Introvert or Extrovert ?

[VivPhilos]

I have read Cheerio’s message at http://the16types.info/forums/viewtopic.php?t=260, and Cheerio described his/her E/I tendency as:

Now I dont think I am an extrovert due to the fact that Im more solitary than I am sociable, and although I enjoy socializing, I often find myself alone. I dont know why, its not something I do very deliberatly, it just sort of spontaneously happens. So, knowing myself I would say that its introversion that is dominant and not extroversion.

I actually (and finally) decided that I must also be an Introvert partly because of the same reason as Cheerio's.

However, I still have doubts about this E/I thing. I have only become an Introvert since a couple of years ago. Before that, for many years, as I was told by some people, mostly my family, that I was definitely an Extrovert, and I felt like one too most of the time. But I have somehow "changed" during that last 2-3 years (or more), consciously or unconsciously, that I really don't feel like socializing much, it is such an effort for me to go out and socialize with people most of the time, except with things I have to do (such as going to work).

I was at one point, during the last couple of years, reminded that, ever since I was a child, I was actually a quiet girl when at school and when with friends, the only time I was "loud/hyper" was when I was at home.

According to Jung, people may have subconsciously adjusted their natural types and adapted to a different/opposite type or function so as to "please" some "important" people such as families/parents when they are young e.g. when they are toddlers or a child. But this "natural" trait could/would come back somehow after one's deep search of our "True Self". As far as I know, this theory applies typically to E/I situation(s) (- sure, I did a lot of "soul searching" the last few years).

So now I am confused, which is my NATURAL trait? The me NOW i.e. Introvert? Or, the me BEFORE (for many years) i.e. Extrovert?

I understand that it is not possible for you and anyone here to tell if I am an Extrovert or Introvert, since you don’t know me in person, and to tell if someone is E/I, you will need to at least KNOW the person, right? So I don’t expect anyone to give me an answer about myself. In fact, I would like to discuss with people about E/I differences in general, or HOW I/we can tell which is my/anyone's NATURAL way of expression when it comes to E/I.

Hope it is ok for you guys.

Thank you!

[Transigent]

Edited for gayness.

[VivPhilos]

[quote]

Good luck with all this!

I still can't really figure myself out in this regard.

Maybe we will never find out. Maybe we/I will just change every five years for some mysterious reasons and maybe... (hehehe...)

The only thing I can recommend is to find the positions of all your "weaker functions" and then see what pops out of the Model A, but this is almost as impossible!

Or, look through the function descriptions of all the NT's (and maybe NF's) and find the one that fits you the most. That approach seems to work best for me.

I think you are VERY right about this. But you know what? All functional analysis are different too, sometimes they even contradict with each other. The really good one I have just read today was developed on Jung's original theory (Rational/Irrational Types), and I think I fit into the INTP a lot better than ENTP, although ENTP (functional) descriptions describe better the "old extroverted" me.

Oh, well...

[Cone]

I shall say this: Introversion and extraversion are not the same as shyness and outgoingness.

Here's another very, very rough test that probably doesn't work:

Introverts think too much; extraverts do to much.


Your INTp friend,

Cone

[VivPhilos]

[quote]

I shall say this: Introversion and extraversion are not the same as shyness and outgoingness.

Here's another very, very rough test that probably doesn't work:

Introverts think too much; extraverts do to much.

Hey, Cone,

I really love your "tough" tests. They are always simple and practical.

Well, if this (test) is the way to find out about E/I, then I can ONLY be an Introvert. Not bad, actually, I am more comfortable with I than E anyway, although being an E could be more "exciting"...

[Cone]

Hey, Cone,

I really love your "tough" tests. They are always simple and practical.

Thank you. There you go guys, the "practical" side of Te. :wink:

[science as magic]

There is hope for you Viv I had to act like an INTP for 18 years whilst living with an ISFJ... it was a poor and hollow imitation.

[VivPhilos]

Pedro,

Did you say I still have "hope"? I mean HOPPPEE .... ???!! hehe...

There is hope for you Viv I had to act like an INTP for 18 years whilst living with an ISFJ... it was a poor and hollow imitation.

Wow, this is something interesting, I had been living with a typical ISFJ for similar years too.

Just wonder why (and in which way) you would have to "adjust" and yourself to be an INTP for an ISFJ? ISFJs are pretty soft and easy to get along, right?

[science as magic]

Look at the intertype relations. An INTP and an ISFJ are activity partners one of the best type of relations. An INTJ and an ISFJ have Super-Ego relations which are one of the worst kind of relations. When these two types get together they have to adjust to each other in order to be able to put with one another's presence lol. Since my mother had a more developed personality and was in a position of authority over me I had to adjust to her more than she had to adjust to me. So I "pretended" to be INTP (without knowing it) to avoid conflict (Alpha quadra hates conflict). So the short answer is no ISFJs are NOT easy to get along with... not for me anyway. Don't get me wrong I don't hate my mom or anything it's just really really really difficult to get along with her in a stable relationship.

[VivPhilos]

Pedro,

See...

Ah!! But this may explain well that why I got/get along with my father so well (he is an ISFj, a typcal one, no doubt), but don't know why I can't get along my mother sometimes - to me, she is completely unpredictable. I think she is probably ENTp.. not sure...

**By the way, I always say that my father is an ISFJ for "sure", but I maybe wrong about this, since I am not an expert on personality types. Maybe I should get my dad to do the Socionics test?? Just kidding... he would not be interested in it

=================

Amazing, amazing!!

I just read socionics Intertype relations link http://www.socionics.com/rel/cnt.htm just to see, if my mother is ENTp, what my relationship with her is like. You know what? What said on the page is EXACTLY the kind of relationship I have with my mother!!!

I can't believe sometimes how "accurate" this personality type thing could be, especially with socionics (now).

[Creepy-kaido21]

When extraversion and introversion was mentioned I became to thing over it and here is one slightly different apporach to this question. Imagine your self sitting in the open deck coffeteria and waching over the street with out being involved with what is going on around your self. You are just looking the houses what are near to you, ferther to you, cars being parked left of you, noisy teen agers somewhere far from you etc . When doing so and being just waching the field, this what I would say is being introverted. You are not part form the objective world or when turned around,if you are being part of the objecitve worl you are extroverted. So when you get up and start to walk dawn this street paing attention when to go cross by, how to avoid bicicle from hiting you, paing attention to your partners talking, then you are conciously taking part from what is going on around you and that is extraversion in my sence cause you are conciously living in reality , not in your body , in the subjective world.

[VivPhilos]

When extraversion and introversion was mentioned I became to thing over it and here is one slightly different apporach to this question. Imagine your self sitting in the open deck coffeteria and waching over the street with out being involved with what is going on around your self. You are just looking the houses what are near to you, ferther to you, cars being parked left of you, noisy teen agers somewhere far from you etc . When doing so and being just waching the field, this what I would say is being introverted. You are not part form the objective world or when turned around,if you are being part of the objecitve worl you are extroverted. So when you get up and start to walk dawn this street paing attention when to go cross by, how to avoid bicicle from hiting you, paing attention to your partners talking, then you are conciously taking part from what is going on around you and that is extraversion in my sence cause you are conciously living in reality , not in your body , in the subjective world.

Hey, Keido,

Thanks for the good hint. So is it this simple to tell E/I? Somehow it makes good sense!

But generally speaking, I don't pay enough attention to or participate with "reality" enough, that's for sure. (I don't even pay attention to myself honestly, I am ususally in my own world thinking something silly when going out!) So, that's Introvert behaviour, based on what you say. But then, I don't know if I have got myself wrong here - if I behave the way I think I do (e.g. when going out).

So, to find out the "truth" I will "watch" myself more carefully from now on especially when I go out!

Thanks for the very practical suggestion, Keido.

[discourse]

Actually , my name is pronounced in a way that ai is r and o is au.

[science as magic]

I doubt your father is ISFJ and your mother is ENTP that relationship style is called conflicting and people in conflicting relationships tend to not get married and if they do find excuses to divorce/ be away from each other as much as possible. How does youbr father get along wiht your mother?

[VivPhilos]

I doubt your father is ISFJ and your mother is ENTP that relationship style is called conflicting and people in conflicting relationships tend to not get married and if they do find excuses to divorce/ be away from each other as much as possible. How does youbr father get along wiht your mother?

My dad and and my mom were pretty happy together for many years. When they got older, they had more problems, but not enough for a divorce - in fact, until today, they are still kind of "romatic" sometimes which people envy.

But mostly my father is the patient one, who would take care of daily things and "put up" with some of my mom's "bad" habits throughout their marriage.

Does that say something?

[science as magic]

Sounds like Supervision/Benefactor relations.

[VivPhilos]

Sounds like Supervision/Benefactor relations.

Good guess, I think. Supervision relatonship seems more appropriate.

So, If my mom is indeed ENTp, then my dad maybe either ISTj or ISFp (Is that correct?) according to socionics as below:

Left ring of Supervision:

...> ENTp > ISTj > ESFp > INFj > ENTp >...
...> ISFp > ENFj > INTp > ESTj > ISFp >...

But I thought ENTp and ISFp is Duality, not Supervison. So have I misunderstood or missed something here?

Anyway, my dad is definitely S, that's something I don't think I can be too wrong, although he is academic. Then, what do I know anyway about him/types?

[science as magic]

No supervisor to ENTP is INFJ. MAybe your dad's type is right and your mom's type is wrong or both. Or maybe the similarity to supervisor relations is just coincidental.