The Difference Between Introvert & Extrovert

Samaira and Tara are best friends, but polar opposites. If Samaira is outgoing, outspoken and sociable, Tara is reserved, soft-spoken and quiet. They enjoy hanging out together and Samaira invites Tara to parties often. But Tara prefers to stay in—she enjoys her solitude and quality time with her closest confidants.

While Samaira is an extrovert, Tara is an introvert. These are two opposing personality types that can be observed in people.

Let’s explore ‘what is introvert and extrovert personality’ and the difference between introvert and extrovert with examples.

What Are Introversion And Extroversion?

Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung introduced introversion and extroversion as two distinct personality traits that lie at the two ends of the same spectrum. According to his theory, if you’re an extrovert, you tend to have fewer introverted traits and vice versa.

In your group of friends or family, you may have noticed people exhibiting unique qualities like being outgoing or preferring to spend time alone. Each of these qualities is unique to these personality types. You may be one or the other, but there’s a third personality type—ambiversion—that lies somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.

To understand whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, let’s break down each of these personality types to get a deeper insight.

Who Is An Introvert?

If you know someone who enjoys activities like spending time with nature, taking long walks by themselves, watching a movie alone, writing in a journal or staying indoors, they’re an introvert. Introverts enjoy taking time off from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The theory suggests that introverts think about the ‘self’, focus on building self-awareness and switch off once in a while. They may get exhausted if they’re among people, especially strangers, for too long.

Here are some expert-recommended traits of introverts, let’s see whether you can identify with them:

Spending time by yourself instead of seeking company
Preferring individual projects and assignments, autonomy at work and room to ideate without social activities
Skipping social gatherings and interactions like parties, meetups and events where you may have to engage, communicate and exchange ideas
Spending time on self-introspection to discover who you are, what you want and hashing out your goals
Daydreaming in the middle of a task or conversation if you don’t feel like participating or if you’re feeling pressured

Introverts enjoy spending time on one activity instead of multitasking. This helps them concentrate completely without getting distracted. These qualities aren’t, however, exhaustive and there’s a lot more to introversion that can become your strengths.

Who Is An Extrovert?

If you know someone who enjoys spending time with others, meet new people and thrive in settings where they have to collaborate, they’re an extrovert. Extroverts tend to seek the company of others, they prefer going out and building a network and they work well in a team. An extrovert at home might just feel like they’re under house arrest. They need to be up and about to truly make their day count.

Here are some qualities as recommended by experts shared by extroverts:

Actively participating in group and team activities without feeling shy in front of strangers
Attending networking events or conferences to build their professional network and make connections
Getting inspired by others and your external environment
Engaging with people, helping them with their problems and listening to others when they’re talking
Look forward to quality time with people in your network to feel recharged and energized

Many politicians and those who prefer to remain in the public domain are extroverts. They enjoy sharing their ideas, opinions and thoughts with others. So, are you an introvert or an extrovert? (https://salemchamber.org/) If you’re unsure, read on to discover more about being an introvert vs extrovert.

What Is The Difference Between Introverted And Extroverted?

You may need to ask yourself a set of questions to figure out whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. Some things that can help you decide are thinking about how you are in a social setting, whether you enjoy autonomy at work or what kind of career path you envision for yourself.

At the same time, it’s important to note that the introvert and extrovert personality types aren’t set in stone. There are several factors that affect us on a daily basis. It may be our cultural background, relationships and profession. Rather than the two extremes, people may oscillate between these types or edge more toward being an ambivert. Having said that, there are certain differences between being an introvert and extrovert.

Here are some examples to help you answer the introvert vs extrovert question:

Social Settings

Say you’ve been invited to an office party by your manager. You don’t really feel like attending because the thought of interacting with your coworkers, strangers and people in general seems exhausting. You’d rather stay at home in your pj’s, watch something online and call it a night. Or, you may want to spend time with your friends or family and go out for dinner. These are signs that you may be an introvert.

Instead, if you’re excited about the prospect of hanging out with your coworkers, spending time getting to know people and enjoying a night out, you may be an extrovert. You’ll find this kind of environment energizing and you actually look forward to talking to your coworkers outside of office hours.

Professional Aspirations

Sanam enjoys writing and reading in their spare time so much so that they enrolled in a weekend creative writing course. They want to become a novelist, publish their own stories and share their words. They enjoy the solitude that comes with writing on their desk. Sanam, an introvert, prefers activities they can do alone instead of participating in group events.

Radhika is a budding entrepreneur. She gets her energy from attending startup D-Days (the day a startup is launched). She enjoys networking events because they give her a chance to build meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships. Radhika is an extrovert who finds engagement stimulating.

Team Vs. Independent

Shabd works in a four-member team, but his manager usually makes him work on projects independently. He’s more efficient and productive when he has autonomy as opposed to when he’s working in a group. Shabd’s manager recognized that he was an introvert and assigned him work where his skills would shine.

Om is a freelance video editor who takes on several community projects in a month. He enjoys visiting client offices, meeting up with acquaintances to build his professional network and talking to people who can help him grow in his career. As an extrovert, he has excellent communication skills and finds interactions with people rewarding.

Through these examples, you can figure out the differences between an introvert and extrovert. Each person is unique, but the same personality types share common traits across the board. As mentioned, there’s a spectrum on which these personalities operate and depend on several factors that may vary from person to person.

Skills Common To Introverts And Extroverts

Each individual has their own strengths, weaknesses and abilities. They use these to get ahead in life both personally and professionally. Whether you want to focus on foundational skills like communication, problem-solving or leadership or technical, job-specific skills, some of these are affected by the type of person you are and your affinities.

Experts suggest that people who are introverts:

have effective writing skills
they’re self-motivated
they self-reflect to understand how they can realize their full potential

Meanwhile, extroverts:

are excellent listeners
they thrive in a collaborative environment demonstrating effective teamwork
they’re flexible when it comes to work situations

Both introvert and extrovert personalities have a unique set of skills they bring to the table. It’s important to enhance these skills to use them to your advantage. For instance, flexibility is one of the most significant skills to develop as it helps you adapt to different situations.

Are You An Introvert Or An Extrovert?

Discovering who you are, what you want and what you stand for are the pillars on which we stand. Harappa’s Interpreting Self course will teach you how to answer these questions and help you build necessary life skills in the process. Define your aspirations and diagnose your working style to find a career that fits you best. Understanding your personality traits is helpful when you’re trying to figure out a professional path for yourself. If you’re working, you may find that knowing whether you enjoy working alone or with people helps you seek the right opportunities. Spend some time on yourself to interpret the kind of person you are. Not only is it a way to understand yourself but also make a step toward becoming your best self.

Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics related to What Is Self-Motivation, How To Deal With Burnout, What Do Multiple Intelligences Mean & What Is Self-Criticism to take a step toward becoming your best self.

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