Top ten myths about introverts

Originally posted by Bluesma

But I think deeper, I am always digesting on a deeper level everything I am picking up with my senses- I am making connections, looking at patterns, filing away information.... and it all serves me in later decision making processes!
My husband hoards things, I hoard memories, thoughts, ideas, in my head. He uses all this stuff in creating works of art or useful stuff later- I use all those ideas and thoughts in forming my opinions and choices of action later.

I just am not into small talk. If people want to talk about more deeper or important issues I have lots to say!
I also think rather highly of myself, but just don't have any need for others to recognize or acknowledge my qualities- if I know, that is enough for me.

Are you sure that you don't have Low Latent Inhibition? Those that do have LLI are introverted because they take in too much to ever put into words. I'll post a link...

Low Latent Inhibition

I didn't know what it was until my Dr. diagnosed me as having it a few years ago, it's not really even a disease, they say it's more of a personality trait.

Very true.

I'm definitely an introvert. I have Asperger's Syndrome which IMO is just medical slang for an introvert, all these ten things are true about me.

Originally posted by TheThirdAdam

Originally posted by Bluesma

But I think deeper, I am always digesting on a deeper level everything I am picking up with my senses- I am making connections, looking at patterns, filing away information.... and it all serves me in later decision making processes!
My husband hoards things, I hoard memories, thoughts, ideas, in my head. He uses all this stuff in creating works of art or useful stuff later- I use all those ideas and thoughts in forming my opinions and choices of action later.

I just am not into small talk. If people want to talk about more deeper or important issues I have lots to say!
I also think rather highly of myself, but just don't have any need for others to recognize or acknowledge my qualities- if I know, that is enough for me.

Are you sure that you don't have Low Latent Inhibition? Those that do have LLI are introverted because they take in too much to ever put into words. I'll post a link...

Low Latent Inhibition

I didn't know what it was until my Dr. diagnosed me as having it a few years ago, it's not really even a disease, they say it's more of a personality trait.

Now i understand why i can hyperfocus on a single puzzle and still be able to answer questions on a TV quizz show!!!!!! Without looking at the television!!!! (this drives my husband crazy!)

reply to post by AdamAnt


Yup

reply to post by KhaliWitch


Yeah, its pretty interesting. Myself, along with a few others are building a forum dedicated to LLI discussion, if nothing else its good entertainmen, the conversation always ends up with a bunch of people talking about their superpowers or prison break... i'll send a link once its presentable

Originally posted by cfnyaami
reply to post by AdamAnt

 

Carl King was quoting from Marti Olsen Laney's book: "The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World"
www.carlkingcreative.com...

Here's her book: www.amazon.com...=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313241357&sr=1-1

edit on 13-8-2011 by cfnyaami because: Edited to add link to MOL's book.

Thanks for the book info! Just got it for my kindle, awesome read so far!

Originally posted by cry93
I'm a proud introvert. I'm actually INTP on MB.

The most irritating and incorrect attribute that isn't listed on your list OP is introverts are sneaky and sly. People actually think I have something horrible to hide when the reality is, I just want to hide from them.

It's odd but people who tend to accept me for me are the people I have the most interest in interacting. Exreme extroverts make me very tired.

edit on 13-8-2011 by cry93 because: (no reason given)

edit on 13-8-2011 by cry93 because: (no reason given)

Also INTP! We should make our own society for introverted people

reply to post by creatureme


You do realize that there are quite a few INTP forum boards right?

reply to post by TheThirdAdam


Nope, i did not! But i meant more like a physical society..

I dont like classifying myself as an intro/exovert, he had to do this in psychology and I just said "Siriusovert"
Also... i disagree with the one about them being shy... just... lol.

reply to post by creatureme


We would own the world!!! I wonder if the infamous and reclusive "TPTB"are INTP/j??? If you look around the profiles of men like George Soros and David Rockefeller indicate INTP/J as the typical billionaire power player stereotype... silent giants we are

It takes both to make the world go round. It would serve us well to embrace our differences.

Introverts and extroverts compliment each other. One is not better than the other ... just different.

Each provides a compliment and a balance in team settings and in the workplace and just about everywhere.

I am an extrovert (ENFJ). For over 20 years I designed departments; hired the staff and provided the infrastructure. If it weren't for introverts we wouldn't have the internet. Ask an extrovert to write algorithms or bang out lines and lines of code ... never happen. Ask an introvert to handle the company PR ... never happen.

Extroverts get their energy from other people, and therefore they are more connected to people than are introverts. But, this does not mean that they are better.

Introverts get their energy from working with inanimate objects, such as computers, machines, equipment, car engines and so on. We need introverts.

Another myth -- introverts are more likely to be sociopaths or psychopaths. There is no correlation with socio-pathology and introvert/extrovert. People who lack empathy for others can be either an introvert or an extrovert.

Another myth - introverts are rude. But, sometimes extroverts can be rude as well, especially when we think of loud-mouth attention seekers.

The reason some introverts feel socially inept or inadequate around extroverts is mainly because they allow extroverts to pressure them to be 'just like them' and since they don't want to be' just like them' they feel inadequate. Introverts speak when they have something important or interesting to say ... extroverts just speak.

I've been introverted my whole life, but I can somewhat come out and adapt around extroverted people.

One example is my current boss. He's very outgoing, total opposite of me. Yet when I started working there I hardly talked. I just did my job and kept to my self. He kept prodding at my shell for some reason and now we're pretty close. Alot of extroverts wouldn't do that because introverts are looked at like they're not interesting and whatnot.

reply to post by TheThirdAdam


We could have our own little town even! Or.. would that be totally discriminating? But then again, most people thinks introverts are weirdos ( at least I have experience with this) so - who would want to live in a weirdotown anyways? I don't know if im proud or not, I feel i don't belong anywhere..

This has just described me in full to a tee.
Thank you for this OP.
For the first time in my life I don't feel so all alone.
I never realized that there was a name for my personality,traits,characteristics,temperment or whatever you choose to call it.

I asked my mother and my wife separately to read this and tell me what they think.
They got a few lines into it and said, "OMG this is YOU!!"
WOW!
I feel so understood now.

I have made a copy of this and am also printing it out and hanging it on my fridge,giving a copy to my mother and ex wife and my kids. Yes I'm serious!

I have lived my whole life with people questioning what's wrong with me.
All for reasons described in the OP.

"Why are you so rude"??
Ummm I'm not, I just don't have anything to say.

"You know, this is why you don't have many friends"
Nooo, I don't have many friends because I haven't found many people worth being friends WITH!!
The few that I have are life long friends whom I've know for over 20 years.

"Why can't you just be normal"?
Why can't you open your eyes to what's going on around you and think for yourself?

"You're going to what"?!?!?
I'm going to go sit in the woods and read a book for a while.
"Why"
Because I find it relaxing and it connects me with nature. Sorry I can't just be "NORMAL" and watch Jersey Shore like everyone else.

"Why did you have to tell my mother that it smelled like marajuana in her house"?
Because it did. Was I supposed to pretend that there wasn't a pink elephant sitting on the couch in the livingroom? Was I supposed to leave the kids with a woman who is high to babysit them??
I don't have the time nor the inclination to beat around the bush or sugarcoat things.
Let's all be honest and this will go alot smoother.

I "suffer" from information overload alot.
I focus on ONE person at a time and therefore I find it incredibly difficult and infuriating to try and listen to more than one person talking at a time. With my wife telling me which way to turn,the kids telling me they need to go to the bathroom, the baby crying, and the radio on, I have come close to handing my wife the wheel and jumping out of the car!

I could go on and on.
This is really helpful to know there are others like me.
I had no Idea it had a name.

Thanks again

Originally posted by Jana12

I am an extrovert (ENFJ). For over 20 years I designed departments; hired the staff and provided the infrastructure. If it weren't for introverts we wouldn't have the internet. Ask an extrovert to write algorithms or bang out lines and lines of code ... never happen. Ask an introvert to handle the company PR ... never happen.

Many ENTP's are code monkeys, but they are the most introverted of the extroverts.

Also, there ARE correlations between extraversion and psychopathy.

Psychopaths are hardcore thinkers and get their energy from harming other people.

They are most likely to be ENTP, or ESTP

Originally posted by creatureme
reply to post by TheThirdAdam

 

We could have our own little town even!

Or.. would that be totally discriminating? But then again, most people thinks introverts are weirdos ( at least I have experience with this) so - who would want to live in a weirdotown anyways? I don't know if im proud or not, I feel i don't belong anywhere..

That would be fun haha, but I have a strange feeling if an extravert moved in no one would say anything XD

Stereotypes exist because about some people they are true.
And yet about the same amount or more people are exceptions.
I fit that list to a tee. And a couple of the actula original stereotypes.
Thing is I did not know there was a term for me until I read that list somewhere.

As a child I wanted to be alone with my books, experiments, movies and games.
My parents did everything they could to force me to be social.
By the time I was halfway through college I said screw this, it is time to be comfortavble with me.

And now I get labeled gay, drug addict, and psycho by my own family because after work and going to handle errands I have to avoid people to recharge. And relationships are a no no because the emotion and affection women want is more than I have to give. And what they want to express is more than I want to deal with.
So my life consits of work, books, games, movies, home exercise, and the occasional secluded outing to the local forest and lakes. Or maybe walking around late at night when nobody is around.

I understand that more social people get energized from interation.
But it annoys me when out in public random people want to start conversations.
It is easy enough to speak with service people, because there is a purpose, but otherwise I just want to be left alone.

It has also gotten to the point that if I am around people for too long I experience physical pain.
Hedaches, and a type of shocking pain radiating through my body.
Then again I was reading up on Aspergers and that seems to fit a possible reason why some can fit a introvert profile.

All I can think about daily is I will be so happy when I get away from these people, their chattering, their noise, and their seeming need to want to always be close to others. Not looking down on them but it just sucks that one has to go through all that just to survive.
Trying to wean myself off technology so I can go live in a cave or something.

reply to post by Jana12


Speaking of sociopaths, go to socioworld.com and check it out. They have a whole website dedicated to sociopaths as a community! Lol, anyway they have and INTP forum there, but yeah a sociopath is neither I nor E, they are whoever they need to be to manipulate their victims

Originally posted by haarvik
reply to post by FreezingVoid

 

I feel your pain. When I tell people I don't watch sports, they look at me like I am a three horned alien! A guy that doesn't like sports? Are you gay? No I am not, I just don't think grown men chasing a ball around for a few hours takes any real intelligence, and I see no reason for them to be making millions of $. To me it is a messed up sense of importance to our existence. I think our country and humanity would be better served paying teachers millions of $$ for teaching our children. Maybe then they would get a quality education. our priorities are way screwed up. But then again, I guess that's why so many TV shows and movies are geared towards the extroverts. Us introverts don't really support any of fit.

I agree totally with the above statement.
And to those attempting to chastise people for trying to be rare and special, cut it out.
Unless you know it applies to the individual.

The OP posted that to make introverts feel better about ourselves because the world sure does not.
Try living most of your life being told that everything about your personality is wrong just because of how others feel things should be done.

If you do not greet people, if you prefer not to go to social gatherings, if you prefer not to join teams, fraternities or other groups, if you prefer either not dating or promiscuity because emotions and affection are just too much to take, if you prefer email,SMS,or forums because face to face or phone conversation grates your nerves, when coworkers ask you if something is wrong with you because you prefer to eat alone or to not join conversations about subjects that while important to them but you care nothing about, when you cannot isit your family because they all have to constantly ask when are you going to be married and have kids or actually come to family gatherings, etc etc.

Of course being introverted is not close to being as bad as having cancer, aids, liver disease, diabetes, heart problems, homelessness, starving, or living in a war torn nation but for some of us it is truly a harrowing experience to go through daily life.

Not asking for anyone's pity or anything but it would be nice if some of the extroverts would shut up about trying to tell us how to friggin live. And when you get to the point of having to yell at those people because they cannot seem to understand a direct calm explanation, then you must be a psycho and cannot control your anger.

Because I sure do not tell extroverts or social people that they need to spend more time alone.