Introvert or Extrovert - What are you?
Where do you sit on the spectrum?
Have you ever wondered if you are an introvert or an extrovert?
Have you ever wondered why you may prefer to stay in reading a book rather than going to a nightclub?
What makes some people louder, and more confident than others?
The answer may be in your temperament. It may be in how introverted or extroverted you are.
All or nothing
You may not be totally introverted or totally extroverted – it is rare to be 100% one temperament type.
Generally, people are a mixture of both, but swayed more in one direction, for example, an introvert with some extrovert tendencies.
Just to complicate things, you may even be an ‘ambivert’ – a phrase used in Susan Caine’s book, where you are half and half – you have an equal balance of introverted and extroverted tendencies.
Find your true temperament
If you want to find out more about your temperament, I would invite you to click on the link below. This will take you to Susan Cain's website to complete the Introvert-Extrovert Spectrum, as detailed in her book.
Once you’ve done this then I'm sure that you will be dying to know more about your temperament. Or maybe, you're not bothered either way.
I completed my scoring to find that I am introverted - which explains a lot!
So, what are the advantages of knowing your temperament?
The advantages of knowing your temperament
- It will help you understand why you sometimes make the decisions that you make
For example, why you may prefer to read a book than go out and socialise in a large group.
2. It may influence your future life choices
You may decide to pursue a job that means you can work more on your own, rather than one where group activity is essential.
When you make your life choices based on your true nature, then you will be living closer to who you are, and will feel more at ease and energised.
Conversely, when you veer away from your true nature, you will feel de-energised, and depleted. You will need to put restorative niches in place to counterbalance this i.e. activities that allow you, as an introvert, to bring yourself back into balance.
3. Allows you to see what you need to do if you are operating in an extrovert environment
Again, you may need to introduce restorative niches to re-energise yourself.
We live in a very extroverted world and when introverts have to function in it, it is important to include introverted activities to balance out our energy!
“Studies show that one third to one half the population are introverts.” (USA statistic) –Susan Caine
However, despite this statistic, the world is biased towards extrovert temperaments.
Interpreting your score
Even though your score may be similar to another person with the same temperament, it does not mean that you will be alike in other ways. Each person brings with them different preferences, histories, and personality traits. Therefore, there are different types of introverts and extroverts. For example, not all introverts are book worms!
Keep your eyes peeled for related posts to build on your knowledge in this area. Or better still..... subscribe so that the next blog arrives in your inbox!
Resources:
Susan Cain
Thank you for taking the time to read this post! x