Shyness and introversion are not the same thing. Shy people fear negative judgment, while introverts simply prefer less stimulation; shyness is inherently painful, and introversion is not. But in a society that prizes the bold and the outspoken, both are perceived as disadvantages.
I work in sales. Our division has about 70 people. We were at a conference last year and it was all about the various "social styles": analytical, driver, amicable, extrovert etc. We had to take a questionnaire and at the end were placed in a social "quadrant". They had all of the "extroverts" stand against one wall and then all of the introverts against another. Sales people are overwhelmingly extroverted. There were only about 9 people against the introvert wall. The extrovert wall was loud, gregarious and in a constant state of motion, while the other wall was calmer, quiet and just sort of soaking it all in. Of the people against the extrovert wall roughly 10% were in a leadership position. Against the introvert wall I'd say 5 out of the 9 were leaders. -Interesting.
There was an interesting article about how neither extroverts nor introverts are the best at sales, despite common perception. The best performers are actually those in the middle of the personality spectrum.
That makes perfect sense. The best salespeople are well trained in the act of listening. Most extroverts forget this. I've been very successful at conforming to what the situation calls for and active listening is always called for. Ill check out the link.
I've just recently been getting into personality profiles, and identify with being an introvert. Seeing literature about introverts ( and INTJ personality type), I've learned that introverts can be excellent leaders. I can say with certainty that I am very sensitive to my environment. I can extrapolate that further and say that my sensitivity gives me better perspective of the "whole picture." You might explain to me how something within the machinery works in detail, but what you're saying means nothing to me if I don't understand what it is the machine is trying to do, and why that "something" is so important to the machine as a whole.
When you say that you are sensitive to your environment, does this include people too? I am extroverted but I think that I have very strong sense of the people around me and what it is they're feeling. I think that I too have a strong sense of the "whole picture" in a given moment but more as it relates to the social constructs of that moment. I understand quickly and can empathize with people that are uncomfortable in a situation etc. By the way, welcome to Hubski.
I am sensitive to peoples "energies" per se. Given that you're more extroverted, you will be more inclined to be social. You'll go with the eb and flow of social situations, and I'm sure you manage that well. I had to work a little harder to try and understand emotions, facial expressions, attitudes and tone of voice, behaviors and mannerisms. I find these to be very helpful in gauging other people. Maybe I am over analyzing, but I really just sit back and observe. Some people I'll approach, others probably not, but that depends on the situation. And thank you! I find Hubski to be much more refreshing and substantive than Reddit. Although the subreddits are what make reddit, it seems that those, too, are filled with nonsense.
My daughter is 2. When she is put in to a social setting she steps back and analyzes the setting for a good long while. Then she jumps in there and is extremely social. My point is that she seems to be extremely introverted and analytical at times and then at others extremely extroverted. I wonder if we have a greater capacity for all of these personality indexes when we are that young but then eventually one of them becomes more dominant? Also, I'm glad you enjoy it here, thank you for the positive feedback.
Being introverted doesn't necessarily translate into being less social. This video goes into some depth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnZE8bNbLZU Introverts really just need time to asses, and recharge. She's two, she'll to go through her self-identifying process that normally occurs in the teen years, and you might then get a clearer picture of her personality type.
I'd like to think that I'm an ENTJ that has developed all 4 functions nicely and am relatively well-rounded. But who knows, I could be way off base there. Thanks for the link.
My kid does the same thing, I don't know how much it defines how they will act down the line, it will be interesting to see how she develops. The more foreign a situation is too her the longer it takes her to get involved. I know that I was extremely extroverted until I was about 7 or years old and then things that happened to me make me become extremely introverted and shy. Many years down the line I think I cross between the two state depending on weather I think that a social interaction will be fun or profitable.