I have often wondered why I am less than fully enthusiastic about Myers Briggs. For many people it provides such a lucid way of self-understanding that they happily say, ‘I am an ISTP’ or whatever, even posting the information on Facebook page or Twitter profile – so you know what they are really like.
Part of my problem, I suspect, is too much Psychology at an early age. When I was a graduate student I shared an office with someone who was fast becoming an expert in psychometrics (making and evaluating psychological tests) and he schooled me to have a high level of scepticism about the whole business. He did a good job.
The slightly scary thing for me is that I have found Myers Briggs to be pretty reliable – to have good ‘test-retest reliability’ as my old friend would say. I get the same result every time. But I am still not sure it has got me quite right.
Anyway, it was with my critical faculties ready to go that I looked up a talk by Susan Cain on TED. Cain’s book ‘Quiet’ has roared to the top of the New York bestsellers lists. It is a book in praise of introversion. Now there’s marketing for you. A book in praise of extraversion would never do so well. It’s the introverts who love books – they are fascinated by what is going on inside their own heads and lose energy when dealing with other people or are subject to lots of external stimulation.
For the record, I am persuaded by a good deal of what Cain says at the cultural level. We – and the ‘we’ here is a bit of north Atlantic one – have gone a bit overboard in terms of structuring things – not least learning opportunities for both children and adults – in favour of extroverts. It’s the dreaded groups again!
Cain argues that there is a greater need for peace and quiet, for individual concentrated effort, than we often allow. Teamwork is good but sometimes someone just needs to go away and think it all though. There is limit to the intensity of thought you can have in a group. And probably a limit on originality too. It’s groups, after all, that do group-think.
For me Cain’s talk came to life, the light bulb went on, when she spoke not of introversion and the qualities of introverts but about ambiverts. Like their ambidextrous cousins, these are people who do not really prefer one way of functioning over another. They are equally comfortable with the situations where the introvert feels most at home and situations where the extrovert is having a good time.
Ambiverts are equally happy to see a meeting in their diary as to see a space for writing a report. They enjoy a party and, guess what, they equally enjoy a good book. They find both satisfying and rewarding and like to have a varied life. They have enough introversion to be able to take stuff on board slowly and enough extraversion to be able to push ideas out without feeling depleted. They can write a book and talk about it without feeling that one or other task is all a bit too much.
I found this amazingly helpful. I have always hesitated over personality test questions like – ‘would you prefer to go to a party or read a book?’. ‘Depends on the party’, I think. ‘Depends on the book.’ ‘Depends what I did last night.’ Until discovering ambiversion I had felt this was a fault. That there was something sinister about it. I now think what I always thought – that it is sensible, reasonable and well-balanced.
Cain has spoken up for introverts. Someone needs to do the same for ambiverts (they only get one mention in her book). Make it easy for us people on the borderline – or rather in the middle of the continuum – to come out. ‘I am an ambivert!’ You can whisper it to a friend or proclaim it to the world – yes, you can do either.
Being an ambivert means you have an answer to that question which always makes more sense to the person asking it than you. So have it at the ready. ‘Are you an introvert or an extrovert? It’s okay you can tell me?’ ‘Neither, thank you. I am an ambivert and my Myers Briggs type is ASTJ’!
See Susan Cain’s great talk at http://blog.ted.com/2012/02/28/an-introverted-call-to-action-susan-cain-at-ted2012/
[…] more introverted and reflective side, to the point of shifting from being an extrovert to an ‘ambivert‘. I have long desired to create some genuine space to be silent for a sustained period, but […]
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[…] am an introvert with extrovert tendencies. This is referred to as Ambivert, but I’m not a fan of that term. For some, this admission is the “coming out of the […]
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Oops … “Some very … “
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Wonderful theme! Very some very interesting resonances, Lucy. Over time, my employers saw me as a researcher. For me, this was rather strange as at the time I was working in a professional office and had no academic ambitions. Looking back, I suppose it was quite useful to have a back room type who investigated the knotty problems and occasionally handled difficult questions. Yet it was very interesting to see how circumstances and people changed when my workload brought forward practical possibilities and potential decisions. Hard to handle indeed.
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Thanks for sharing, very insightful. My former supervisor at one time kept asking me the same questions. Do u prefer to do party or read a book. And I kept saying it depends. I had scored as enfp and she felt I was wrong and I got confused. As much as I agreed that I didn’t say I was an extrovert I wasn’t comfortable with an introvert either. My office kept trying to see where I mostly fit as it was big on personality esp the 4 temperaments. From our discussion it felt to be one of either. She even went to an extent of emailing me that am infj from what God had told her. She went ahead and concluded which movies I liked from the personality profile. The test was to be used to know where to place us. To cut the long story short am no longer with them as I couldn’t handle them.
I have listened to Cain and I liked her defense on introversion. we need to hear more on ambiverts. Someone needs to defend us
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[…] me, to help bring me to life in all its fullness. But…. I also recognise that I need silence, I need space, I need to not become completely and overly dependent upon anyone or anything, that ultimately I need to trust, to rest, to walk, work and learn afresh the Unforced Rhythms of […]
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Stephen!!you just wrote my mind…For the past few days I have been questioning myself in finding which type of personality I really fall in. I was bit unsure and unhappy with the MBTI report..but I am now sure about my personality…many thanks!!!!!!!!!!! happy that I too have a recognition in terms of personalities>>>
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[…] Between Introvert and Extrovert – Ambivert (stephencherry.wordpress.com) Rate this: Share this:TwitterFacebookEmailPrintDiggLinkedInRedditStumbleUponPinterestTumblrLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. […]
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Brilliant Stephen! I always felt a bit wet being neither one or the other – though tending more to introversion, I think. But perhaps that is just today!
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It seems we live in an age where dualism rules. If people are not one thing they are automatically labelled as the opposite. Most categories are not so black and white, many are not even a single dimension. I have for many years said that I am borderline E/I but I like the sound of ambivert
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Thank you for a brilliant and very profound post about a very helpful and hopefully agenda changing/shaping/setting talk. I am still working through for me the implications of your truly brilliant ‘barefoot disciple’. Its a great example of my ambivert tendencies…. The need to both discuss it with others and blog about it but also take time out to deeply reflect on its implications. Thank you
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Myers Briggs has never given me the answer of my ‘real ‘self, so I have often wondered what my true ‘label’ was. Now I know – thank you Stephen!
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Thanks Stephen – love it.
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Is it ambiversion, or is it just the P – who dislikes committing until they know they have found the best option?
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I was thinking that as I wrote it. But I don’t take that explanation either. I can do P but I can also do J. In fact I am a bit more J than P but that does not mean I am happy with a false dichotomy. It some thing not to be able to make a decision, another to decline to accept that the decision makes sense. To say ‘both’ is okay for a J, isn’t it?
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That’s me, I’m am ambivert. So excited to have a label!
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