Definition Of Introversion

The psychology definition of introversion is a personality type where a person tends to be more inward turning and focuses more on internal thought, feelings, and moods rather than external stimulation. (Kendra Cherry, 2014) Introversion as a personality is most associated with people who prefer alone time over hang out with large groups of people. On the other end of the spectrum are extraverts. Extraverts are people who are very outward with their emotions and essentially the opposite of an introvert. Extraverts outnumber introverts three to one and an introverted personality is often viewed as a defect. Nothing could be farther from the truth. As an introvert I used to think there was something wrong with me because I didn’t have many
friends and wasn’t popular, but as I went through high school I realized that if I was happy with myself that no one else mattered. Unlike extroverts who get a charge from social interaction, introverted people most of the time finds socializing in large groups exhausting but revel in meaningful one on one conversations and deep friendships.
Introverted people have fewer friends but the friends they do have they keep very close. Introverts are considered very thoughtful people and think through everything they say. Modern theorists who study personality types are trying to confirm that personality traits, such as introversion are hereditary. Personally I feel the same. My mother and I are both very introverted people, but hers is much more extreme than mine. She is borderline agoraphobic. Many famous people are introverts. Albert Einstein, Johnny Depp, Bill Gates, Emma Watson, even comedians like Robin Williams. Being an introvert doesn’t mean that one can’t be around people or has something wrong. Introversion is a personality in which you think more, are more self-aware, and even, if one will allow themselves, have more self-
respect.

Personality used to be categorized in many ways. Theorists at this time would take words out the oxford dictionary and describe them as personality traits. This resulted in nearly 18,000 personality traits. Over the years theorists tried to narrow down the amount of word that could be considered personality traits. In 1976, Hans Eysenck theorized that personality can be broken down into three categories; emotional stability, introversion/extroversion, and psychoticism. Emotional stability refers to how well someone controls their emotions. On one end of the continuum, one can be described as calm, collected, and poised, and on the other end on could be described as anxious, nervous, and excitable. Introversion/extroversion refers to the degree of which a person inwardly or outwardly oriented. Introverts are at one end of the continuum and would be considered shy and reserved, while as extraverts are at the other end and would be described as outgoing and talkative. Psychoticism describes people who are insensitive and uncooperative at one end and warm, tender, and helpful at the other. (Charles M. 345) To better see what Eysenck was trying to say imagine if a personality was a Circle with three lines drawn in an intersecting pattern. One line you have emotional stability, another line you have introversion/extraversion, and the last line you have psychoticism. Every person has a unique personality and could be plotted on each line in the circle, depending on their particular traits. One might not be one extreme or the other one might be somewhere in the middle. This diagram I have described would be very good teller of what personality column one would fall under. For instance, if I plotted myself on this diagram I would fall more on the anxious and nervous side of the emotional stability continuum, I would fall on the introversion side of the introversion/extroversion continuum, and on the psychoticism continuum, I would fall somewhat in the middle but slightly more on the warm and tender side. More modern theorists have added one more personality trait to this diagram and are debating whether it be called culture, experience, or intellect. This continuum describes one actions, ideas and values.

Personality types such as introversion are being debated as to whether it is hereditary. Studies performed on twins have shown a genetic link between personality types such as introversion. Twin studies have shown a genetic opponent of 39% to 58%. (Wikipedia contributors, 2014) My mother and I are both very introverted people. That leads me to wonder if personality types can be hereditary. A genetic branch called biometrical genetics is devoted to studying the heritability of traits such as personality, intelligence, and behavior. This branch focuses on the effects of polygenes in the creation of certain phenotypes. Rarely are these studies able to pinpoint a behaviors genesis to a particular gene. According to one theory, the defining genetic trait on introverts could be oversensitivity to the hormone dopamine. This oversensitivity doesn’t mean that introverts can’t appreciate excitement; it just means that they are easily overstimulated by stimuli. (John R., 2012) Other studies suggest that the environment influences ones personality type. For example, alcoholism is considered a hereditary, but sometimes children exposed to it are completely turned off from the idea. The way one is raised has a big impact on the type of person they are, whether one decides to be the opposite of their parents or just like them. The things people go through throughout their lives have an impact as well. A traumatic event can change how a person feels about other people and so can make them more or less likely to go out. I, personally, think introversion is both hereditary and environmental. Usually traits you get from your parents are things you can’t help, but when it comes to personality traits can be toned down. Introverts can’t really stop being the way they are, but they can get out of their comfort zones and find things they like to do with groups of friends. Relaxation techniques such as meditation can also reduce dopamine output and make it less likely to be overstimulated as fast.

Contrary to popular belief, many famous people are introverted.
Not just the so called nerdy billionaires, but also famous actors like Emma Watson and Keanu Reeves. Keanu Reeves, better known as Leo in the movie The Matrix, was voted Hollywood’s most introverted actor by Time magazine in 2005. As a child, he says he always felt he didn’t exactly fit in. he pretended a lot as a child and was more comfortable by himself. Reeves had a bad family life. His father was a drug dealer and his mother was a stripper. When his father left him when he was three, his mother moved him around a lot, from Canada, Australia, and eventually New York. Reeves developed a knack for adapting to his surroundings without getting close to people. His co-workers say that they work with him for months but they don’t know a lot about him. Like any introvert he prefers to be alone. One day he’s is seen on his birthday, in a bakery, eating a cake alone. This sparked a “sad Keanu” meme. There is even a day (June 15) called Cheer-up Keanu day. This is a common misconception about introverts. People believe that because introverts, like Keanu, are sad all the time. Just because someone needs alone time mean that they are sad. Keanu proves this by writing a book of poetry titled “Ode to Happiness”. In this book he makes a mockery of his glum image. (Mateo Sol, 2014) This information about Keanu makes me admire introverts as a whole and makes me proud to be one. Introverts have a bad reputation of being not
able to cope with reality and being afraid of human interaction.

Introverts are very misunderstood. Most people believe that introverts are selfish or depressed and that’s simply not true. Introverted people are just like any other person. They can be happy and relatively outgoing people, they just have less of a tolerance for stimuli than extraverts. When I started this paper the first definition I found for introversion was a person directed towards self-gratification or the tendency to be wholly concerned with one’s own interest. I then panicked because I thought I had picked the wrong subject to write about. I quickly discovered that this subject is just that little understood. There are many misconceptions about being an introvert. First, introverts are sometimes considered shy and quiet people who are afraid of socializing. This couldn’t be more untrue. Introverts can be loud and crazy; they just prefer to keep their emotions to themselves and people they really trust. They also don’t like to talk just for the sake of talking. As an introvert, I find socializing to, most of the time, to be exhausting. Also, as a performer, I can say that my introversion does not stop me from singing. I’m not afraid of crowds, in fact, I find it exciting. The only thing I don’t like is interacting with a lot of people at one time. I dread interacting with people after a show than I do the actual performance. Introverts also have a bad reputation for being rude people who hate other people and just want to be left alone. While introverts do need alone time to “re-charge”, we crave human interaction just as much as any other person, just in small doses. An introverts lack of outward emotion make them seem rude and unapproachable, which is most likely not the case. The most common misconception about introverts is that it can be “fixed”. Introversion is a personality type, it can’t be fixed. (Scott Christ, 2014) You can’t just decide one day that you’re going to love being around people and stop being the way you have your entire life. Introverts are the way they are and more people need to accept and take time to understand them better.

Cite Page
Cherry, Kendra. "What Does It Mean to Be Introverted?" About Education. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.
Morris, Charles, and Albert Maisto. "Personality." Understanding Psychology. 10th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 345, 346. Print.
Contributors, Wikipedia. "Extraversion and Introversion." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.
Rieping, John. "What Makes Us Introverts and Extroverts?" Wambly.weebly.com. 31 Oct. 2012. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.
Sol, Mateo. "Famous Introverted People – Keanu Reeves." LonerWolf. 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 3 Oct. 2014.
Christ, Scott. "16 Things You Might Have Misunderstood About Introverts." Lifehack RSS. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 3 Oct. 2014