What kind of introvert am i

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Getty Images. Here's the problem: the Big Five framework forces a definition of introversion onto people, many of whom do not conceptualize introversion in the same way.

They found that the most prototypical characteristic of introversion, as identified by the general public, was the following item:. Clearly, many people equate introversion with introspection. So there's a serious mismatch between folk definitions of introversion and scientific definitions. People who view themselves as introverted because they are highly introspective are being told by scientists: "You aren't really introverted based on patterns of covariation among the general population.

As noted personality psychologist Jonathan Cheek told me, " by invalidating the ordinary language meaning of introversion by defining it solely as the opposite of Big Five Extraversion, the Big Five researchers are guilty of Psychological Imperialism [4].

As Carl Jung said, each individual is ultimately a unique crystal, but type theories can be helpful for navigating social life. Embracing this Jungian philosophy, Cheek and his colleagues argue that when people use the term "introversion", they should never just use it by itself.

Instead, they argue that researchers should put a specific modifier in front of the term. What modifiers could be used? In her masters thesis written under the advisement of Cheek , Jennifer Odessa Grimes defined four meanings of introversion: social, thinking, anxious, and restrained which happens to form the positive acronym STAR. It's possible to score high or low on either of these flavors of introversion.

For instance, you could be low in social introversion by preference but not be particularly anxious in the presence of people. Or you could suffer from crippling social anxiety, but still have the desire to be highly social. Or any other combination of these four meanings of introversion. By this point you're probably wondering what kind of introvert you are. Well, you're in luck. There's a new test for that. To find out where you stand on each of the four meanings of introversion, answer the following questions by deciding to what extent each item is characteristic of your feelings and behavior.

Fill in the blank next to each item by choosing a number from the following scale:. I like to share special occasions with just one person or a few close friends, rather than have big celebrations. I like to vacation in places where there are a lot of people around and a lot of activities going on.

After spending a few hours surrounded by a lot of people, I am usually eager to get away by myself. Just being around others and finding out about them is one of the most interesting things I can think of doing. When I am reading an interesting story or novel or when I am watching a good movie, I imagine how I would feel if the events in the story were happening to me. When I enter a room I often become self-conscious and feel that the eyes of others are upon me.

It does not take me long to overcome my shyness in new situations. This alternative way of assessing introversion is not likely to be embraced by Big Five personality researchers [6]. This type of introvert isn't shy in the traditional sense.

Social events don't give these folks anxiety. It's just that they prefer to socialize in small groups rather than large ones and sometimes to opt for not socializing at all. This choice isn't about fear, but is simply a clear personal preference for the intimate and quiet. Sometimes an introvert isn't driven by their preferences around other people at all--they're neither shy nor particularly averse to groups.

These folks simply come across as reserved and unsocial sometimes because they're often lost in their own thoughts. If this is you, "you're capable of getting lost in an internal fantasy world, but it's not in a neurotic way, it's in an imaginative and creative way," Cheek explained to Science of Us.

This type of introvert conforms to common stereotypes of the quiet person--they're withdrawn and quiet because other people make them nervous. Rather than being anxious, imaginative, or most at home in small groups, this final kind of introvert is simply slow moving.