Ambiversion: The Lost Personality Type

[Hot Scalding Gayser]

Well I am very introverted too, and I find the quote 'there's no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert, such a person would be in an insane asylum' amusing because I've been in a mental hospital before... maybe that had a lot to do with it. I think I may come off really weird and strange to others even though I myself kind of feel very normal and boring.

[Creepy-male]

Well I think when you break things down gradients do exist and they are situational like the map of a terrain, there are peaks in certain areas and valleys in others. I for example would say I'm an introvert, but when I was younger I had a tendency to be a hyper child that was outgoing -- in certain situations people can activate me to be more outgoing and once I'm in that mood I can be a very pleasant extrovert. In most close relationships with people I've been extroverted on many occasions. So I can see these valleys and peaks in my life based on situation and time.

Although with a system like this it would be hard to get a clear definition of personality, so generally we average out this "terrain" and talk of extroverts and introverts, but I've always known the story was more complex. These days I'm beginning to think something deeper than get a superficial label is more useful in terms of understanding one's identity... something like a mirror that reflects back into your soul, some kind of intuitive insight into oneself and the others around you, and see how it all connects like a recurring dream that spins fate against free will.

[Suz]

http://lonerwolf.com/ambivert/

Intresting read. I kind of relate to this article but not in the introvert/extrovert way (I'm a clear introvert). I've often felt that my personality is an almost even split between thinking and feeling, and when I do take personality tests I usually get INFp, but also often times come out with INTp. Also, as far as socionics subtypes goes, I generally classify myself as a Ni subtype, but Fe subtype also makes sense, so I think being split subtype works best for me.

Does anyone else relate?

Absolutely. I relate a lot.

[The Reality Denialist]

In a way. I just don't handle intense sensory stimuli very well. I think the newest fancy acronym for it is HSP. EII creation, probably.
Putting aside Fi sensitivity stuff I find lots of things common with it.
I think I'm externally orientated person but I just don't work at the same plane as others.
It gets confusing when I meet 4D Se. I'm like paralyzed then. It is so lame and overwhelming when I put it in use.

My extroversion is lazily out there. I am very much an ambivert. I think many SEIs are also ambiverts.

[krieger]

is it their turn to mope about being poor misunderstood unique snowflakes

[The Exception]

FWIW oftentimes people tend to perceive me as more extraverted than I perceive myself.

[The Reality Denialist]

[chrys]

In a way I'm too distracted to be an extrovert. Because the lights are too bright = why I can't be as involved as others. It's like everyone is offered dank weed and get to smoke casually and slowly but Im given the 100x extract that makes it so much more potent that its actually dysphoric.

[Xaiviay]

I read somewhere that actually the majority of people are ambiverts~that is they are about equally extraverted and introverted.

I think I'm an ambivert, even though I relate more to the introverted description in the Socionics system (which isn't exactly the same thing as the popular conception of introversion).

So yeah, ambiverts are out there, and I bet they're more common than us typology people might be used to considering (if we go around thinking "so and so is an xxI, and that other so and so is an xxE").

[The Reality Denialist]

Well, in socionics terms ambiversion can happen in several ways. In the video one example would be fairly balanced base and ignoring. According to it this would result in totally aimless person if it is intuition.

In order to talk about ambiversion intoversion and extroversion should be defined separately.

[falsehope]

I think the thing with ambiverts is just a matter of the definitions. So people think if someone is outgoing then he is extrovert. And that's how it is by common understanding of extroversion and that's how it is being defined in socionics tests. However the introverted type no matter how it's extroverted in many ways his thought process is like introverted one. For example, when translating from foreign language he analyses it with clear understanding on each word, but extrovert will make make assumptions and guesses. So in information processing the base of your sociotype remains unchanged no matter how you behave, and by some measures it's still introverted and not ambivert. And really, even very extroverted introverted types are behaving mostly like introverts really, it's just that the focus on recognizing it is not very well defined and the definitions are not really the best.

It is also because people are simplifying it to the single dichotomy and judge whatever person is extroverted or introverted while this is not so simple. It can be, that the base function is introverted, and the creative function is strengthened, so the person behaves outgoing, but still, his main way of reasoning remains introverted because of functions ordering. So to conclude if the base function is introverted, there would be need for specific test which hasnt been developed yet and the current way of testing isnt reliable in this matter, it might be that it just needs some improvements. It will definitely require more observations of subtypes like SEI-Fe to see what behaviours stay the same in case of strengthened extroversion.
Therefore concluding if person is introverted or extroverted based on his behaviour doesn't tell about his type or base function but about strength of extroverted function. At least by measuring by current definitions and tests. And that's the reason why these tests are so non-reliable.

[Xaiviay]

Well, in socionics terms ambiversion can happen in several ways. In the video one example would be fairly balanced base and ignoring. According to it this would result in totally aimless person if it is intuition.

In order to talk about ambiversion intoversion and extroversion should be defined separately.

Well I was thinking of the common idea in pop psychology that introverts are people who need more alone time to recharge, and extroverts are people who need more social time to energize them. In that sense, at least, I'm pretty much equally balanced...

Whereas, Socionics E/I may be defined by first section of this article? http://www.the16types.info/vbulletin...an-Dichotomies Such as, extraverts are "focused on demands and objective nature of outside world rather than on one's subjective ties with outside world" while introverts are "focused on one's ties with and subjective perception of outside world rather than outside world itself" In that sense, I feel most closely related to the introvert description. And many of the other points after it.

He has interesting ideas in that video. Do you know anybody who uses their Ne and Ni equally like that? I wonder what a Si/Se balanced person would look like.

[Xaiviay]

It can be, that the base function is introverted, and the creative function is strengthened, so the person behaves outgoing, but still, his main way of reasoning remains introverted because of functions ordering. So to conclude if the base function is introverted, there would be need for specific test which hasnt been developed yet and the current way of testing isnt reliable in this matter, it might be that it just needs some improvements. It will definitely require more observations of subtypes like SEI-Fe to see what behaviours stay the same in case of strengthened extroversion.
Therefore concluding if person is introverted or extroverted based on his behaviour doesn't tell about his type or base function but about strength of extroverted function. At least by measuring by current definitions and tests. And that's the reason why these tests are so non-reliable.

I think this is true. I'm confident in my self-typing, since I've very thoroughly considered it. The main difference between me and Fe-base types from the outside, is that I don't refrain as much from affecting other's emotions negatively, but I do refrain more from affecting other's physical states negatively. It's really, really awkward for me to engage in martial arts where I have to punch people, unless that person is threatening my safety in reality. It feels so counter to my instincts to cause another person even a tiny degree of physical suffering. I actually cringe when trying to gently throw a little practice punch at a real person. This changes if my physical safety is actually in danger, but otherwise it just feels 'wrong' on a gut level. I understand there's nothing amoral about consensually practicing martial arts with others, but no amount of reasoning can talk me out of that basic 'cringe' reaction.

But I'm suprisingly comfortable causing emotional distress, if it's necessary to get someone to listen to me. And I'm less likely to consider that maybe the person wants to be uplifted afterwards. That is because I see Fe as a tool to get someone to listen to me, to get my point across, more than as the main point of life. Thinking of the EIE woman I know, she will do her best to establish a warm, friendly, light-hearted atmosphere before I leave her home, even if the conversation we had beforehand was depressing or tense. And she's explained to me that in the past, she was reluctant to discuss emotionally disruptive subjects because she disliked making others feel 'badly'. It took work for her to overcome that reluctance, in favor of being more authentic and getting important (but heavy) subjects out on the table. By contrast, I've worked on overcoming my reluctance during physical sparring, and I still cringe most of the time.

In this way, I think SEI and IEI Fe subtypes can appear more 'amoral', since we see emotions as a tool, almost like a creative exercise. We don't have a basic idea about how others should be feeling, or even how we should be feeling. I can enjoy a very depressing/stressful movie, full of heartbreak, grief, betrayal, or fear, if it just has good aesthetics that appeal to my Si. And one IEI man I know is currently writing some highly grotesque fantasy novels with a whole lot of amoral characters, that have a very sophisticated plot development. He uses timing and plot twists to shock the reader, but still ties it all together cohesively in the end. So for both of us, our base function is a greater priority than Fe.

[The Reality Denialist]

He has interesting ideas in that video. Do you know anybody who uses their Ne and Ni equally like that? I wonder what a Si/Se balanced person would look like.

Lots of people have said that give an impression of totally head in the clouds abstract person who has very little concrete thinking going on. I can totally understand it.
It also means some troubles with role if ignoring gets an additional boost. I can see it as I tend to go by this will happen notions.



So I would think it reduces role's functioning at least under some contexts.