener]

Being an introvert is a personality type, not a defect that needs to be fixed.

[dex]

So you are saying that introverts are just not social?I am not saying this to be mean but just asking.I always thought like you stated that they were shy or maybe had some health problems that they were overwhelmed by.I can be both introvert and extrovert depending on how I feel that day.I love to chat with anyone but if I don't feel well then I would prefer to be alone or with those I am close to.

[Moonchilde]

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@FLgardener wrote:

Being an introvert is a personality type, not a defect that needs to be fixed.

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LOL - who said it was? Not me, although many Extroverts look on it as such.

[winamac1]

TOP DEFINITION
Introvert
Opposite of extrovert. A person who is energized by spending time alone. Often found in their homes, libraries, quiet parks that not many people know about, or other secluded places, introverts like to think and be alone.

Contrary to popular belief, not all introverts are shy. Some may have great social lives and love talking to their friends but just need some time to be alone to "recharge" afterwards. The word "Introvert" has negative connotations that need to be destroyed. Introverts are simply misunderstood because the majority of the population consists of extroverts.
Extrovert: Oh my god, you're so shy! You need to get out more!
Introvert: But it's so draining - I don't have a problem with going out; I just want to stay at home and read sometimes, y'know?

Jesse is an introvert. He doesn't mind staying home on a Friday night.

[winamac1]

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@dex wrote:

So you are saying that introverts are just not social?I am not saying this to be mean but just asking.I always thought like you stated that they were shy or maybe had some health problems that they were overwhelmed by.I can be both introvert and extrovert depending on how I feel that day.I love to chat with anyone but if I don't feel well then I would prefer to be alone or with those I am close to.

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I"m extremely social and have many friends.  That being said, I'm more of an introvert than an extrovert.  I think they call it ambivert-in the middle. 

I don't like being overcommitted and recharge my spirit often by being alone.  I like one on conversations more than conversations involving groups of women.

[chickenbutt]

Sounds a lot like me, too, Moonchilde!

One misconception that I have experienced was that some people have told me that they thought I was stuck up BEFORE they got to know me.  Once they knew me, they knew differently.  But I'm not loud and obnoxious and if I'm in a room full of people I don't really know what to say.  I'm not a bs-er type of person so I talk when I have something to say - not just to hear myself talking.

It was good to know that because I don't want to come up as stuck up - nobody likes that.  But I would not have realized that just the fact that I'm fairly shy in the company of people I don't know and I don't open up that easily.    

Plus, I'm a thinker so I guess sometimes just when somebody like me isn't actually talking (and just thinking) sometimes people think you are - I don't know - maybe looking down on them or something (?).

I used to entertain and have great fun with lots of friends.  But I could never have considered myself an extrovert.

I think that, often, people think introvert means that you are fundamentally anti-social and, like you said, meek.   I think that there is a very broad area between one extreme and the other.  But my observation has been that there are always people who don't see all that - they just see either one extreme or the other.

[Moonchilde]

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@dex wrote:

So you are saying that introverts are just not social?I am not saying this to be mean but just asking.I always thought like you stated that they were shy or maybe had some health problems that they were overwhelmed by.I can be both introvert and extrovert depending on how I feel that day.I love to chat with anyone but if I don't feel well then I would prefer to be alone or with those I am close to.

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I'm not making any flat statements. Personalities are not about 100% identical traits.

It's commonly said in an extroverted society that introverts are not social and indeed are anti-social. That's not a blanket true statement AFAIC. I am quite easily social with those I know well, but much less at ease and social with those I don't know well. 

Shyness is not wanting to interact with strangers, at all. Introverts are fine interacting, but they need to choose the who, the when, and the how much. Extroverts are usually fine chatting up anyone, anywhere, any time ;-)

[DoneTryin]

I like watching biographies of famous people & noticed that many performers are introverts.  Apparently doing what they love brings them out, at least enough to do the performance.  For actors, maybe it's easier when they're pretending to be someone else.

[Preds]

I've been told I'm an Extrovert ... I have a lot to say and will say it was always the way I was described.  Truth is ... I'm not.  I don't make conversation.  I respond, but not start a conversation. 

I would only respond when I had an opinion or question and would question the responses. 

DH is and Intro ... he doesn't like dealing, talking, or being with people.  It takes him a very long time to let them in.  After he has ... then he never shuts up. 

I think there is both in all of us.  Just have to figure out the key to turn it on or off.