Extraversion and Introversion are about how we get energized and where we direct our energy.
Do you know which you’re wired for?
Your preference sheds light on why certain situations are energizing or certain people draining. Why certain work environments bring out your best while others leave you distinctly out of sorts.
- For instance, if your preference is Extraversion, you typically like variety and action in the workplace. You enjoy interacting with people, developing your ideas through discussion, and learning new tasks by talking and doing.
- On the other hand, if you prefer Introversion, you like quiet for concentration and enjoy focusing on a project or task. You develop your ideas internally and prefer to learn new tasks by reading and reflecting.
Know this: Whatever your type, you can flex and function on the other side. But it’s going to take a toll.
So someone with a preference for Introversion can interact with colleagues in the workplace and participate in developing ideas through group brainstorming sessions.
But flexing to these out-of-preference states will require a certain amount of energy for the Introvert because she’s not operating from her natural home base.
Likewise, someone with a preference for Extraversion can work alone, concentrate on a project, and read and reflect in order to learn a new task. But this solitude will be energy draining for her—whereas it would have been energy giving to an Introvert.
Here’s why it matters.
We all have innate preferences when it comes to where we focus our attention and get our energy. If you’re forced to spend a lot of time outside your natural home base, it takes a toll on your energy.
Imagine life spent only with people and in situations that energize you. Imagine always being able to capitalize on your strengths and what comes naturally.
In other words…imagine the energy of living from your natural home base.
Extraversion-Introversion is one of four dichotomies revealed by the Myers-Briggs personality assessment. Which do you prefer?
Check out these posts to read about the other Myers-Briggs preference pairs:
- What’s your type: Sensing or Intuition?
- What’s your type: Thinking or Feeling?
- What’s your type: Judging or Perceiving?
