In my blogs I write a lot about introversion and its properties. But what is the difference between extroversion and ambiversion? In this blog I tell you more.
Introvert
First, let's look at the definition of introvert again. Based on my own research among 400 introverts worldwide, I have come to the following definition:
'An introvert is someone who recharges by being alone. That doesn't mean he doesn't want to be with other people. However, an introvert prefers smaller groups of people on social occasions. He also needs more time to express his thoughts and to analyze things than an extrovert.'
You can link this preference to how an introvert's brain is structured. They are more easily overstimulated, so an introvert prefers to be alone now and then. An introvert also likes to look at things from different perspectives, which means that he needs more time to form his thoughts.
Extrovert
With extroverts, things work a little differently. They need more stimuli to feel comfortable. This means that they interact with others more often and faster. They also form their thoughts while talking, which makes them speak more easily. Where introverts often hate to be interrupted, that can actually help extroverts in their thinking process.
If you translate that into a definition, I see it like this:
'An extrovert is someone who recharges by being around people. That's not to say he never wants to be alone. But an extrovert prefers to interact a lot with many different people on social occasions. He shapes his thoughts as he speaks.'
Ambivert
Introverted and extroverted are the extremes of the spectrum. However, most people are ambiverts and are somewhere in the middle. Which side an ambivert shows depends on the situation. One moment he prefers to be surrounded by friends, the next he prefers to be alone. And sometimes he keeps quiet, but at other times he speaks loudly.
Ambiverts can switch well between more introverted and more extroverted behavior. Therefore, they are the ideal people to bring introverts and extroverts together because they understand both sides. My definition of an ambivert is as follows:
'An ambivert is someone who sometimes recharges by being alone at times, and by interacting at others. Sometimes he wants a one-on-one conversation, sometimes he prefers to be in a group. Sometimes he takes a moment to think, but sometimes he can also spontaneously share something. This is all situation dependent.'
Not black and white
Of course, personality is not all black and white. Extraversion is a scale in which you are always partly introverted and therefore partly extroverted. The percentages tell you whether you are more introverted, more extroverted or ambivert.
Introversion is in large part innate, because of the way the brain is set up. Yet you can learn during your life to display different behaviour, for example because the environment requires it. Eventually you will notice in your energy level what your most natural behavior is. That is an important indicator to keep your energy up.
