Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Introverts vs. Extroverts

I recently had a friend start using this phrase. "that's because I'm an introvert and you're an extrovert."
Had he only used it a couple times, i probably wouldn't be pondering it nearly as much. But at this point he has used it at least once in every single conversation we've had for about a month. Since i count this friend in my best friend category, you might have an idea of how many times that is already.
Needless to say, I'm apparently the extrovert. I'm a big fan of defining the scope of a single word, so i plugged it into dictionary.com to make sure i had the right definition in my own mind. Answer was yes but here it is for you.

Tangent: isn't it odd how some people can hear a word and think one thing while others can think another? Untangent:

One of the more defined definitions through Dictionary.com for
Extrovert:
A term introduced by the psychologist Carl Jung to describe a person whose motives and actions are directed outward. Extroverts are more prone to action than contemplation, make friends readily, adjust easily to social situations, and generally show warm interest in their surroundings.
Introvert:
A term introduced by the psychologist Carl Jung to describe a person whose motives and actions are directed inward. Introverts tend to be preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings and minimize their contact with other people.

Yup, I'm an extrovert. No doubt about it. I will bend over backwards for anyone who shows me a bit of kindness first. And i definitely prefer action to contemplation. Why sit and talk about it when you could be trying to see if things would actually work the way you might contemplate them? I love with all that I am and I'm not generally selfish unless provoked.

But this is his little defense to basically tell me that I can't possibly understand what he's thinking or how he's feeling. One small loophole he's forgotten about. I've known him for almost 13 years, over half our lives. I know how he thinks and feels and his thought processes, what he values and when he's being a complete hypocrite. But I'm not able to understand him? oh what-fucking-ever!!!

Do i necessarily fit his definition of extrovert as he has told me. No, not really at all. I don't need people, i don't really on them to make me feel good and happy. There are a great many things in my past and in my brain that NO ONE knows about, not even those in the best friend category, past and present.
I understand introverts pretty well. My mother is one, so are my brothers so are a great number of my closer friends. I simply like to dump everything on my brain out before going to bed because otherwise, stuff festers and that's not a good thing when you're me.

On a side note to said friend: If you say that you're almost always polite and then read other things/laugh loudly/are distracted when someone goes out of their way to call you in concern because of something you posted? YOU ARE A FUCKING HYPOCRITE AND AN ASS.

I wish people would stop posting things wanting sympathy. You're not gonna get it from me and no, I'm not posting this wanting any for myself which is why I generally disable comments. I have my own problems and my own stress. And ranting and venting is how I get rid of it. Only a few people know what happens when I don't do that but it's not pretty.

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