Looking Back - 12/30/2006
Looking Back: “Alone Time“ (12/5/2005)
Such a lovely subject. I can honestly say I’ve known I was an introvert since I was little, I just didn’t want to admit it. I always thought having a bunch of friends was the best thing that could happen to someone. That was until I realized its much more important to have good friends than it is to have a lot of them. Plus, I didn’t know how much most people got on my nerves until high school and later. I can talk to almost anyone, from business executive to homeless person, but the vast majority of people annoy the hell out of me if I have to spend any great deal of time around them.
That’s why I know I need my alone time to stay sane. And its the reason I wrote this post to begin with. Basically I wanted to point out that just because someone is an ‘introvert’ doesn’t mean they’re a loner or have no social skills. It really just means that being around a lot of people is a chore, not something that is looked forward to.
Here’s a snippet from the post:
I’m sure most people associate introverts with loners and people with no social skills, but I assuredly don’t fit that stereotype. Luckily, my girlfriend is learning this about me and starting to understand a bit. She’s definitely an extrovert and can talk to anyone. It’s probably taken some getting used to it for her, but at least she’s understanding that I don’t necessarily like to hang out with people 4 or 5 nights a week.
According to the Myers-Briggs Indicators, the two classes fall like this:
- An Extrovert is energized by the outer world of people and things
- An Introvert is energized by the inner world of thoughts and ideas
I would go ahead and venture that I do feel more energized by thoughts and ideas, as opposed to what is going on around me with people and things. Yet, it’s such a fuzzy line with every topic in psychology, as no ‘text-book answer’ is going to encompass someone’s entire personality.
I mention my girlfriend in there too. It did take a while for her to understand this about me. She’s one of those people that gets a rush of energy from interacting with a bunch of people. Not me. I’m worn the hell out after most social interactions. This isn’t the case with close friends though. My family and very close friends I can usually hang out with for pretty long periods and have a lot of fun doing so. But hanging out with people I only know as acquaintances just seems like a job to me.
Don’t get me wrong. I love to go out and have a good time. But its always in moderation. “Going out” seems like more trouble than its worth if I do it more than twice a week.
Jesus, this whole post makes me sound old.
[tags]commentary, looking back, review, nostalgia, personality, sociology[/tags]
Not old…perhaps curmudgeonly.
Me, I’m, just plain anti-social. I really have going out with people or making small talk, and I can definitely say I’m not energized by others.
The therapist says I am “poorly socialized”, which is a polite way of saying, “You are a hermit.”
That may be the case, but I have my OWN hollow stump and I’m stickin’ with it.
I’m very similar, I’m an introvert and the Wench is the biggest extrovert, she takes ages to get drinks in a bar as she’ll make 3 new friends while shes doing it.
This Christmas me and the Wench have been thinking we sound really old, even though I’m 24 and shes 23, we’re just more into staying in and drinking with friends than going out and drinking with strangers.
Poobah: Curmudgeonly… I hadn’t thought of that. Not as bad as “old”, but getting there. I don’t think I’d be as much of a curmudgeon if the majority of people I interacted with weren’t idiots.
Ugly Toy: Sounds like my girl… I make it a point not to talk to those around me when I head up to the bar. What is this “making new friends” of which you speak?