Page 10 - My FlipBook

One personality trait descended from Jung that is very useful
to know about yourself is your level of extroversion (or its sister,
introversion). Many psychologists and sociologists consider an
individual’s natural preference for one over the other as an intrinsic
part of their personality. Simply put, these qualities describe how
and under what circumstances you tend to get your energy and
where you like to put your focus. Everyone comes equipped with
both, but individuals tend to express one over the other. Knowing
which way you trend is a good baseline.

An extrovert is a person who is energized by being around other
people; they prefer doing to thinking and like to work out problems
by talking about them with other people. Being alone makes them
feel apathetic and crabby; they prefer a wide circle of friends, a
variety of activities, and a full social calendar.

An introvert is a person who gets energized by the life of the mind;
they like thinking and exploring their thoughts and feelings. They
get drained when they spend too much time in groups of people and
often prefer a few deep friendships to the social whirl, with plenty of
breaks to just hang out and chill.

You are probably thinking that you and every teenager you know is
an extrovert, but remember, extroversion and introversion are traits
you’ve had since birth.

If you were the kind of baby that got overstimulated easily and cried
when too many relatives passed you around at Grandma’s, you may
be a natural introvert who has learned to be extroverted because you

22 undecided.