We often hear the terms “introvert” and “extrovert” when referring to human personalities, so this theory of two opposites is very popular. Individuals like to define themselves as belonging to one of the groups, which reflects in their behavior and lifestyle choices. But since there is an abundance of information, both accurate and not so much, surfing online about the subject, we reached out to an expert.
Bored Panda spoke with Helen Marlo, a licensed clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst who provides psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and consultation. Helen is also a Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Department Chair at Notre Dame de Namur University and she shared some very interesting thoughts about extroverted and introverted minds and how their perspectives differ.
Marlo explained that the key difference between introverts and extroverts is in the characteristic and distinctive ways they direct and use consciousness and, consequently, how their attitude of consciousness impacts their psychic energy.
“An individual who becomes energized when their consciousness is oriented towards internal sources exhibits a more dominant introverted attitude while an individual who is energized when directing consciousness to external sources exhibits a more dominant extroverted attitude,” she explained the main difference.
Moreover, according to Marlo, “extroverts, who obtain more gratification from sources outside themselves, especially human interactions, are frequently described as more social, gregarious, community-minded, and oriented towards group activities.” Meanwhile, “introverts, who obtain more gratification from sources inside themselves, are typically described as more introspective, reflective, solitary, and oriented towards individual pursuits.”
What is less known about this theory of human personality is that it does not simply divide people as being either introverts or extroverts, and that it’s complex, contrary to common belief. “Rather, everyone has extroverted and introverted sides, which fall on a continuum. Jung’s theory of typology, for example, describes how the typological attitudes of introversion and extroversion interrelate with the psychic functions of intuition, sensation, thinking, and feeling, which influence how we gather information and make decisions, respectively,” Marlo explained.
The Jungian psychoanalyst said that “the introverted and extroverted attitudes and these psychic functions intersect with the panoply of inner figures in one’s personality, such as the persona and shadow, which impacts how they are expressed.” This is one reason why generalizations about the personality and activities of introverts and extroverts often do not fit into simple categories, Marlo argues.
“While the personality traits and activities ascribed to introverts and extroverts have some validity, frequently, such characterizations are overgeneralized and simplistic. For example, a frequent overgeneralization is that extroverts are not introspective or reflective while introverts are not social nor relate well to others,” she told Bored Panda.
When asked whether we are born introverts or we become them later in life, Marlo said that research finds that introversion and extroversion are, generally, a combination of factors. These factor include “what we are born with, along with what we experience in life, including influential relationships, our social and cultural world, life circumstances, stressors, and traumas.”
Good news to all the fellow introverts! There are tremendous benefits of being one, Marlo assured us. She explained: “The consciousness of introverts, relative to extroverts, is more primed to absorb, reflect upon, analyze, endow meaning, and organize external material from fellow human beings as well as the objects of our external world.”
Moreover, introverts help to make our relationships, with others and ourselves, as well as the events of the external world more meaningful! “Introverts enable us to learn from our experiences by inspiring reflection. Moreover, introverted attention fosters creativity, and when met with extroverted consciousness, it inspires innovation,” the psychoanalyst concluded.
