Types of introverted people: these are their defining characteristics
There are many myths about introverted people. This is, among other things, because in Western countries introversion is worse seen than its opposite pole, extraversion, and that is why it is not talked about openly and honestly. That is, those who claim to be introverted are relatively few.
Thus, really introverted people may not be recognized as such, or in some cases may be taken by shy people. The ignorance on this subject causes that numerous prejudices arise about this population group and that their preferences and points of view are misinterpreted. And, if we add to this that it is possible to distinguish between types of introverted people , the thing gets even more complicated.
- Related article: "The 5 big personality traits: sociability, responsibility, openness, kindness and neuroticism"
What is introversion?
Although introversion is usually related to shyness, they are not exactly the same. Shyness is based on fear and in anticipatory anxiety, and what produces that fear is the possibility of being in the center of attention of someone relevant, or of a group of people. However, introversion is not based on fear nor its effects are restricted to personal relationships.
Actually, introverted people they are characterized by being almost always centered in their inner world , that is, in their speculations, their memories and their fantasies. This tendency to base psychological activity on solitary activities or that can be carried out in the absence of more people has made the confusion between this type of people and the timid ones arise almost irremediably.
However, it must be emphasized that introversion is only a concept to label a certain pattern of behavior, and does not indicate its causes. For example, you can be introverted because from the beginning you have loved the habit of fantasizing and reflecting, or you can get to that state because of shyness and social isolation, since there is no alternative but to fall back on oneself.
- Related article: "Differences between extroverted, introverted and timid people"
Types of introverted people
To add wealth to the debate about what introversion really is, the psychologist Jonathan Cheek proposed a classification model of types of introverted people to be able to distinguish between various typologies. They are the following.
1. Mental introvert
The mental introvert is characterized by having a great ability to spin their thoughts together, jumping from one topic to another with great fluidity. If we could visualize his mind, this would be a very extensive space and full of all kinds of elements and details with which it is possible to get creative.
So, this kind of introverted person has a predisposition to spend time absorbed in your thoughts , since it has a mental universe in which it is possible to imagine anything.
2. Social introvert
The social introvert is, mainly, either because of great hostility on the part of others or because of a feeling of insecurity for oneself. In any case, the result is the same: a certain degree of social isolation, defense of a relatively large living space (the space around us that must be without anyone else so that we feel comfortable in many contexts.
Thus, this is one of the types of introverted people in which what is really sought is loneliness (social status) and not the possibility of reflecting on creating fantasies.
3. Quiet introvert
The reserved introvert is characterized by being cold and distant not because he has a rich mental world or because he feels violated in social relationships. In this case, introversion arrives as a need to adopt a distant and analytical position in certain situations.
4. Anxious introvert
This is the kind of introversion that can cause more frequencies more easily. Why? Because it is linked to problems of stress and anxiety. In this case, it's about individuals that for fear of what might happen if they come into contact with many other people, they decide to isolate themselves and leave little home .
On the other hand, the social circle of this type of people tends to be composed of very good friends. However, before other people, the attempts to avoid dialogue or interaction make the person is seen as very unskilled socially, so the fear of giving an image ends up creating it, in the style of self-fulfilling prophecy.
