Introversion and extraversion are terms first coined by psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung
in Switzerland in the 1920s according to Jung an extravert seeks
intensive contact with the outside world an introvert instead turns the psychic
energy inwards. Jung believed that no one is a hundred percent extravert or a
hundred percent introvert instead we carry both traits
however most minds tend to lean either to one side or the other.
If both characteristics are equally present we can speak of someone who has
an ambivert personality. In the 1960s the psychologist Hans Eysenck added to Carl
Jung's ideas.He argued that the main difference between introverts and
extraverts lies in the way they gain and recharge their mental energy. By Nature,
introverted people have a higher level of brain activity and therefore feel a
greater need to shield themselves from external stimuli. By withdrawing
themselves they gain mental energy. The neuronal activity of extraverts is lower.
They overcome this lack by exposing themselves to external stimulation this
charges their inner batteries. To illustrate the difference let's compare
two imaginary children: Jay is extraverted. He loves to be surrounded by
classmates. He enjoys being the center of attention and loves to talk to his
buddies about all kinds of stuff. He organizes football games with
strangers and right after is open to playing ping-pong with someone else.
By seeking social stimuli he gains mental energy. Ann is introverted. As others play
around in the park, she often enjoys sitting alone watching. At home, she
plants herbs in the garden, all by herself. She slowly becomes a real expert
in this field but that's her secret.
To recharge her batteries Ann needs peace and quiet time.
Introverts are not necessarily shy, even if it appears they like to
walk away from small talk. Ann in fact is not shy at all. She is not afraid to talk to anyone,
not even seniors. When too many people are around and the conversations
become superficial or confusing she gets super tired. Her strategy is to fade out
and go inside herself to recharge through silence. Jay loves to have many
people around him, to jump from one conversation to the next stimulates him.
Some experts claim that extraverts and introverts use different brain areas to
form their thoughts. An extravert tends to use short term memory and therefore
is able to come to fast associations Jay therefore talks fast and a lot.
He appears smart because his brain always offers an answer quickly.
However he often speaks before he thinks and later changes his mind.
Someone like Ann works with her brain to carefully retrieve information from her
long-term memory. Her thoughts are more complex and hence need more time to
develop. She therefore thinks first and then speaks. If the two were asked for
directions by a tourist Ann would spend time thinking about the best answer
while Jay would have already come up with different kinds of options.
Good teachers and clever business leaders know about the different nature of
introverts and extraverts and try to develop their strengths. When raising
questions they ask everyone to think for a minute in silence before answering.
Extraverts then learn to formalize their thoughts before they speak and
introverts get more talking time to practice public speaking.
At brainstorming they use a formal process or a talking stick to make sure an Ann
also gets to participate.
Group projects can be formalized to support both temperaments. In one project
extraverts and introverts work together. Jay then learns from Ann how to think
ideas over to develop more complex thoughts. Ann in return benefits from
Jay's fast association skills and learns to think and speak more flexibly. In the
next project the same temperaments work together. Then they see their own traits
in the opposite person. If confronted with problems in teams of the same
character introverts need to speak up and extraverts are forced to think deep
to proceed. The educator Rudolf Steiner was a proponent of this method for his
Waldorf schools. Psychologist Jerome Kagan's research on temperament in
Toddlers showed that many character traits we are born with make it into
adulthood. He confronted 500 babies with different stimuli like loud sounds and
bad smells. Around 20% of the babies cried or got nervous,
40% stayed relaxed and the other 40% were somewhere in between. A second test
years later showed, that babies who didn't react strongly turned out to be
more extraverted. What about yourself? Do you consider yourself more introverted
or extraverted? Or do you think this classification is flawed and there is no
such thing? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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