# Introversion is not a good thing



## Carmine Ermine (Mar 11, 2012)

I liked the description that says Introversion is an attitude that is about trying to change the world (or how you perceive the world) to be more like your ideals or expectations. Plus an internal locus of control makes you think what happens depends on your own decisions and not some external force that is probably uncontrollable. So overall introversion should be better at least when there's something big or long-term involved.


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## Bear987 (May 13, 2012)

I don't think introversion (I) and extroversion (E) work the way you describe, OP. I reckon that during our formative years our true colors are supposed to 'come out' - to me, that's what maturing means. This process of growing up accounts for the changes we might detect when we compare our adult self to our younger self - I reckon.

But there's more. Dr. Marti Olsen Laney has written some wonderful books about being introverted, _the Introvert Advantage_ being one of them. She explains how recent brain research shows that Is and Es are hard wired differently. These physical differences at the level of the brain explain and are at the root of the major differences between Is and Es. If I remember correctly, Laney writes that the surroundings (alone time vs togetherness) we need to recharge ourselves is a dead giveaway.

My point is that, I too, reckon that as a result (of these physical differences at the level of the brain) we do not and cannot grow in and out of being an I or an E. We can develop and use behaviors that are both I or E, but at our core the physical difference will remain.

Some people talk about E and I only in terms of observable behavior: outgoing vs withdrawn, loud vs barely noticeable etc. That's where we mess up and get confused about people's dispositions - since, like you wrote, withdrawn and quiet people can be so for entirely different reasons (than being I or E). Maybe they're are depressed or maladjusted or illiterate.

Finally, you say you 'used' introverted-like behavior to mask the fact you had different issues (poor social skills and a general sense of insecurity). You explain the label of introversion kept you from connecting to others in a meaningful way. I reckon that's pretty revealing, since a run-of-the-mill introvert *is* able to connect to others in meaningful ways. In fact, introverts are especially good at making deep and meaningful relations.

You reckon introversion is not a good thing - I reckon it is and I would like to counter that deluding ourselves (the way you say you did) is not a good thing. I guess that's not an actual counter, since you'll probably agree with the latter. Still, thanks for sharing and providing us with an example how personology theories can be crippling when misused or misinterpreted.


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## dvnj22 (Apr 24, 2013)

If a person is anti social and not hurting anyone, why is that wrong?


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## Schweeeeks (Feb 12, 2013)

Maybe I don't understand what introversion is, but I used to idealize it.
Being comfortable on your own...wow. I need constant stimulation and outside attention otherwise I become depressed and strange.
Introverts seem so powerful. There's this man...his name escapes me at the moment, but he climbed Everest entirely alone.
Expert mountain climber. He's always accomplishing something new and amazing.
A man who truly enjoys his own company...solitude.
So many spiritual gurus seems like introverts too.

Don't ever knock introversion. It's a beautiful thing and this world would not be the same without it.


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## thatthingthere (May 30, 2013)

me likes being introvert 
also I don't think it really means 'only internally'..au contraire..having (found..) a calm base inside..what better place to really see/perceive the world..? if your caught up in the middle of it all..you won't see that much of it I think 

..and funny thing..though being rather introvert/quiet..I have no problem going on a stage in front of thousands and joke around with them & perform my music  it's optional


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## Adynaton (Jun 12, 2013)

Hmm... Those are some great points you bring up.

Have you read this article? SimilarMinds Personality Descriptions are TOO Negative!? | Personality Research

The author brings up these five points for why a person may identify as an introvert, and looks at introversion in a negative light as well: (he's also a self-identified introvert)

"The Introvert 'class' behave the way they do (quiet, shy, private, etc.) because they...
A. don't know who they are
and/or
B. intentionally want to hide who they are from others (because who they are is unattractive/offensive/etc. to others in perception and/or in reality AND/OR because they perceive some tactical advantage over others by not revealing their 'hand')
and/or
C. are overwhelmed by / afraid of / don't trust others
and/or
D. are mentally/physically depressed (i.e. unhappy)
and/or
E. have no to little interest in others (Schizoid)
Some are A, some are B, some are C, some are D, some are E, and some are a combo of the five. This is just another reason why no Introversion description is likely to satisfy many of the people who score as introverts. Having little to no interest in others seems to be the most innocuous of the above introvert qualities, but generally people who have little to know interest with others tend to suffer from depression. To separate / cut yourself from others, as a general preference, is an indication of problems within you and/or with others. It doesn't mean you still can't contribute great things to the world (as many introverts have) but achieving things doesn't preclude you from having dysfunctions that you would benefit by fixing. Even if you are objectively better than everyone, you are reliant on others so it makes sense to have some connection to the world and share whatever your advantages are to the betterment of the world, just as you benefit from the efforts of others."

I think that if you're classifying yourself as an introvert, and/but are actually under one of these categories, and it feels like it's negatively affecting your life, then it may very well be a bad thing. At the same time though, the general definition of introversion, which is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life", isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

Possessing either extroversion or introversion is a double-edged sword, although there is a stigma attached to people who are introverts in many situations. Many people with introversion also suffer from shyness, and so this can also make them blame "introversion", when in reality it's their fear and anxiety in interacting with other people. A number of studies have ultimately concluded that introverts are on average less happy than their extrovert counterparts, I think because of the above reasons.

There are some definite advantages to introversion that can't be excluded though. I think what's important is not to trap ourselves in such limiting classifications, and learn to have some adaptability (which can be pretty hard) in our interactions between ourselves and the world. I think it's a matter of knowing the internal or external problems we face, discovering what makes us satisfied with life, and finding the necessary steps to get there.


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## JennyB (Aug 3, 2014)

I highly recommend reading a book called "Introvert Advantage". A few points come to mind from this book in regard to your post. First, brain scans of introverts and extroverts show how different neurotransmitters are used. Introverts seem to work off the parasympathic "throttle down" nervous system; extroverts off the sympathic "throttle up" system. A different path is taken to process information. Secondly, whether you're an introvert or extrovert is determined by genetics, BUT there is a scale of how intoverted or extroverted you are and it is possible to move on the scale. An introvert may practice extroverting and an extrovert may practice introverting. Introversion is not supposed be a bad thing, hence "advantage" in the title. Lastly, some antidepressants may be too stimulating for an introvert. I have found this to be true for myself. Being a Melancholy-Phlegmatic, I am very much an introvert. I tried Wellbutrin, but it was way too stimulating and I had to discontinue. Then I looked back at my Introvert Advantage book and realized it confirmed that dopamine is over-stimulating to an introvert brain (Wellbutrin inhibits reuptake of dopamine making it stay longer in your brain). It seems to work great for a lot of people, presumably extroverts. One more thing, I am reading "Healing ADD" and am learning a lot more about the brain. Sometimes the symptoms you mentioned can be attributed to under-activity or over-activity in certain areas of the brain. In some people these problems can be healed by changes in diet and lifestyle, in some it takes a combination of medication and diet 
change, the medication being a very important factor for them.


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## aef8234 (Feb 18, 2012)

By that logic, extraversion is a good thing.


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## donkeybals (Jan 13, 2011)

@Luther

As you might know, by experience already:

1. Don't do drugs (societal acceptance of prescription drugs are in fact still drugs)
2. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, and anything and everything wrong with society
3. Find a way to adapt. Maintain your introversion in an extroverted society. 

Also, just want to point on the fact, that not everyone on this planet isn't a fan of introverted people. I like introverted people, and think I understand them, I mean have studied mbti for years.


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## ninjahitsawall (Feb 1, 2013)

Hmm.. I've kind of gone the opposite way. Always thought something was wrong with me or my head was messed up. I've had several anxiety disorders throughout my childhood and into adulthood, and I think if I had admitted to myself I was just like that without it being "something wrong with me", I would've been able to adjust to society better. I got into a habit of trying to be "normal" to compensate for my sense of isolation from the outside world. I got insulted when people said I was "unique" or "different" (still hate those words.. even "original.") I tried to be more outgoing to "fix" myself. Now I have to constantly remind myself that I don't have to force myself to feign interest in things I'm not interested in, I don't have to provide an explanation for why I don't want to socialize at any given moment, and that my natural behavior isn't pathological. For what it's worth benzos made me more withdrawn. Alcohol makes it easier for me to tolerate social situations and not feel so overstimulated. What sucks about being an introvert is the societal bias against it. If you had grown up in a country like Japan, you might argue that extroversion isn't a good thing. 

"being an introvert reduces the opportunities to make friends and get in relationships immensely" I don't care about quantity nearly as much as quality. Additionally, my top priority is typically prevention of wasted time and energy. I don't feel that my opportunities are reduced. If I have 20 superficial connections rather than 2 or 3 close friends, I will still be miserable, so that's not an opportunity - to me it's a vain attempt for social approval because I don't see anything that can be more rewarding in that scenario (and social approval is rarely rewarding enough in itself to be bothered.) Extroverts aren't usually "friends" with lots of people, they tend to know a lot of people, but it's impossible to know may people _well_ past a certain point.

I don't think these things can be moralized either way. There seems to be enough evidence of brain differences that.. it kind of just is what it is. You can't really be an introvert and say "introversion is bad" without rejecting or judging a part of yourself. I think everything has it's pros and cons.. I'm sure extroversion has its cons as well. Maybe it's not mental illness but something else that tends to come naturally to introverts.


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## VinnieBob (Mar 24, 2014)

even though I am INTJ I can relate to your story, at one point in my life I thought I might be going insane since I had all these ideas and thoughts that 99% of people I dealt with never thought about, what is existence, time, being, god, etc and then I happed upon Jung's thinking type introvert and it described my life and me perfectly. I then realized I was not insane and my program was running perfectly


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## C. C. Scott (Jun 9, 2014)

Extroverted types can have anxiety and depression just as easily as introverted types. Where extroverts do well introverts do bad and vise versa. If trying to bring evolution into MBTI let's look at how we evolved to have different types in order to create a beautiful puzzle that creates society. 

Balance between any temperaments is important, and we shouldn't blame any part of MBTI for _our_ shortcomings. That comes off as lazy, since the individual should be attempting to grow as a person not find ways to blame why they aren't "right"


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## EccentricSiren (Sep 3, 2013)

I'm cool with being an introvert. I do like being around people sometimes, and I do hang out with friends, I just don't feel like I need to do it all the the time. I need time to be in my own head and do my own thing. I'm not depressed or socially anxious. In fact, I think I'm a generally healthy person. I just like having time alone to read or paint or create music and not constantly have to direct my energy toward others.


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## Logical Ambivert Feeler (Aug 17, 2011)

Ive found introversion to be the cause of the few anxiety disorders I have had, and being extroverted has helped me get out of them. 
However
Introversion is a very powerful thing. Our mind is what defines us, and introversion is its analyzer. Controlled, it can lead to a lot of original and paradigm-shifting thoughts and ideas. Uncontrolled and it can lead to mental illness.


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## Kingpin (Aug 14, 2013)

Didn't Freud say that he thought introversion was a mental disorder ?? I'm not saying I agree with him.


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## aeralin (Jul 11, 2014)

Hmm...yes I am happy being an introvert. I look at my ENTJ friend, and I honestly see his life as tiring and something I would hate. He goes out every weekend and meets friends during the week all the time for drinks. I much prefer having my 3 friends, whom I see once in awhile, I have many interests in which I much prefer doing rather than socializing and going out all the time for food/drinks/hanging out. 

I do have fun hanging out with people and I do enjoy social situations, that doesn't mean I do not find them draining. If I go to a party or a gathering, I usually stay in for the next two weeks. I have fun while there and I can converse and be outgoing. Do I wish I could do this everyday? No and I would find it unpleasant. I go to my bf's parents for most holidays, and they are the type that love to plan and take us out the whole time we are there. This is extremely tiring, after spending time there, I usually need a whole day to recoup, it feels like.

Do I see myself as special? No, I do not. I think when people are younger, we need things to identify ourselves as, because everyone wants to feel apart of something. Though I know I will never be able to have commitments and a social life as my friend, and sometimes I am jealous, but I know the times I am glad far out weigh jealousy.


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## Sourpuss (Aug 9, 2014)

Introversion is fine taken by itself, but when it is presented with a world that is majority extrovert it will cause problems. The reverse would also be true of Extroversion if most of the world was Introverted. Being the minority is in most cases a bad thing.


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## poodiepie (Apr 1, 2014)

Being an introvert, truly I got judged numerous times. But I know it's not my fault. Therefore I try not to give a darn to people who give strange looks at me. But you know it's never easy to ignore what people think of you. A good way is to be friends with people that are also introverts and resonates your experience, because they will surely accept you as their own kind. In hard times, introverts can help each other.

However, the ultimate thing is to remember WE don't have a problem, people outside have. Don't put the blame on our shoulder, it's not wise.


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