Introverts vs Extroverts

Saurav Thakur

Introverts and extroverts, we all have heard these descriptive words many a times. A guy who loves being in the crowd and comes alive when the atmosphere is electrifying is normally termed as an extrovert and someone who enjoys being alone and the one who always finds an escape route in the parties and when surrounded with people is normally termed as an introvert.

We can always find people hanging in between introverts and extroverts, describing themselves as introverts with some of the qualities of extroverts and vice versa, sometimes even believing that one is superior to the other. The terms introvert and extrovert were brought into the literature by the famous philosopher Carl Jung, he emphasized that introverts aren’t necessarily shy or insecure-nor are extroverts emphatic or loving. The difference between the two as quoted by Carl Jung lies in the fact that introverts get exhausted by social interaction and extroverts get anxious when left alone.

In today’s world with the advent of technology it may seem that being an extrovert is very important to be successful, after all if you are shy and not outgoing then you cannot climb up the ladder. But, before moving into the comparison let’s explore some common myths that surround this topic.

●        Introverts are shy- and shy people are introverts.

Introverts and shyness are always paired together whereas both are polar opposites of each other.  Shyness is discomfort and anxiety that people experience during social interactions whereas introversion is commonly defined as recharging and gaining energy through alone time.  A person maybe introverted and confident at the same time, they just don’t seem to care what people think about them.

Shyness is being fearful in a social situation whereas introversion is about motivation.

●        Introverts don’t like being around people.

The most common thing that introverts get from extroverts is not wanting to have fun with people. It’s never like that, introverts just tend to enjoy their time by watching the action from side-lines. They just prefer quality over quantity and tend to have a small circle of friends.

●        Extroverts are always happy.

A face filled with energy and excitement, an outgoing personality who can light up a party is generally what comes to our mind when we think about extroverts, but is it really true?? No, it isn’t. Extroverts also have their moments filled with insecurity, doubt and sadness. This is especially true for people who feel sad when they don’t have enough social interaction.

●        Extroverts don’t like quiet time.

Wait, what is this? Just now we discussed that introverts need alone time and extroverts enjoy being in the crowd. But, everyone needs some quality time with themselves to recharge. It’s just that the time is shorter for extroverts than introverts.

●        It’s easy to tell whether someone is introverted or extroverted.

A guy you know just went to a party with you and talked up everyone in the room leaving you with a label of extrovert whenever you think about them, but is it really that simple?? The answer is a straight no.

So, with everyone simply labelling themselves as introverts or extroverts simply based on the traits which may seem more of a problem isn’t right. These types of things mostly seem to happen with people labelled as introverts, whenever you see a guy who is shy and anxious you may label him as an introvert but being an introvert or extrovert is not about being tensed or anxious, it’s all about how you tend to enjoy your life. There are lot of introverts like bill gates, Albert Einstein and Larry page and extroverts like Bill Clinton, Winston Churchill and Muhammad Ali who have left their mark in the history of mankind. It all comes down to the way you enjoy your life.