Extrovert vs. Introvert

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What are Introverts and Extroverts?

Do you zone out if too much is going on? Are you energized by spending time alone? In meetings, do you need to be asked for your opinions and ideas? Do you tend to notice details that other people miss? Is your ideal celebration a small get-together rather than a big party? Do you often feel like a tortoise surrounded by hares? If so, there is nothing wrong with you. You’re just an introvert.

Psychoanalyst Carl Jung developed theories about introverts and extroverts and argued that both of them are attracted to their counterparts to help strengthen and complete what’s missing in each of them. He also saw this continuum as a natural way for us to appreciate complementary qualities in one another. So, what are the main differences between introverts and extroverts? In the following article, we can learn that the differences lie in where they summon up energy and how they perceive knowledge and experience.

What Creates Energy for Them?

The primary difference between introverts and extroverts is how they recharge their batteries. Extroverts are energized by the outer world. Most extroverts like talking to people, engaging in activities outside of themselves, and working around people. Contrary to most of our perceptions about extroverts, they are not necessarily more outgoing or lively than introverts; however, their focus is outside themselves.

Extroverts spend energy freely and often have trouble slowing down. They can refresh themselves easily by doing something in the outside world, especially since there is so much to choose from today. Extroverts may experience loneliness and a feeling of being exhausted when they are not in contact with people or the outside world. They may be the ones who are eager to go after a party, asking, “What shall we do next?” Often, the hardest activity for them is relaxing and giving their body a rest.

Introverts, on the other hand, are energized by the internal world, such as ideas, impressions, and emotions. They need a quiet, reflective place where they can think things through and recharge themselves. Counter to our stereotypes of introverts, they are not necessarily quiet or withdrawn; however, their focus is inside their head. They might say with relief, “Whew! It was great to catch up with Bill, but I am so glad the party is over!”

Creating energy isn’t so easy for introverts, however, especially in today’s fast-paced world. It takes more time for introverts to restore energy, and it flows out faster than an extrovert’s energy. Thus introverts need to calculate how much energy something will take and how much they need to conserve, and then they should plan accordingly.

How Deep or Wide are Their Perceptions?

Another way extroverts and introverts are different involves the concept of breadth and depth. By and large, extroverts like breadth - having lots of friends and experiences, knowing a little bit about everything, and being a generalist. What they take in from the outside environment does not generally expand internally as they process the experience. Instead, they are on to the next experience. One of your extroverted friends might tell you, “I love to flit around a party and just catch the highlights from each conversation.” In this situation, your friend doesn’t like to miss out on anything. For extroverts, life is about collecting experiences. Extroverts view the world as an extensive Sunday brunch. They can graze at the banquet, fill up on all sorts of treats, and leave when they are full to bursting. They want to wring every drop of stimulation they can from life. Variety is stimulating and energizing to them.

Introverts, on the other hand, like depth, and while they limit their experiences, they feel each of them deeply. They often have fewer friends but are more intimate with them. They like to delve deeply into topics and look for “richness” more than “muchness.” This is why it’s necessary for them to limit their topics to one or two. Otherwise, they can become overwhelmed. Their mind absorbs information from the outside environment and then reflects on it and expands it. And long after they have taken in the information, they are still munching and crunching it a little like cows chewing their cud. How would anyone other than an introvert have had the patience to study a countless number of snowflake shapes? This is also why introverts resent being interrupted. It’s difficult for them to pull themselves up and out of their deep well of concentration. And gaining that concentration again takes lots of extra energy that they often don’t have.

Jung suggested that the goal of a well-lived life was the attainment of wholeness, which means achieving harmony through knowing and valuing your own personal strengths and weaknesses. He thought of all positions on the introvert-extrovert continuum as healthy and necessary. While some of us are more innately extroverted or more innately introverted, everyone has a natural resting point where he or she can gain more energy and expend less energy. We need the strengths of each type of temperament to balance the world because each temperament supplies strengths whereas the other has constraints.