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Comment by swombat | Hacker News Reader

I don't like the whole introvert vs extrovert divide. I am extremely introverted in some situations and extremely extroverted in others. I think I tend more towards the introverted side, sure, but I do plenty of things which smack more of the attention-seeking extrovert. Also, while I'm often shy to approach new people to start up a conversation (particularly if it revolves around the dreaded and dreadful "small talk"), when approached by others I never retreat into my shell - in fact, I come out and have a great conversation with pretty much anybody.

Perhaps, as the article argues, having introverted tendencies is not a choice, but giving in to them at the wrong time probably is. We all, extro- or introverts, have the potential to do both.

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You may not like the divide, but in my moderately introverted experience, it is absolutely real. I can be very social and gregarious, but my energy and ability to recharge comes from solitude. Until I figured this out, and my wife and I came to an understanding about it, our difference i vs. e was a source of friction.

I also think it is telling that you speak of introverted tendencies in language that clearly dissaproves of "giving in" these "introverted tendencies". In some ways that linguistic construction echoes a moral judgment being passed on someone for their involuntary orientation. Maybe you can choose to do both (engage in both introverted and extroverted behaviours) but there are clearly people further along the continuum than you towards the introverted side for whom that proposition is much tougher, and in some cases impossible.

Exactly. When I visit my friends, or go to parties or bars, I can be social, but I can't do it seven days in a row. If I don't get a few nights to myself per week, I get crazy and hate my life (and other people's, too.)

In any given Psychological classification you can attribute yourself to different sides of the classification. This is because everyone is different.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individual_Differences for more explanation.

In the same case, you have to take this for both it's merits and demerits.

It's there. I was at a gathering of about 15 people with my girlfriend and all the chattering was causing me stress, though I didn't realize it. I thought I looked in control well enough to not be noticed, but people kept asking me if I was OK, repeatedly. Later my girlfriend told me I looked panicked. She'll still laugh at me for that.

Couldn't have said it better myself. I didn't particularly identify with either side of the divide (or rather, I identify with parts of both sides). I'm usually not the life of the party, and I'm far from great at small talk, but on the other hand I tend to go absolutely nuts if I'm alone for too long.

I don't doubt that the divide is real, but as with most behavioural traits I suspect that reality is more of a spectrum, with the majority of people falling somewhere towards the middle.

Like it or not, there are things that can be measured, and when you do, you get different answers. Introversion/Extroversion can be measured, and people get different scores.

Some people get different scores at different times or in different contexts, but that doesn't mean the measurements are meaningless or valueless.

Understanding these issues can be of tremendous value, and can help to ensure that unusual personality types are not needlessly "treated" or harrassed. Instead, others can be encouraged to realise that different people have different needs.

Actually, most scales of introversion and extroversion (some people spell it extraversion) are quite poorly validated, and that especially goes for the Myers-Briggs questionnaires.

http://skepdic.com/myersb.html

http://www.indiana.edu/~jobtalk/HRMWebsite/hrm/articles/deve...

I accept the idea that some people on particular occasions enjoy the company of other people more than others, but it's considerably less clear that this is even a stable trait, rather than a state, on the individual level, and many of the inferences drawn from classifying a person as "introverted" or "extroverted" are highly debatable.

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