# What kind of extrovert/introvert are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2010, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223 "2010-02-09T02:29:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![freckafree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/freckafree/32/3050_2.png) [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/21 "2010-02-09T14:45:44Z")
I hope **jjimm** will correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought in the MBTI one of the qualities that determines whether you are an introvert or an extrovert is whether engaging people energizes you (extrovert) or takes energy from you (introvert). I voted extroverted introvert on that basis, because even though I can and do behave like an extrovert, it wears me out. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/22 "2010-02-09T15:22:33Z")
I used to be a Social Cripple Introvert, now I consider myself very much an Introverted Introvert, but I suppose to most people I appear to be an Extroverted Introvert. However, I only socialize at work and while I’m pretty friendly with people there, I spend my free time avoiding all human contact aside from my boyfriend as much as possible. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/23 "2010-02-09T15:26:03Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > but then noticed someone had posted the “Are You Shy” poll That was me. I voted here as IE (Internet Explorer?), but it was a real toss up between that and EI. I can happily spend days on end by myself and be perfectly happy. Being the life of the party takes considerable effort for me. In certain social situations I can do it, but those are situations that I’m very comfortable in. A few weeks ago I met a bunch of strangers, and I was most definitely leading the conversation. When I mentioned that I’m really shy, I was essentially called a liar. I had to explain that whatI was doing was somethign that I couldn’t have done a couple of years ago. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/24 "2010-02-09T15:34:59Z")
NOTA/other/don’t put me in a box/etc. I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed or numbered. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/25 "2010-02-09T15:36:27Z")
> [@freckafree](#): > > I hope **jjimm** will correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought in the MBTI one of the qualities that determines whether you are an introvert or an extrovert is whether engaging people energizes you (extrovert) or takes energy from you (introvert). This is correct, in my understanding. The E-I dichotomy is also about preferred modes of thinking through issues: do you vocalise and bounce things off others as you think them through, or do you work things out internally before sharing them? Business meetings with a lot of people with an E preference, and few people with an I preference, are a nightmare for the people with the I preference. I should clarify the dichotomy thing I wrote above: they are defined as dichotomies, but that should not imply that they are mutually exclusive. In other words, in the theory, everyone falls on one side or the other in terms of their _preference_ for doing things, but most people can also utilised their non-preferred trait. Note: in Jungian theory it’s “extr **a** vert” - he coined or popularised that word before it escaped into the wild as “extrovert”. Bot are acceptable spellings, but the latter spelling tends popularly to mean “life and soul of the party” and “outgoing” - which is a potential for an extravert, but isn’t the whole story with extraversion. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/26 "2010-02-09T15:58:41Z")
INFP here. Primarily, I’m firmly on the introvert side, and yet I have a definite extroverted aspect too. So I went with EI. I had remained socially isolated for most of my life. Attempting to live according to externally imposed social and existential norms aggravated that tendency. But during the times when I lived according to my own lights, I enjoyed a more active social life, feeling free to be myself. This was while I was in college and shortly afterward; and during the past 5 years, after I came out. Once I came out, I rediscovered that I enjoyed having a social life and did quite well at it. I even discovered that, at times, I’m able to become energized by social interaction instead of depleted. Tests place me slightly on the introvert side of the dividing line. I still get energized the best by solitude. But I like socializing as well. It comes from living as a whole person, not divided against myself. Wholeness within me translates to a full external life as well. I get to enjoy both, which is a pretty cool deal. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/27 "2010-02-09T16:19:07Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > MBTI indicators **are** binary, (I am halfway through MBTI Step I qualification training). There are degrees of _confirmation_ of type, but not degrees of type: that’s why they’re called dichotomies. You’re either one or the other, in Myers-Briggs terminology. I distinctly remember seeing a scoring for each dichotomy. In terms of determining your MBTI “type”, I don’t think the score matters. It doesn’t distinguish between being a little E vs a whole lot of E. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/28 "2010-02-09T16:22:15Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I distinctly remember seeing a scoring for each dichotomy. In terms of determining your MBTI “type”, I don’t think the score matters. It doesn’t distinguish between being a little E vs a whole lot of E. In the MBTI Step I questionnaire, the “score” is only about how clearly your preference is indicated. That does not mean to what degree to which you have or exhibit that preference. It’s a commonly held misconception and I’m not surprised it confuses a lot of people. I agree it’s weird, but I’ve got a scoring sheet in front of me now and that is indeed how it works. There are other psychometric instruments that score by degree (e.g. the 16PF) but not the MBTI Step I, which is the most common one in the world. ---
**Author:** ![butler1850](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@butler1850](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butler1850)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/29 "2010-02-09T19:22:59Z")
EI. If the interaction “doesn’t matter,” like the airline trip neighbor, or the checkout girl, I’m very extroverted. If it “does matter,” like a cold sales call, or talking to a woman I was fancying, then I’d become very introverted. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/30 "2010-02-09T20:04:20Z")
I suppose I am “[w]hat most people think of when using the word extrovert,” but I wouldn’t describe myself as an E-E. It’s funny this thread should come up. Last night while chatting up my friend at the bar, he told me people from my company often come into the store he works at, and when he asks if they know me, not only is the answer often yes, it is often followed by some variation of, “The one with the personality.” I immediately interpreted that as a euphemism for bitch, but he assured me that most people respond warmly to the mention of my name (I think he’s lying), and among the most common words he hears to describe me are “outgoing” and “funny.” Huh. Well all right then, I guess I come off as a E-E, but I have no particular desire to interact with people a lot of the time, and can go either way on small talking people on the air plane. I’ll seek out a conversation depending on my mood. I’d call myself an E-I, but I can have an inaccurate perception of myself. Some people --get this!-- have described me as bossy. Pfft. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/31 "2010-02-10T09:11:56Z")
I am Extroverted Introvert with both words super-capitalized!! When I was young I had an almost pathological introverted inferiority complex. I matured in my late 20’s and early 30’s and then developed an obnoxious superiority complex! (Instead of painfully shy with women, I’m now overly flirtatious.) There was a brief Goldilocks interlude between the “inferiority” and “superiority” phases (which may really be two sides of the same coin) – get me drunk sometime and I’ll explain what derailed me from that Goldilocks phase. I was INTP when I tested 28 years ago or so, and just retested at [humanmetrics.com](http://humanmetrics.com) . I expected to get an inconsistent result(_) but instead came up INTP again with the “I” particularly strong. (_ Inconsistent because many of the questions are hard to answer. For example “You take pleasure in putting things in order.” My wife would laugh her head off if I told her I answered Yes to this.) ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/32 "2010-02-10T15:03:56Z")
The crying on the inside kind, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/33 "2010-02-10T15:54:01Z")
_Introvert-Extrovert_ without a doubt. I’m pretty shy in person, especially in groups and at social events I’m much more likely to sit back and watch people instead of making the rounds talking to people. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/34 "2010-02-10T17:56:20Z")
I’m an EI. When I am out with people I’m engaging but sometimes I skip going out with people because I’d rather stay home and do my own thing. ---
**Author:** ![Powers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/35 "2010-02-15T18:44:59Z")
I had to answer NOTA. I’m solidly an introvert by the classical definition, as someone whose energy is sapped by interaction and restored by solitude. But aspects of each of the latter three categories apply to me. In some situations I am indeed “bold and forthright” but I can’t just strike up a conversation with anyone. And while I’m usually perfectly happy sitting at home and entertaining myself, I also crave attention and (certain kinds of) human interaction. So while I’m clearly a classical introvert, I can’t say your new “nuanced” categories are helpful for me. Powers &8^] ---
**Author:** ![Perciful](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b38774/32.png) [@Perciful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Perciful)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/36 "2010-02-16T03:49:11Z")
I’m an EI. I love being around people but I also love solitude. I live alone and love the quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Viridiana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Viridiana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viridiana)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/37 "2010-02-18T12:46:54Z")
EI, most definitely. I can be very good with people, but the thought of having them around constantly sucks all my energy out. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/38 "2010-02-26T17:13:59Z")
There’s a Persian Sufi motto, _khalvat dar anjoman_, meaning inner solitude within a social gathering. Would that be I.E. or E.I.? ---
**Author:** ![RedBloom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/dbc845/32.png) [@RedBloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedBloom)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/39 "2010-02-26T17:28:41Z")
EI for sure… definitely prefer to be at home with my family or by myself, I’ll take solitary exercise and activities any day over social ones… I rarely initiate interaction with other people, but if they do first, I’ll open up right away and talk and make jokes (mostly out of nerves). In my 20’s - I was VERY social, but that’s because I drank heavily, that was the only way I felt comfortable socializing. Now that I have kids and am on depresson meds, I rarely drink anymore, which means I rarely socialize! I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life though. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223/40 "2010-02-26T17:41:58Z")
II with some EI tendencies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-extrovert-introvert-are-you/528223.md?page=3)