A neat article that gives clarity on the introversion/extroversion spectrum (not binary), and explores how we should use knowledge of these personality traits, rather than using these labels as crutches or stereotype-enhancers.
(Applies to other personality labelling models like MBTI too!)
Thanks for this btcprox. If you get a chance, read Malcom Gladwell's examination of the nonsense of Myers-Briggs. The article is called "Personality Plus" and was originally published in The New Yorker.We need to shed the outdated and self-diagnosed notions of binary personality because it’s not useful for understanding who we really are.
I totally agree with this. Personality typing fails even more when people use it as an excuse instead of a tool to understand a tendency that they may have. Most labels get in the way of learning communication skills that we can call upon when we face difficult situations.
I read an interesting book about introverts : 'Quiet : The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' ; here's a quote from the book : "Schwartz's research suggests something important: we can stretch our personalities, but only up to a point. Our inborn temperaments influence us, regardless of the lives we lead. A sizable part of who we are is ordained by our genes, by our brains, by our nervous systems. And yet, the elasticity that Schwartz found in some of the high-reactive teens also suggests the converse: we have free will and can use it to shape our personalities. These seem like contradictory principles, but they are not. Free will can take us far, suggests Dr. Schwart's research, but it cannot carry us infinitely beyond our genetic limits. Bill Gates is never going to be Bill Clinton, no matter how he polishes his social skills, and Bill Clinton can never be Bill Gates, no matter how much time he spends alone with a computer. We might call this the "rubber band theory" of personality. We are like rubber bands at rest. We are elastic and can stretch ourselves, but only so much."
Does an elastic band stretch better in a hot environment than in an icy one? When I read about this subject I often find omissions of environmental effects, especially during childhood, and how they effect those senses of intro/extroversion. I don't get why. I grew up around people who I just didn't jive well with. I always wondered if I'd be an extrovert if I had grown up in a talkative family that brought nice friends around that I might have enjoyed talking to. I also didn't get to keep friends as we moved countries often and I often believe that is a big factor as well. But who knows. Indeed I can now only stretch my personality to a point.
Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed reading this article. I think your best point relating to the article is that other personality traits are better understood on a spectrum. When I took a fairly advanced personality psychology course a few years ago, we started the semester off covering the "big 5" personality traits (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits). They are: -Openness to experience -Conscientiousness -Extraversion -Agreeableness -Neuroticism Basically, the principal we were taught is that a persons personality can be generally summed up as a combination of where they land on the spectrum on each of these traits. My professor stressed that there was no "better" or "worse" place to land on each of the scales, however some combinations create a disposition for specific psychological disorders. For example, most people would see conscientiousness as a very desirable trait in today's society. Someone high on the conscientiousness scale might be labeled as a perfectionist, very organized and attentive to detail (all good things, right?). Unfortunately, if they also landed low on Neuroticism, meaning their emotions were inconsistent/unstable, they would have a high predisposition to Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This is where the introverted stereotype comes in of the weird, antisocial basement dweller who never gets out of the house. It is not just where a person falls on the extaversion spectrum, but how that trait works hand in hand with other traits. Generally, those recluse-type people are low on agreeableness as well. To sum it up, personality traits are never black or white; individuals are complex and to label them otherwise would be foolish.
... It is not just where a person falls on the extraversion spectrum, but how that trait works hand in hand with other traits. Right, after all a personality is the layered and complex combo of numerous identifiable traits, and then some. Picking out a few traits would only reveal a little fragment of the person's psyche. Maybe identifying oneself as part of a binary - or generally part of a group of a polytomy - just gives one a sense of belonging and relief, knowing that he/she is not alone in the challenges faced because of who he/she is.a person's personality can be generally summed up as a combination of where they land on the spectrum on each of these traits. ... no "better" or "worse" place to land on each of the scales, however some combinations create a disposition for specific psychological disorders.
Do most people view being a perfectionist a good thing? I certainly don't, most perfectionist are annoying and slow to accomplish tasks. I put way more stock in getting it done than getting it perfect as long as things are getting done well. I think you learn a lot more when you can accept mistakes and imperfection and then repeat a task to learn from another round of mistakes. Only after being completely bollucks a bunch should you take a run at perfection.
Perhaps because perfectionism is often seen as the direct antithesis to mediocrity. "Surely being perpetually unsatisfied and constantly striving for more improvement, is better than settling for a state that's below excellence!" But of course it's best to learn the fundamentals before heading for the peak. Whether that be from your own mistakes or from others.