Why are introverts often described in terms of negative emotionality, and should they be?
In public discourse, one often encounters defenses of the strengths and advantages of introverts in a world that generally prefers and celebrates more extroverted behaviors. While this advocacy can have many positive effects, it seems to me that those defending introverts often (mistakenly?) describe them in terms of negative emotionality, such as shyness, anxiety, fear, insecurity, etc., i.e. in terms of qualities that fall under the umbrella of the trait of Neuroticism rather than Extraversion.?
I was curious about why this is the case. One obvious explanation is the strong correlation between these two traits. When examining data from Johnson's IPIP-NEO data repository, the data indeed appear to support this hypothesis. Compared to all other traits, Neuroticism much more strongly (negatively) correlates with Extraversion (see the pairplot below).?
At the level of sub-facets of these two traits, we can observe in the correlation plot below - where individual items are ordered based on the first principal component, which groups together highly correlated variables - that the sub-facets of Extraversion are most strongly predicted by scores on the Neuroticism sub-facets of Self-Consciousness (sensitivity to others' judgments and fear of embarrassment) and Depression (inclination toward feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and low self-esteem). To some extent, Anxiety (tendency to worry, feel nervous, or experience fear) and Vulnerability (susceptibility to stress and inability to cope under pressure) also contribute.
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These patterns could indeed provide an answer to the question posed in the title of my post. However, the question now is whether, when discussing introverts, we should limit ourselves to behaviors that fall exclusively under the umbrella of Extraversion, as described in modern personality psychology, or whether we should also include other closely related behaviors. My personal stance is that we should include them, while explicitly noting that the picture we are describing is not a monolith but rather a blend of multiple traits. This approach helps prevent oversimplification, avoid stereotypes, and appreciate the complexity of introverts' strengths and challenges, ultimately leading to greater self-awareness and more tailored strategies in personal and professional contexts. What’s your take on this?
#personality #introversion #extraversion? #neuroticism
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2 个月The way the article is put makes me wonder: who is making the description? Since it is done in ‘public discourse’ and (to paraphrase) in terms of ‘negative extraversion,’ it seems likely that these descriptions are often made by extroverts, based on their own experiences. If introverts were describing themselves, the terms might be quite different… and it would be interesting to see how introverts describe extroverts in return. As an introvert myself, I know extroverts will try to fit me in a box, much like the table in the illustration, and it’s easier to let them think what they want and save my energy for more meaningful discussions. This doesn’t mean I avoid working with extroverts though: when there’s a task at hand, I focus on the work. However, very few people get to know the real me just by seeing me work. Just my two cents from personal experience.
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2 个月Here are some of the unbiased terms I use for extroverts during my behavioural surveys: ? Noisy, talking without thinking, trivial, nervous energy, overconfidence, unwitty.
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2 个月Jared Peterson there are trait tools that are specifically designed to measure introversion using a positive framing of introverted behaviors (eg Lumina Spark by Lumina Learning) so perhaps they have research to share on this ( Dr Stewart Desson )? There are also tools out there that are very clear on the differences between introversion (ie low levels of trait extraversion) and the more emotionally reactive end of trait Neuroticism (eg tools from HUCAMA Group and NEO from Hogrefe UK). These questionnaires ask about the behaviours but in a way that taps into the reason for the behaviour and an introvert that’s very comfortable being less gregarious and more observing of interactions will not rate themselves highly on self-consciousness for example, it will just be their ‘normal’ way of interacting that doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable. Often the confusion and debate is around the term introvert as it’s used in everyday language - in trait personality worlds there are very clearly defined aspects to a low extraversion score and it’s distinctly different from factors such as curiosity, openness to new ideas, new behaviours, despondency, anxiety etc etc.
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2 个月Agree! In my opinion, “introverts” have just as many friotful conversations as “extroverts”. They are just keeping the conversations to smaller confined groups or spaces or within themselves. It does not mean we introverts do not reflect, consider, doubt, think, learn, challenge, expand our minds … it’s just done differently and much less noisy. And it’s not a negative thing.
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2 个月Kristina Shershun to by Te mohlo zaujmout ??