(no subject)

[nonethefewer]

So I kept thinking that introvert meant less liking of people, and extrovert meant more liking of people.  This isn't entirely correct.  It's a batteries thing, too - introverts recharge alone, extroverts recharge with people.

I am not precise today.  Include in consideration.

What I'm adjusting to is the idea that I have more than one battery.  Not just that I think better by talking things out (an E trait), but also that I partially recharge by being around people.  I am not used to that.

Comments

[rosefox]

It's like having a dinner stomach and a dessert stomach!

[amaebi.livejournal.com]

Like a centaur, sort of....

[rosefox]

More seriously, this is something I'm trying to learn how to juggle myself. It's made especially entertaining by my seasonal and random shifts in which type of energy I need at any one time. It's a wonder I'm ever happy with plans made in advance. Otherwise, there would be a whole lot of "Sorry, when I set up this date I was totally in the mood for spending time with one person, but now I'm craving lots and lots of people energy, so I'm ditching you for a party. Hope that's okay!" going on.

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness yes.

There can be people-seeking introverts and people-avoiding extroverts, too. 8-)

I increasingly suspect that like most other personality traits, intro/extroversion is situational.¹ I am vastly more extroverted in any work or business context than I am in non-business social environments.

My partner K is a people- and adventure-seeking introvert. (She doesn't always agree with me on this, but then the only other alternative is that she is a misanthropic extrovert. 8-) )


[1] Fascinating social psych research finding that there is no consistency across situations for how and when people are honest - people will cheat on exams but never steal, or lie at work but never to friends, etc - but within any of those situations, they are remarkably consistent in their honesty levels.

[bernmarx.livejournal.com]

Ayup. M-B usually tells me I'm in extrovert, but I really don't like most people all that much.

[the-xtina.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the association of E/I and dis-/liking people was a weird one, in retrospect.  I have no idea where I got it from.

[australian-joe.livejournal.com]

I think that's just how the terms are generally used. [shrug]

[alchemi.livejournal.com]

This is exactly right. I know I'm deeply introverted, but when I'm fully charged I can be charming in small groups. It can even be enjoyable. It just takes effort while being alone is relaxing.

[ethernight.livejournal.com]

Yes, and there can be introverts who really like people, and extroverts who really don't like people. The latter is quite inconvenient.

[rosefox]

One of the most misanthropic extroverts I know started drawing webcomics. He scratches his need for interactions by talking with the fans; when they start annoying him, he just exits the forum and goes to do something else. It seems to work fairly well, though I think a lot of the fans were startled when he dropped one of his projects very abruptly. He's so personable that it's easy to forget he really doesn't much care what anyone thinks.

[ethernight.livejournal.com]

I was compelled to look up the word "misanthrope", as being one of those words where I felt like I knew what it meant, but couldn't describe it to you.

I was quite amused to find the word "hater" in the definition (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=misanthrope).

[phaedra-lari.livejournal.com]

I definitely think that introversion is more about finding time alone energizing and people time draining, with extroversion vice versa - than it is about how much we like being around people. I mean, there are lots of things we like that tire us out :)

I've also decided that I find being around one person at a time, or people I know really well in a small group, to be energizing most of the time rather than draining, but dealing with people I don't know/trust let alone making small talk with a flock of strangers *shudder* is exhausting.

Still and all, I must get enough time utterly and completely alone or I will start to bite. This is the characteristic that I pinpoint to introversion. But I think you are right that even introverts need to be around people sometimes too, to recharge that other battery of theirs. Thing is, for many of us it's such a small battery and so little used that it rarely gets low :)

[the-xtina.livejournal.com]

Thing is, for many of us it's such a small battery and so little used that it rarely gets low :)

I know!  Whenever I start getting bored with things at home and itchy and chatty, that's about when I need to get out and socialise.  I'm still trying to get used to that being a sign of a low extrovert battery.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, it's easy to forget what that low battery for socializing feels like when it hasn't run down in a while.

For me the worst is when *both* introvert and extrovert batteries are low at once... I am simultaneously way burned out on people *and* desparately lonely. Anything I do to work on one problem seems to make the other worse on those sorta days until I somehow get myself emotionally refreshed and rested again. This usually happens to me from people-heavy days in which things didn't go well at work, bleh.

[jasra]

Yes, exactly.

[http://users.livejournal.com/sunyata__/]

extroverts recharge with people

Absolutely true for me. Then again, it depends on the people. I'm quite capable of being drained dry by certain people even though I bury the E needle.

[the-xtina.livejournal.com]

W-ell, yes.  I imagine that's true regardless of E/I.

There are some people who are rechargifying regardless of E/I, as well, nicely enough.