Sunday, March 11, 2012

Extroverted/Introverted

Ever since I was a little girl, I have classed myself as an extrovert. I can't even pinpoint the first time I heard the term - I know I was quite young at the time though. My father has, my entire life, pointed out to me how extroverted I am, mostly in contrast to him and my mother. I don't think two introverts quite knew what to do with their social little daughter - and my younger sisters, who are also introverted, widened the gap between me and introverts, since they all hid in shyness from most of my parents friends. In fact, just a few weeks ago, my father took me to a dinner event and introduced me as his extrovert. It's almost a pet name at this point - like he's proud of me for it, albeit a bit bewildered at how it makes us different.

I've taken the Meyers-Briggs' 3 times officially, and I do always fall on the extroverted side, but usually only very slightly. I was kind of shocked when my friend Christina pointed out that she actually thought of me as more introverted. She explained it was because I didn't mind comfortable silence, because I, when in a large group of people, probably won't introduce myself to strangers, and because I find comfort in curling up in quiet. I suppose she does have a valid point - when compared to her, I am an introverted person. Just more proof that the world isn't black and white, like Meyers-Briggs wants us to believe it is.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I must confess I find myself mildly surprised that you are an extrovert, although it makes more sense the more I think about it.