Personality Plus (Part 4): E vs. I

Third, where do you get your energy?? How do you have energy to get through your day and interact with everyone around you? This preference determines how and where one performs the two basic functions described above (info-gethering and decision-making). Let's look at extraverts and introverts. (Represented by E and I in MBTI.)

• Extraverts: like to verbalize what they are observing and deciding. They are energized by people and action. They become drained of energy if they spend too much time alone. They would often prefer to talk rather than listen.
• Introverts: like to keep observations and decisions on the inside. They're energized by thoughts and ideas but drained by intense discussions. They'd rather listen than talk. It's necessary for introverts to "recharge", or to be alone with themselves and their thoughts after spending too much time with one or several other people.
  
• "When the teacher poses a question to the class, the introvert responds by thinking, 'I know the answer. I just need to get it in focus.' The extravert, meanwhile, says 'I know the answer. Let me start talking until it becomes clear,' and then raises a hand - or, better yet, blurts something out, perhaps: 'Well, let me see. I think that the answer to your question is...' And plop, the answer becomes clear, just in the nick of time. A second extravert inevitably repeats the answer in his own words - and there's nothing more repugnant to a true introvert than to say a third time something that's already been said correctly once or twice; introverts are not ones to waste words. (Extraverts, on the other hand, have advanced degrees in redundancy.)" (From TypeTalk)

Me: I'm an extravert. I come from a family of introverted parents, though, so I'm not a stranger to sitting in silence for extended periods of time and allowing other people their 'space'...although I sometimes have to be reminded to 'go away and leave me alone for a couple hours'. As long as at the end of a couple of hours I do indeed get my energy-recharge of talking with my family or friends, I'm good, and my feelings are restored. Yes, indeed, I do take it personally if someone does not want to hang out in the same room, with occassional talking...probably shouldn't take it personally, because I know introverts need a private recharge, but I do wait anxiously for when the time for togetherness comes. Also, one other thing about my extraversion...I'm not a fan of huge crowds. I like being with 2-4 other people, have meaningful discussion, and then move on. I do not like big parties, large crowded events...that kind of stuff stresses me out. But equally I am stressed out to sit alone in my bedroom (as I'm doing RIGHT now) without anyone else in the house. I look forward to when a friend comes along and wants to hang out. I have one introvert friend that I'm trying to learn to keep my mouth shut around. As we've determined, things pop into my head, and I spit them out immediately (or else I forget). BUT, that means I often interrupt people. To me, it's not interrupting...it's just adding insight to the topic of discussion. To an introvert though, if I'm interrupting them, it cheapens what they're saying. They've probably thought long and hard about what they were going to say, and for me to interrupt, it makes it seem like I'm not listening intently to what they're saying; I'm belittling the infrequent chance of getting to listen to an introvert. I'm really trying to learn to deeply respect the words of introverts who are really pushing themselves to bring their well-thought-out ideas into the public forum for discussion.