How to know if you tend towards introversion or extraversion

Do you know which psychological traits make you more or less likely to be communicative?

People who are friendly, cheeky, shy, social? These are adjectives we often use when talking about the social dimension of people. social dimension of people. However, many of these concepts are not only found in popular knowledge: science has also studied them.

One of the most interesting topics is the relationship between introversion and extraversion. introversion and extraversionas well as the study of their Biological bases.

The precedent: analyzing introversion and extraversion

Carl Jung was the first author to work with the concepts introversion and extraversion in a systematic way. In his book Psychologische Typen (Psychological Types), Jung speaks of two types of attitudes that define the person: the one whose interests are focused outward and the social sphere, and those oriented towards the private sphere. private sphere. These are, respectively, the psychological types of extraversion and introversion. In addition, Jung draws a parallel between introversion and the archetype of the Apollonian (introspection, rationality, moderation) while the psychological type of extraversion corresponds to the Dionysian (disorder, the search for the new and interest in the world of sensations).

It seems clear that Jung intended to emphasize the relationship of incompatibility and mutual exclusion between these two categories. These are expressly antagonistic attitudes that not only affect our way of relating to others, but go beyond that and speak to our way of relating to the world. relate to the worldand about our way of inhabiting reality.

Eysenck's theory

The German psychologist Hans Eysenck was another scholar to address the subject, although he adhered to the scientific method, although working from categories very similar to those of Jung. Eysenck talked about personality with a special focus on the biological bases of the biological and genetic and genetic bases of the human being, that which is not learned through experience, but which is expressed through our way of adapting to the environment. Therefore, he proposes the introversion-extraversion relation as a dimension of the temperament present in all people and which is defined from the physiological point of view by levels of excitation and inhibition. excitation and inhibition (the denial of arousal) to the stimuli we experience. High or low levels of arousal can be measured by indicators such as sweating, electrical conductivity of the skin and brain wave readings.

According to this theory, then, and although it may seem confusing, the introverted people live in a permanent state of excitement or "nervousness". or "nervousness", and therefore the stimuli he experiences leave a greater psychological imprint on him, while extroverted people are "assigned" a state of chronic relative inhibition of brain activity. extroverted people are "assigned" a state of relative chronic inhibition of brain activity, and their reaction to stimuli isand their reaction to stimuli is less. Based on these tendencies, which are somehow programmed in the genes of each person, human beings seek to balance these levels of activity in their interaction with the environment.

Someone whose brain activation is relatively low (due to inhibition in this internal environment) is concerned with acting in search of excitement, and this is achieved by participating in socially demanding activities. socially demanding activities (speaking in front of a large group of people, for example) and seeking out new situations that require alertness. to be alert. For this reason, extroverted people have been defined as prone to boredom. Someone with a need for exciting situations might be disgruntled if he or she experiences only personal relationships based on repetition and the everyday.

In contrast, according to Eysenck, someone who is introverted is so because he or she already lives in a state of permanent state of permanent alertnessThis is not in the sense of being very focused on what is going on around them voluntarily, since it is an involuntary propensity and does not depend on where the attention is being focused at any given moment. Simply, the introvert is more sensitive to what is happening around him, and that sensitivity is biological. As his internal environment is already dominated by arousal, he tends to be socially inhibited: he acts rather by avoiding experiences that would further raise his activity level, seeking more stable or predictable environments and, although he is sociable in that he can enjoy relationships with others as much as extroverts, these relationships are characterized by not being very socially demanding (the idea can be expressed with the phrase "I need my own space").

Nuancing

As seen, although shyness and introversion may seem the same, it is really a superficial resemblance. Shyness refers rather to a state of mind that can be explained as a learned behavior by estimating that relating to others may have negative consequences, whereas introversion is a biological disposition that goes far beyond our relationships with others. However, it is still a matter of research whether the patterns of brain arousal are due to genetic load alone.

The data given so far are indicative and can be useful for one to reflect on one's own tendencies towards introversion or extraversion. However, there are also tests and There are, however, also tests and descriptive models of personality that consider these two extremes. Some of the best known are the Big Five model, the 16PF or Eysenck's original PEN model, although the efficacy of these is subject to ongoing debate.

The importance of context

Finally, one cannot lose sight of the contextual factor. On the one hand, the different levels of significance that we assign to different contexts means that we behave differently in each of them. Someone we may consider introverted, for example, may become very comfortable speaking in public if he understands that doing so is a way to verbalize and put in order some thoughts he has been organizing in his mind, and even more so if he is dealing with a subject he believes he has mastered. Similarly, it is absurd to think that extroverted people value positively all situations that require a state of alertness, above any "ordinary" situation. Drawing a line between introversion and extraversion may be practical in academia, but reality always overflows any category.

Ultimately, the search for an arousal/inhibition balance is another form of individual adaptation to the environment. individual adaptation to the environmentand the latter, the heritage of all of us, is just that: the ability to act in a non-stereotypical way, using creative strategies to pursue a goal and solve problems. No label will say as much about people as their ability to be unpredictable.