Surely, you have been asked many times if you consider yourself introverted or extroverted, and for some it will undoubtedly have been an easy option, but for most of us it is difficult to choose one way or another. It’s difficult precisely because personality traits exist along a continuum, and the vast majority of us are neither introverts nor extroverts: we fall somewhere in the middle. What are you when you are neither introvert nor extrovert?
In psychology, it has been shown that there are people who show personality traits that belong to both introversion and extroversion: ambiverts. In this Psychology-Online article, we will discover together What is an ambivert and the characteristics of this personality.
What are extraversion and introversion in psychology
The introversion-estroversion trait is a central dimension of human personality. Extroverts tend to be sociable and helpfulwhile Introverts tend to be more reserved, reflective and less sociable. He was the one who created the typological characters of the introvert and the extrovert, in his famous work Psychological types (1921), crossing them with what he defined as functions: sensation, feeling, intuition, intellect, from which many other types descended: sensory, sentimental, intuitive, logical-rational.
His was the first empirical-scientific classification of psychological types, taking as a starting point the conception of a libido understood as a primary motivational force, and distinguishing it into a libido directed towards the object, the external world, and a libido directed towards the subject, that is, the inner world, interiority. From this first distinction arises the conception of extroverted and introverted attitudes, as variedly dosed within subjectivity, and modulated in turn by the other four psychological functions.
In these articles, we explain:
What is ambiversion in personality?
In general, introvert and extrovert are two categorizations, two opposites on a scale of character nuances. Even Carl Jung, the first psychologist who made these terms famous, explains that There is no such thing as a pure introvert and a pure extrovert. Each of us shows a behavior that is at a point on the scale between its two extremes: there are those who tend to be closer to introversion and those who tend to be more extroverted.
In 2013, Adam Grant, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, set out to study this phenomenon and his discoveries are fascinating: first, he discovered that two-thirds of people do not strongly identify as introverts or extroverts. What do you call a person who is neither introvert nor extrovert? These – the vast majority of us – are called ambivertedthat is, people who have both introverted and extroverted tendencies.
Whoever can be in the middle can take the best of both worlds, and at that moment we speak of an ambivert, who, depending on the situation, the context and who he has around him, decides to exhibit his aptitude for introversion or extroversion. An ambivert is moderately comfortable with groups and social interactions, but also relishes time alone, away from the crowd. When faced with authority or in the presence of strangers, the person may be introverted; However, in the presence of family or close friends, the person may be very energetic or outgoing.
Ambiverts have a clear advantage over true introverts and extroverts: since His personality doesn’t lean too much in either direction., it is much easier to adapt your approach to people based on the situation. This allows them to connect more easily and deeply with a wider variety of people.
20 characteristics of an ambivert personality
How do I know if I have an ambivert personality? Let’s see how an ambivert behaves:
- You like to attend events and group outings, but you don’t always feel the need to interact with others all the time.
- If someone approaches you, you are happy to chat and be sociable.
- You’re not a chronic loner, but You also don’t like having all your free time scheduled. You like to decide from time to time what to do on rest days.
- You have friends of all kinds: introverted people, with whom you spend time alone or in small groups, as well as very extroverted people: you find it positive and simple to relate to both types.
- You are an important presence in other people’s lives, People often ask you for advice.
- You are productive both in teamwork and in individual tasks.
- When you’re asked if you’re an introvert or not, you never know how to answer!
- People who know you consider you a wise person.
- You like to sit in a bar and chat with a friend, but You also enjoy going to parties.
- You have the ability to easily understand who you are dealing with and the sensitivity to act as such.
- Sometimes you have difficulties making decisions: You are constantly torn between doing things calmly and thoughtfully and trusting what your instinct suggests in the moment.
- Sometimes you find it difficult to explain to yourself or others how you feel inside.
- You always find a way to have fun in every situation because You adapt well to everything.
- You mental flexibility makes you the ideal travel companion.
- You have a love-hate relationship with social media: part of you wants to be a part of it, but on the other hand you don’t like the mandatory sharing aspect.
- Sometimes you like to be the center of attention, but you also like to play the role of the observer/listener.
- You talk to everyonebut you need time to trust someone and go to the personal sphere.
- You are the perfect partner because You balance leisure moments well with serious ones.
- There are days when you talk to others and days when your phone is not available.
- You can enjoy group and individual activities and plans.
Most of us are ambiverts
- The introvert says, “On Saturday night I prefer to stay home and watch a good movie with my partner.”
- The extrovert says: “Saturday night is made for going out and having fun with friends, and where to go and with whom you decide from the beginning of the week.”
- The ambivert, on the other hand, says: “Saturday night? Sometimes I prefer to spend it quietly with my family, other times I celebrate outside with friends or friends of friends.”
There will be those who love their sofa more and those who love the music at the party more, those who will tend to have difficulty letting themselves be drawn to a social event and those who, on the other hand, will love the warmth of the house only when it is snowing and cold outside, but in general We are all ambivalent, more or less consciously.
The concept of ambiversion is today also understood as the combination of extroverted and introverted traits in the personality of a human being, therefore all human beings according to this meaning of the term are ambiverts, each person possessing both extroverted and introverted traits. The concept of ambiversion, more plausible and less abstract than a hypothetical totally extroverted or totally introverted personality, neutralizes the polarization that is created when we want to create two theoretical human “groups”, that is, that of extroverts and that of introverts, and classify people as belonging exclusively to one of them.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Bradberry, T. (2016). 9 Signs That You’re An Ambivert. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/travisbradberry/2016/04/26/9-signs-that-youre-an-ambivert/?sh=664aad083145
- Pezzulla, G. (2021). Il charisma dell’host in the extralberghiero market. Sviluppa enables you to relate and make your activity grow.. Palermo: Dario Flaccovio Editore.