Introversion and Extroversion not introvert/extrovert

[Polly_G]

OK, well I've heard this a few times and I know most here understand that socionics/MBTI Introverted and Extroverted traits really don't have a whole lot to do with interpersonal skills or outgoingness. The terms introvert and extrovert in that sense do not apply.

From my understanding it has a lot more to do with how they take in information to come to conclusions. I was trying to think of a good metaphor to explain this and this is the best I could come up with...

An Introvert and Extrovert walk into a room. There is a table with a cardboard box on it, a pair of scissors, and tape.

The extrovert looks at the box, tape, and scissors and then notices a roll of wrapping paper off in the corner and concludes that someone is going to wrap a package, its just manilla paper and not decorative so they are probably going to mail whatever it is.

The introvert looks at the box and notices these other things but looks within the box to draw their conclusion. To them, these other objects have a loser connection without confirming the contents of the box.

Neither is a better way to problem solving. Both ways have benefit depending on what the problem is and they actually can work very well together to see different issues of the same problem.

The introvert does not draw clues from the environment as the extrovert does and takes a more cautious approach to problem solving. They will focus more on the inner workings of a problem while an extrovert will seek resources in their environment to assist in problem solving.

Because an Extrovert does draw clues from their environment they may very well tend to be more extroverted in the social sense but that's not an absolute and there are many introverts who have excellent interpersonal skills who are extroverted in the social sense.

What do you think?

[wym123]

This sounds more like S vs N.

[Joy]

People are not introverted or extroverted (not in socionics at least), FUNCTIONS are introverted or extroverted.

[MysticSonic]

One could say that the cumulative effect of the ordering of extraverted and introverted functiosn could be said to cause what we characterize often as "introverted" and "extraverted", hence rendering introversion and extraversion as an actual property, albeit a by-product of other psychic properties.

[Rocky]

This sounds more like S vs N.

No, it's not. I think Polly is 100% right.

[Smilingeyes]

I have to agree with Joy on this one.

Someone being introvert in socionics means their primary accepting function is introvert and what they do in a given specific situation is greatly affected by what that function is.

[Polly_G]

I don't doubt what Joy is saying at all but is the metaphor correct. I think maybe people might be overthinking this a little. Its just an example as to how an extroverted function and introverted function might work.

Basically to explain to a non-socionic type the difference between an Introvert/Extrovert in socionics/mbti vs how we traditional think of an extravert/introvert in a social interaction sense.

[Smilingeyes]

I don't doubt what Joy is saying at all but is the metaphor correct. I think maybe people might be overthinking this a little. Its just an example as to how an extroverted function and introverted function might work.

Basically to explain to a non-socionic type the difference between an Introvert/Extrovert in socionics/mbti vs how we traditional think of an extravert/introvert in a social interaction sense.

Well... I don't think the metaphor itself is very representative either. Unless the introvert already knows that those scissors and box and other thingies are there, she's not going to notice or care about them for a long time. The introvert's need to do something is not changed by a few simple items appearing in her field of vision.

The extrovert on the other hand will start to care about the box quicker, do what is characteristic for that extrovert to do with boxes, be it wrap them, open them or break them and then she will move on, or in the case of being stuck in a metaphorical room for a longer time, proceed to do other things with a box on the basis of what seems appropriate at that time to that extrovert. But the funny thing is that the box is calling the shots.

[Functianalyst]

This sounds more like S vs N.

[No, it's not. I think Polly is 100% right.

Where did you come up with that Rocky? Polly asked about taking in information. That is based on N/S dichotomies. However, it appears that Polly does want information on how E/I differ between the schools of thought. I don't think there is a difference, except MBTI does as most have said, use E/I as directive of energy for the functions, i.e., Ne/Ni, etc.