Extroverts vs. Introverts

Due to a recent holiday where a certain religious figure died and rose from the dead in a matter of days, I had an extended vacation from work. This same holiday and its circumstances also meant that I had a lot of friends (read: most of the people I hang out with on a weekend) leave town, while I did not.

This meant that I spent an inordinate amount of time by myself this weekend. Don't expect this post to suddenly turn into something where I discovered the virtue of solitude. The exact opposite happened - it sucked.

I realized (quite glaringly) that I am, in fact, an extrovert. This might seem very obvious if you know me, but I question that it only seems obvious because the term "extrovert" has now been misinterpreted by society to mean "loud", "outgoing", or "talkative". And while I am all three of those things, I am also an extrovert by (I assert) mutually exclusive means.

I say that knowing this: I happen to work with a lot of introverts. This can drive me nuts sometimes. I have also then been able to see a full spectrum of introverts. Some are still external processors. Others are louder than I am. Some are amazing public speakers. They're not all quiet, shy introspective people - who knew?

At the same time, people are surprised to learn that I like to read. "Even though you're extroverted?", they say. Yes, just because I gain energy from others does not mean that I can't enjoy a good legal thriller every now and then.

I am rambling (this is due more to me being a J on the Myers-Briggs scale than my extroversion, I guess). My point is that typology theories (and especially extrovert vs introvert debates) need not be so dualistic. They should instead acknowledge and accept a wide range of characteristics that could fall under such an umbrella.

Meanwhile, I am going to get out of my office and find someone to talk to. All this time with just me and my computer has been draining.