Once upon a time, when the world was very, very new, the earth was separated from the heavens and the waters separated from dry land and there was a difference between darkness and light which were called day and night. And so there is a fundamental opposition to things. We call this a polarity.
Now there is hot and cold, up and down, male and female and there are introverts and extroverts and the difference between them is as vast as the firmament.
Let's begin at the beginning. What makes a person introverted or extroverted and how did we learn to look at things this way?
Introverts are people who prefer the inner world of thoughts, feelings, dreams and visions, while extroverts prefer the external world of people, objects and activities. Dividing people into these categories evolved through the work of the famous Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, himself an introvert. Jung also classified people as one of four types: thinking, sensation, intuition or feeling, Jung didn't personally devise the system of personality typing used in this book but his work prepared the way.
Carl Jung (1875-1961), was born in Basel, Switzerland. Jung studied medicine at the University of Basel and finally chose psychiatry for his career. After graduating, he took a position in a mental hospital in Zurich and began his private practice as well. At first Jung followed the psychological principles of Sigmund Freud and was considered to be his heir apparent but eventually they diverged and Jung went his own way.
In his lifetime, Jung acquired a vast knowledge of world religions, alchemy and philosophy as well as a mastery of the symbolism inherent in many complex mystical systems such as the Kabala and Gnosticism. Originally having wanted to be an archaeologist, he traveled extensively, visiting tribal people in Africa, America, and India.
Some of the contributions Jung made to the field of higher learning are the
discovery of the collective unconscious, the existence of archetypes such as
"father", "mother", "healer", "wise old man",
etc. and the concept of the persona. Jung also broadened the psychological interpretation
of symptoms, dreams and free-associations. He "invented" the use of
free word association early in his career.
Since Jung's exploration of the differences between extroversion and introversion,
the words have become confused with such everyday associations as shyness and
sociability. But Jung intended for them to refer to a preferential way of processing
the world: If a person looks outward toward their personality and material reality,
s/he is an extrovert. If a person turns inward toward the collective unconscious
and its archetypes, s/he is an introvert.. Another well known psychologist who
worked with this theory was Hans Eysenck.
There are several ways you can determine whether you are an introvert or an
extrovert, thanks primarily to the work of Katharine Briggs and her daughter
Isabel Briggs Myers who developed the best known test to reveal a person's personality
type, called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The MBTI is an expensive test
which a qualified administrator gives you. You can also test yourself online
at many websites where there is no fee or a small fee. The one I recommend is
www.keirsey.com. Keirsey Temperament Theory is based on the Jungian principles
and I find the site user-friendly.
Your personality type will be determined by a self test where you are asked
questions like these and must answer yes or no. On some tests you have a scale
of 1 to 6 and your answers will range from strongly disagree to disagree.
1. I am a rather deep person.
2. My actions are frequently influenced by emotions.
3. I like to answer the phone.
4. Inspiration is very important to me.
5. I am hard to get to know.
6. I consider myself objective.
7. I like dealing with details and facts.
8. It is my nature to take on responsibility.
9. I like lots of change and variety in my life.
10. I am energized by being with people.
Personality inventory tests are nonjudgmental and simply encourage a person
to open up more to who they are. Most people enjoy taking the test and learning
more about themselves.
Each person who takes the test is first determined to be either an introvert
or an introvert. About 75 % of the population is extroverted. 25% are introverted.
There are three other categories as well. These categories are called "Functions"
and describe the way a person deals with the world. In the category Sensing-Intuiting
("S"-"I"), about 75% are sensing. Sensors process information
using the five senses. Their opposites, the intuitives, are interested in the
relationship between ideas and concepts and are oriented toward future possibilities.
Jung thought they could "see around corners". He himself was an intuitive.
I would imagine you are intuitive if you're interested in developing this ability but it might be one of your second or third functions. At any rate, intuition can be developed exponentially.
In the category Thinking-Feeling ("T" or "F"), the attributes
are evenly distributed although researchers have found that about 2/3 of men
are thinkers and about 2/3 of women are feelers. Thinking means evaluating information
or ideas rationally, logically, critically and analytically. The opposite function,
feeling, is also a matter of evaluating information, but this time by weighing
one's overall, emotional response. Feelers need and value kindness.
In the category Judging-Perceiving ("J" or "P"), the attributes
are equally distributed in the population. Judgers are more deliberate and careful
as they try to control and order the world. Perceivers are more spontaneous
and relaxed as they adapt to the world with flexibility.
Each type is identified by four letters, such as ENFJ or INFP. There are many
books, websites and forums where people learn more about themselves in these
categories.
Each person has all four functions but they are not equally well developed.
We have one which we prefer and use well. Then there are two that are fairly
well developed which we use comfortably, more or less as a "back up".
The fourth function is so poorly developed that we may not even be conscious
that we have it. The ideal is to eventually develop all four functions. Most
of us only develop two.
Both Keirsey and Myers Briggs give colorful names to the "types" which
can be helpful in remembering the basic personality of each type. There are
the sixteen different personality types.
What did you think of this article? Was the information presented clearly? Was it easy to understand? Did you know about personality typing before?
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