Popular Party-Pooper

{Port Hueneme Pier}

Introvert = energized by activities alone

Extrovert = energized by activities around people

Introvert tends to negatively associate with being a “loner” or “party pooper” and conversely, one may assume that an extrovert is “the life of the party.”  Growing up in southern CA, I felt pressure to be an extrovert because who really wants to be viewed as a loner or party pooper?  But then again, I was also quite young, naive, and superficial, with minimal sense of self-identity, at the time.  Pretty standard for a growing teen.

I completed a Myers-Briggs personality test during residency and scores revealed that I was an extrovert.  My past young adult self would’ve jumped for joy at the thought of having proof and objective data verifying that I am indeed an extrovert, and therefore NOT lame.  But rather, my older, more mature self viewed the scale as demonstrating patterns observed over the last few years, which is that after a bad, exhausting day, I enjoy doing activities with others (such as dinner with a group of friends) to feel more like myself again.

I’ve had patients, especially college students, treated with meds for social phobia, but upon further questioning discovered that they were urged by family members or friends to seek help.  Their desire to do solo activities were perceived as “abnormal” by those around them.  I educate them about the misconceptions of being an introvert versus extrovert in hopes that they’ll feel less guilty about wanting to stay in for a quiet night at home rather than get wasted at the frat party down the street.  Several introverts are also socially outgoing, but may prefer “down time” to relax rather than impressing partygoers with their best keg stand.  Great introverted talents and leaders (Steven Spielberg, Julia Roberts, Warren Buffett, JK Rowling, to name a few) excel in different ways than extroverts, such as listening, problem-solving, thinking things through, and leading proactive group members.

Thought of the Day:  Which type of activities energize you after an exchausting day?