Are You an Only Child?

Very fascinating thread...I too am an only child. I grew up on a farm. I probably played more with the farm animal than other kids until I was in school (yeah yeah yeah, I hear the animal jokes now ) I have always disliked being part of a crowd or group, yet I'm an excelent team player. I love my time to myself and am introverted. But, I've also been a strong leader to others and an elected official. I also can count the people I consider close friends on one hand and one friend in particular is someone I consider my brother. I've also been described as an extremely loyal person too. As for entertainment, well I'm here on ATS ain't I? I'm more pulled towards things that are individual activities. I used to ride a sport bike. I always thought part of my attraction to the sportbike was even when riding with a group of other bikes, I was still an individual rider. Very fascinating thread. I don't feel as unique as I thought I was now

"Middle child syndrome" here

Usually the syndrome implies the middle child is the black sheep of the family, and could be the introvert because of it, or they could be the complete opposite of that. My two siblings have no interest whatsoever in the things I take an interest in, in other words I highly doubt they're on this forum or other sites like it. My father only has one sibling and is more like me, and in fact has a much more open mind that I do, and is very intuitive.

I'd just like to say here that I'm an only child and am dangerously introverted.

Thank you.

Good night.

Haha this is funny because I am not exactly an only child. Technically I am, but I have half-brothers and a half-sister. Also I am "ENTJ", so I am not introverted either. I guess a few people have to balance the curve.

I'm an only child and I am very introverted. I don't mind being around my family or my 4 friends I consider family but when it comes to meeting someone new, count me out. I like to be alone and generally find my mindset to be more mature than someone my age who needs to be around people.

Not saying I AM more mature than those people, it just feels that way to me.

[edit on 9-2-2009 by ddawgnd]

Yep, only child here. And to top it all off, I was the only grandchild on both sides of the family for a few years as well.
I took to reading and playing with jigsaw puzzles from a very early age.
I always felt more mature than my friends.
I am somewhat of an introvert and timid but weirdly enough people always tell me how sociable I am, although I have never felt that way.
I like to party a lot though, but only when I'm around my few friends.
I enjoy being with people for a while (very LITTLE while) and love my time alone.
My boyfriends have always been the artsy/intellectual types who also love their time to themselves.

I am not an only child. I have one sibling, but she is passed away. Since she passed, I have become pretty introverted.

Cool Topic. Thanks

Ltru

I am the oldest of 5. I have 1 brother, 1 half brother and 2 half sisters, I don't like to call them half sister and brother thou, they are the children of my father, to me they are full sisters and brother.

I grew up with my 1 brother. I visit by other brother and sisters regulary.

ps. I think the only reason it appears there are many only childs here, is because they see the thread topic and they are more likely to reply than those who are not only childs..

[edit on 9-2-2009 by _Phoenix_]

Originally posted by _Phoenix_


ps. I think the only reason it appears there are many only childs here, is because they see the thread topic and they are more likely to reply than those who are not only childs..

You made me laugh! LOL

Thanks!

Im not an only child!

I have one older sister.

I tend to be a loner, I enjoy thinking and contemplating the mysteries of the universe.

I think my interest in the paranormal was passed down to me from my mom. She got it from her dad.

My interest in psychology and science came from my dad. He has a masters in psychology.

im not an only child but I have always been a deep thinker, a dreamer, if you will.

Very interesting thread here.

I am also an only child.

Yeah Only child here. and slightly introvert... I definately enjoy my alone time, just to chill and think, but I also have a close group of friends, that are important to me too. Being an only child also helped me thru my FAO and sniper training, working alone or as part of a two man team, I know how to handle the boredom much better than guys with brothers and sisters. And I am used to not having someone to back me up, or to blame when things go wrong, so I think it makes you more responsible for your actions too.



peace

I am an only child aswell.

Very interesting indeed. There should be a server wide poll of all members. Might be very interesting... being an only child with no one else to carry on the name maybe we could all dodge the comming draft.... was that the plan all along?

LoL see what happens.

I'm an only child, from a very small family.

After my Parents split up when I was 9, I lived with my Mother, and my Nan and Grandad lived close enough to see quite often. My Mother eventually found someone else, so it was then the 4 of us.

I never really spoke to my Step Dad much, we're very different people.

So you can basically say, I was a very only child hehe. However, the point in me saying this is because I couldn't disagree more with the OP.

Since I remember I have gone out and found plenty of friends, not having someone my age at home made me search even harder for friendship.

I am a "Very expressed extrovert" an ENFJ.

So being an only child doesn't always lead to introversion, not that introversion is a bad thing

Oldest child, quite introverted.

I dont think that the internet is the place to do a study like this. I would guess that MOST heavy internet users are going to be introverts.

Count me in as an "only"-lol...I also am an introvert, not comfortable too much around large crowds, or lots of people. A post earlier also mentioned background noise, yeah I can understand that one...always have a fan going or something on in the background-silence is almost deafening sometimes...although the one place I love the silence is in the woods or outdoors-just mother nature singing away!!-Just call me strange!! Nice interesting thread.
P.S. Oddly enough I did have 3 children though!!!-

I am a 'virtual' only child. The age difference between myself and my older siblings was such that they were gone already by the time I became conscious of the world around me.

While I am most definitely not introverted, I value solitude highly, and often need to retreat into to it to "recharge" my tolerance for the entrenched stupidity of others.

Fortunately I have some good friends who qualify for an exception to that rule.

[edit on 9-2-2009 by Maxmars]

Originally posted by Maxmars

While I am most definitely not introverted, I value solitude highly, and often need to retreat into to it to "recharge" my tolerance for the entrenched stupidity of others.

Actually, that makes you an introvert.

en.wikipedia.org...

ntroversion is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life".[3] Introverts tend to be low-key, deliberate, and relatively passive in social situations.[citation needed] They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, drawing, watching movies, and using computers. The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, composer, and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people, though they tend to enjoy interactions with close friends. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate.[5] Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement. They are more analytical before speaking.[6]

And introvert "recharges their batteries" in solitude, where an extrovert recharges their batteries being in the company of others.

The scale for friendliness or agreeableness, ( the ability to get along with others) is separate from extroversion/introversion.

For instance, I am very introverted, I get tired around large groups of people, (much like you seem to) but I score very highly on agreeableness. People who meet me initially think I am an extrovert because I am friendly and helpful, but in truth, friendliness and extroversion are separate personality qualities. Many extroverts are NOT friendly. Think of groups of popular kids who tease and taunt and belittle other children in school. They need to be in a pack to be happy, but they arent agreeable to those not in their pack.

en.wikipedia.org...

The five factors are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN, or CANOE if rearranged). The Neuroticism factor is sometimes referred to as Emotional Stability. Some disagreement remains about how to interpret the Openness factor, which is sometimes called "Intellect." [3] Each factor consists of a cluster of more specific traits that correlate together. For example, extraversion includes such related qualities as sociability, excitement seeking, impulsiveness, and positive emotions.

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander

Originally posted by Maxmars

ntroversion is "the state of or tendency toward being wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental life".[3] Introverts tend to be low-key, deliberate, and relatively passive in social situations.[citation needed] They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, drawing, watching movies, and using computers. The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, composer, and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people, though they tend to enjoy interactions with close friends. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate.[5] Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement. They are more analytical before speaking.[6]

And introvert "recharges their batteries" in solitude, where an extrovert recharges their batteries being in the company of others.

The scale for friendliness or agreeableness, ( the ability to get along with others) is separate from extroversion/introversion.

For instance, I am very introverted, I get tired around large groups of people, (much like you seem to) but I score very highly on agreeableness. People who meet me initially think I am an extrovert because I am friendly and helpful, but in truth, friendliness and extroversion are separate personality qualities. Many extroverts are NOT friendly. Think of groups of popular kids who tease and taunt and belittle other children in school. They need to be in a pack to be happy, but they arent agreeable to those not in their pack.

This is interesting. I am very introverted, and like you, people think I am really extroverted because I am very friendly. But I have problems letting people too close, emotionally. I have found it to be an issue in the business world. For example, in starting at a new company, one usually wants to fit in and become part of the 'gang'. I don't care about any of that, and co workers probably think I'm boring, scared, stuck up, or whatever label they have. I like some of the people, but when they start asking me to go for lunch or after work parties, I pull back fast. I have tried in the past to 'get along' or 'fit in', but it only leads me into inner turmoil as I wonder how I will get my recharging alone time back.



[edit on 10-2-2009 by blujay]oops, issues with edits

[edit on 10-2-2009 by blujay]

Originally posted by blujay
I like some of the people, but when they start asking me to go for lunch or after work parties, I pull back fast. I have tried in the past to 'get along' or 'fit in', but it only leads me into inner turmoil as I wonder how I will get my recharging alone time back.

I understand this completely. I like people, but too much "people stuff" makes me tired. I have been accused of being "stuck up" too because I dont like to do the after work stuff and I loathe parties. I only go to social functions that if I did not attend would be a horrible insult, like weddings and funerals, going away parties, stuff like that. And even those wear me out. I like discussions about ideas, concepts, and I dislike having to listen to long stories where someones entire day, or life, or childrens lives, are recounted in detail. I am always looking for the point, and for an extrovert, often times just the act of sharing is the point. There is no conceptual point to their storytelling.

It would be nice if people understood the "battery charging" aspect of introversion and extroversion. Maybe they would not feel so offended when you need to carve out time to yourself. I do explain it to people, and that does seem to help, but extroverts need others to feel charged up, and so they are persistent little buggers.