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The masses of "introvert awareness" posts around are mostly a good thing, in that many personality traits associated with introversion continue to be discouraged, and individuals are encouraged to cure themselves of them. However, I've noticed that 'introversion' collects various traits that need not co-occur. We can distinguish:
1. Being 'private,' not disclosing information about oneself freely, being cagey.
*This may not be sufficient to make someone an introvert. I know a lot of cagey extroverts. And I am very, very suspicious of them.
from
2. Preferring to do things alone.
Why?
(a) a desire to preserve one's autonomy
(b) disliking most people
(c) the activities themselves not being conducive to collaboration
from
3. Not needing the sense of connection/emotional contribution to motivation that comes from other people.
from
4. Someone who does not initiate social interactions.
*possibly a necessary and sufficient condition.
Why?
(a) Not able to make background assumptions necessary to feel in a position to address another person.
(b) Other causes?
Fulfilling any of these criteria might be enough to make you an introvert, in popular usage (though as noted I suspect that 1 is not sufficient). Plenty of extroverts are private (if anything, more private). And not needing other people for emotional/motivational reasons is not commonly differentiated from just not finding most people very pleasant, being private, or being uncomfortable initiating interaction. But it should be, as the opposite of (3) is commonly more associated with extroversion, but there are plenty of ways of being an introvert without satisfying (3).
1. Being 'private,' not disclosing information about oneself freely, being cagey.
*This may not be sufficient to make someone an introvert. I know a lot of cagey extroverts. And I am very, very suspicious of them.
from
2. Preferring to do things alone.
Why?
(a) a desire to preserve one's autonomy
(b) disliking most people
(c) the activities themselves not being conducive to collaboration
from
3. Not needing the sense of connection/emotional contribution to motivation that comes from other people.
from
4. Someone who does not initiate social interactions.
*possibly a necessary and sufficient condition.
Why?
(a) Not able to make background assumptions necessary to feel in a position to address another person.
(b) Other causes?
Fulfilling any of these criteria might be enough to make you an introvert, in popular usage (though as noted I suspect that 1 is not sufficient). Plenty of extroverts are private (if anything, more private). And not needing other people for emotional/motivational reasons is not commonly differentiated from just not finding most people very pleasant, being private, or being uncomfortable initiating interaction. But it should be, as the opposite of (3) is commonly more associated with extroversion, but there are plenty of ways of being an introvert without satisfying (3).
