The 7 types of introverts (and how to identify them)

In the world of Psychology, one of the most interesting and at the same time enigmatic concepts that exist is that of personality. And it is that although we can define personality as the set of psychological traits that determine our way of being and being seenthe truth is that this term hides many nuances due to the enormous diversity of personalities that people can develop.

As a result of this interest both in its origin and evolution throughout life, many psychologists have developed very interesting theories about personality. And without a doubt, one of the most important was Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, psychologist and essayist famous for, among many other contributions, describing, in 1921, what he defined as “The 8 psychological types”.

In this work, where he studied the foundations of personality, he defined two main classes on which the others are built: extroverts and introverts. And although the classification of personalities has evolved a lot since then, this differentiation is still very interesting. And it is that extroversion and introversion are two traits that greatly determine our way of being.

Therefore, in today's article and, as always, from the hand of the most prestigious scientific publications, we are going to investigate the psychological bases of introversionthat trait that makes us concentrate more on our inner world, and, above all, to explore what kinds of introverted people exist.

What is introversion?

Introversion is a personality trait that makes us focus more on our inner world than on the outside world. In other words, it is that pillar of personality that determines how our perception focuses more on our ideas and thoughts, that is, on all those processes that occur in our mind, than on what happens around us.

In contrast to extroversion, that personality trait where the person focuses more on external events, being more interested in their relationship with the subjects around them and being more alert to what happens around them than inside them, the Introversion leads us to put the focus of our lives on our internal world.

Unfortunately, both culturally and socially, extroversion is more highly regarded than introversion.Hence, many people who are introverted by nature try to hide their personality and force themselves to display behaviors typical of extroverted people, because sometimes they are even forced by their environment to stop living so much in their inner world.

But an introverted person should never be forced to change their way of being. There is nothing wrong, as long as you can have a fulfilling life both personally and professionally, in living more focused on your fantasies, thoughts, ideas and memories. It is true that this can lead to preferring to carry out activities alone, but, again, this belief that we should do everything together is something purely social and cultural.

In the same way, we should not confuse introversion with shyness. It is true that introverted people are more likely to be shy, but this relationship does not always exist. Shyness is the anticipated fear of being the center of attention of a group of people, making the person feel insecure when he is with people. But someone who is introverted may not have any traits of shyness. He feels secure and confident in the company of others. He simply prefers to live more in his inner world either by choice, past experiences or simply because of his personality.

As we have said, the classification of personalities has evolved a lot over time. And since the psychologists Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Meyer, mother and daughter, respectively, developed the Myers-Briggs Indicator in 1942 and based on the theories of Carl Jung, we no longer talk so much about introverted personality, but rather we use this introversion as trait to define several of the 16 personalities proposed by this model. Thus, someone introverted usually develops one of the following personalities:

• moral personality: Very reliable people who have a very high sense of ethics, duty and morality. They usually live in their inner world to know their values ​​well and always act in the way they consider fair.

• reserved personality: People who live especially "locked up" in their inner world, preferring to analyze the situations that occur around them to interact only when they are sure they can be of help. It is what we usually associate with people with a cold mind.

• protective personality: People who live in their own world, directing the rhythm of their lives without external influences and establishing their own rules. They always seek to stimulate their senses and do not care about the opinions of others. It belongs to artists.

• pensive personality: People with an incredible imaginative capacity, with the desire to always be increasing their knowledge, with pleasure in learning and with the tendency to see the world with their own eyes. It is the personality of the great minds of history.

• reflective personality: People who have the will to find errors in the knowledge that we take as valid without generally being questioned and with being to find new ways of understanding the world.

• counseling personality: People who, despite living in their inner world, are very empathic. They know how to listen, they are sensitive and they are always willing to give advice to help the people around them.

• altruistic personality: People who, like the previous ones, are willing to help others, but not only the people around them, but also strangers. Also, unfortunately, they have a tendency to forget their own needs.

As we see, introversion is a very complex personality trait which gives rise to the most accepted classification of it. It has already become clear that there are many nuances in the traits of introverted people. But now, looking at what kinds of introverts exist, it will become even clearer.

What kinds of introverts are there?

Through both the studies of Carl Gustav Jung and those of the psychologist Jonathan Cheek, we can have a classification of introverted people according to their personality traits. Let's see, then, what characteristics the different types of introverts have.

1. Mental introverts

Mental introverts are those people who have tendency to spend a lot of time immersed in your thoughtsengrossed in their inner world, stringing together ideas, relating concepts, exploring different themes, emanating creativity, trying to get to know their “I” in depth and asking themselves existential questions.

2. Sentimental introverts

Sentimental introverts are those who are emotionally sensitive and tend to see art as a reflection of their feelings and sometimes as a way to express what they feel. And it is that despite the fact that they appear inaccessible to others and give an image of integrity and harmony, they have a very complex emotional inner world.

3. Intuitive Introverts

Intuitive introverts are those who, due to how they analyze situations in their inner world but without giving the impression that they are aware of what is happening around them, their tendency to hit the forecast of things makes others believe that they have the gift of intuition. But it's not magic. It is simply analysis of what you see.

4. Sensory Introverts

Sensory introverts are those who find pleasure in their inner world and, especially, in experiencing bodily and mental sensations. They are perceived as quiet, modest and withdrawn since they prefer to experience sensations inside rather than outside.

5. Asocial introverts

Asocial introverts are those who, generally due to negative past experiences or because they feel judged for their way of being, have a tendency to isolate themselves socially. They are people who seek, by choice or forced, solitude. They prefer to live in their inner world and minimize the contact with other people.

6. Anxious introverts

Anxious introverts are those more associated with shynessBecause of the fear of being judged and being the center of attention, they tend to go out of the house little and isolate themselves. And it is that the idea of ​​having to face tense social situations for them generates deep feelings of anxiety and stress. They tend to have, yes, a small but narrow circle of friends.

7. Reserved introverts

Reserved introverts are those who, because of their tendency to adopt an analytical posture and a somewhat distant position, they tend to see themselves as cold people. But not because there is a certain degree of asocial personality, but because he simply expresses fewer emotions and does not have the need to (or find it difficult) to establish close human contacts.