Part of anyone’s personality is his/her tendency to be either introverted or extroverted. Not to say that people cannot possess qualities of both.
According to the Myers Brigg Foundation, extroverted people are usually seen as outgoing, are comfortable and like working in groups, have a lot of friends and acquaintances, and are more action-oriented than an introvert. Introverts, on the other hand, according to the same foundation, are seen as more reserved or reflective, are more comfortable doing things on his/her own, prefer to know a small amount of people very well, and sometimes think too much about things and end up missing out.
Both personality types are very different, but a person does not have to be purely extroverted or purely introverted. For example, I would identify myself more as being introverted, but that does not meant that I am comfortable being alone. I like to have my few close friends around me whenever I can. The same can be true for extroverts. Just because you are an extrovert does not mean that you love group work. I have a friend who is an extrovert who hates group work. If you ask me, we are all a mix of both. But, yes, there is usually one type that takes the majority of a personality.
When it comes to friends and significant others, these differences help. One of my best friends is an extrovert, so she tends to bring out my fun side and let me really loosen up. On the other hand, sometimes I, being an introvert, have to question her sometimes like, “Are you sure we should be doing this?” Because, like the foundation’s loose definition says, extroverts usually don’t really think things all the way through. They just act.
I believe that introverts and extroverts attract each other because they compliment each other so well. What I look for in friends or potential significant others is their ability to have fun and their humor. Once you get to know me and I start to open up to you I can be a whole lot of fun, so I would want a friend or significant other to be the same way. But, it makes it easier if they are already that way because, as I said, extroverts can pull out the crazy person in an introvert.
There is a bit of a division, however, in ideals or actions between introverts and extroverts that can make these relationships a bit complicated. Sometimes introverts just can’t understand how some extroverts can be so open to everyone and it makes them uneasy. My friend has no problem making new friends when she is out and about. She just starts talking and, before you know it, they’re following each other on social media and chatting it up. This type of behavior makes me, as an introvert, very uneasy and scared.
On the other hand, for extroverts and introverted friend can be very frustrating. Extroverts just want to have fun and be social, but if they have an introverted friend, it could be like pulling teeth to get them to go out and make a wonderful fool of themselves. Therefore, extroverts can become very frustrated with an introverted friend because s/he just won’t loosen up and stop thinking all the time.
I know, personally, that I am a very difficult person to deal with when it comes to just letting my hair down and having fun. I worry. I worry about transportation, what I am going to say, what others think of me, etc. So, getting me to come out of my shell can be a bit of a chore, but once my extroverted friend is able to do it, I really am a lot of fun.
Sometimes, as introverts, we have to channel our inner Elsa’s and just “Let it Go.”
