Different Types of Introverts & 7 Common Misconceptions About Us

Written By Caroline Smith

This podcast episode explores the different types of introverts, including 2 broad categories and 4 more specific categories, and we’re going to dispel 7 common misconceptions about introverts.

Just like not all extroverts are the same, not all introverts are the same, but sometimes labels like “introvert” and “extrovert” can cause us to create false assumptions about each other, like the following:

“All extroverts just like superficial conversations and relationships.”

“Introverts are always making everything into some sort of deep conversation.”

“Extroverts just don’t know when to be quiet and let other people have the floor.”

“Introverts must hate everybody because they don’t want to talk to me.”

Misconceptions like these often do more harm than good in both our personal and professional lives, but I think if we could all learn to have some compassion and understanding for each other’s natural tendencies, the world would be a much better place. So, in this episode, I’m going to explain to both introverts and extroverts alike that not all introverts are the same and we are not all interested in the exact same things — although we may have similarities — and we don’t have to force ourselves into certain labels just because we think we’re supposed to fit inside of a box.

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Transcript

Welcome to The Introverted Misfit Podcast with me, Caroline Smith, where we discuss topics related to the human experience of connection and communication with a slightly awkward, introverted twist.

In today’s podcast episode, we are going to explore the different types of introverts, including 2 broad categories and 4 more specific categories, and we’re going to dispel 7 common misconceptions about introverts.

Just like not all extroverts are the same, not all introverts are the same, but sometimes labels like “introvert” and “extrovert” can cause us to create false assumptions about each other, like the following:

“All extroverts just like superficial conversations and relationships.”

“Introverts are always making everything into some sort of deep conversation.”

“Extroverts just don’t know when to be quiet and let other people have the floor.”

“Introverts must hate everybody because they don’t want to talk to me.”

Misconceptions like these often do more harm than good in both our personal and professional lives, but I think if we could all learn to have some compassion and understanding for each other’s natural tendencies, the world would be a much better place.

So, I’m hoping this podcast episode will successfully explain to both introverts and extroverts alike that not all introverts are the same and we are not all interested in the exact same things — although we may have similarities — and we don’t have to force ourselves into certain labels just because we think we’re supposed to fit inside of a box.

Not All Introverts Are the Same

The general definition of introversion is a personality type that focus a person’s energy on the inner world, as in one’s own feelings, emotions, and thoughts. Introverts tend to prefer alone time or socializing with one or a few people at a time.

However, it’s important to note that everyone is different, and introversion and extroversion exists on a spectrum, which means that no one introvert (or extrovert for that matter) will be exactly the same.

There will be some people who are more introverted than others.

If you’re anything like me, I’m like 95% introverted, but there are some introverts who will be more towards the extroverted side of the spectrum.

Let’s begin by examining the different types of introverts.

In my research for this video, I was able to find two prominent studies from different psychologists: the first separates introverts into two broader categories, and the second study categorizes introverts into 4 more specific categories, both of which I think can be helpful, so I included them both.

Let’s start with the 2 broad categories:

2 Broad Categories: Type A and Type B

In the academic journal Introversion: A misunderstood "individual difference" among students, written by the late Dr. Arnold Henjum, Henjum defines two broad categories of introverts specifically among students, including “those who are self-sufficient, confident and self-actualizing (Type A), and those who are shy, withdrawn and who have a low self-concept (Type B).”

While there are a wide variety of individual factors contributing to people with introverted personalities, his findings in educational studies of introverted students show us that it’s possible for introverts to be socially well-adjusted, just like it’s possible for them to be shy and timid.

Now let’s talk about the 4 specific types of introverts, which seem to be more popular in categorizing introverted personalities.

The 4 Specific Types of Introverts:

The 4 types of introverts as specified by psychologists at Wellesley College are seemingly more popular than the Type A and Type B categories, and they are social introverts, thinking introverts, anxious introverts, and inhibited introverts.

  • Social Introverts
    Social introverts like to spend time alone, but do enjoy socializing with one or a few close friends in more quiet settings rather than crowded environments.

  • Thinking Introverts
    Thinking introverts tend to spend lots of time in their own heads just thinking and having creative imaginations.

  • Anxious Introverts
    Anxious introverts prefer being alone not only because they like it, but because they often feel awkward or shy around people. I also think it’s possible that people can choose to be more introverted because they feel awkward or shy around others, even though they may actually be more extroverted in nature.

  • Restrained/Inhibited Introverts
    Restrained/inhibited introverts tend to think before acting. They may take longer to take action on something and aren’t likely to make a decision on the whim.

Personally I think the need to create all of these different labels of introverts is much more helpful for psychologists than it is for everyday introverts like you and me, but anyhow, which type of introvert do you think fits your personality best? Let me know in the comments of this podcast episode, whichever platform you’re watching or listening on!

I think you can be more of one than the other, or you can be a combination of the different types. Who knows? You might even have some extroverted tendencies that come out once in a while, because remember, introversion and extraversion exist on a spectrum!

7 Misconceptions About Introverts:

  1. We Are All “Anti-Social,” or Dislike People
    Anti-social doesn’t actually mean what most people think it means. While most people assume it means you don’t like being social, it actually describes people whose behaviors are not very welcoming to others, and are even harmful or dangerous. It can include yelling, screaming, pushing, and generally being a jerk and not caring about how others perceive you.

    However, what I think people mean in this context is that introverts don’t like being social at all and prefer being by themselves a lot.

    While it’s true that many of us value our alone time, we don’t all wish to completely shut ourselves off from the rest of society, which is why we tend to have a few friends that we hang out with when we’re in a social mood.

    And some of us (definitely not me) might even enjoy going to a large gathering every once in a while

  2. We Are All Shy
    While it’s true that some introverts may also be shy or may behave like an introvert because they are shy, we aren’t all that way.

    Many of us are very socially confident and not shy at all.

    If you’re anything like I used to be, I was both an introvert and I had severe social anxiety for nearly a decade because of me having Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), formerly known as Asperger’s Syndrome. It took me some time to eventually overcome my fear of socializing with people, but once I did, I discovered that I am still an introvert — it’s just that now I am a socially confident introvert.

    I think it might be helpful for you to know some of the science behind what contributes to shyness.

    It turns out that shyness is caused by a combination of genetics and environment as we know from studies comparing identical and non-identical twins.

    One study in particular sought to examine the genetic and environmental contributions to shyness throughout the school-age period was conducted on 553 twin pairs.

    Here were the conclusions from that study on shyness:

    • The measures of shyness using teacher ratings were collected at five points in time from age 6 to 12 years. They found that on average, shyness was moderately stable overtime and the measured stability was almost entirely accounted for by genetic factors.

      I don’t know about you, but to me that “stability in shyness” kinda sounds like a genetic predisposition towards being introverted.

    • At age 6, genetic factors accounted for 44% of individual differences and these early genetic factors also explained individual differences at all subsequent ages.

    • Non-shared environmental factors , i.e. environmental factors unique to each participant, explained most of individual differences at single points in time (51% to 63%), and did not account for the stability of shyness.

    • The final results suggest that persistent genetic contributions account for the stability in shyness, and individual environmental factors such as how school peers responded to them earlier in the school years account for the differing levels of shyness in the individuals.

    By the way, I’ll link the blog post on my website that references the study I’m talking about here so that you can read it for yourself. It’s titled, “Why Am I Shy and Socially Awkward?”

    So no, not all introverts are automatically shy, although as we’ve discussed, it is possible to be both introverted and shy.

  3. We Are All Socially Awkward
    While some introverts may be socially awkward much like I used to be, being an introvert does not automatically mean that you struggle with basic social skills.

    It makes a lot of sense why someone who is socially awkward or socially inept would tend towards being more introverted and withdrawn, but they are not the same thing.

    Generally, social awkwardness is the result of naturally shy or socially anxious individuals who consistently avoid social interactions with people or maybe they lack the motivation to socialize because of past rejection and social trauma, and therefore never develop any social skills.

    Like I just mentioned the source of my struggles with socializing and communicating was autism, so it took me a little extra time and practice to improve my sociability, but in the end, I’d say it was worth it to know that when I’m in the mood for socializing, I can do it in my introverted way, and I can still have all of the alone time I need.

    There are many other socially confident introverts who can be sociable when they want to be or have to be.
    If you are a socially awkward introvert, you might enjoy reading my blog post 21 Behaviors That Make You Seem Socially Awkward, which gives you some simple, straightforward explanations of the behaviors you should be mindful of during your next social gathering.

  4. We Are All Deep/Over Thinkers
    Contrary to popular belief, not every introvert is a deep thinker or an over thinker.

    Some people just prefer to do solo activities and socialize with a few people without everything having to be a deep conversation.

    I’m going to exercise some self-awareness here and tell you I am definitely someone who makes everything a deep, philosophical thing, even if I don’t say what I’m really thinking in the moment.

    So at my core, I have a deep perspective on pretty much everything, even something as simple as a flower growing, but I’ve just learned how to control it and understand that deep conversations are not welcome or even appropriate for certain contexts and people.

    Basically, I save the deep conversations for my podcast, my journal, and the few people in my life who would care to engage in a conversation like that.

  5. We All Dislike Extroverts
    While it may be true that introverts and extroverts are motivated by and find fulfillment in different things, we don’t all dislike each other.

    In fact, I think it’s possible for introverts and extroverts to be friends, especially if both people share similar values and morals.

    This doesn’t mean that they do every single activity together, because introverts and extroverts often have different interests including hobbies, but it does mean they can find some common ground and can enjoy each other’s company.

    However, just like two extroverts or two introverts may not enjoy each other’s company, it’s possible that an introvert and an extrovert may not enjoy each other’s company for many reasons, including clashing personalities, or just regular old incompatibility.

    No one is obligated to like any particular person, introverted-extroverted personalities aside.

    If you’re interested, I talk about why I think both introverted and extroverted energy have a valuable role in society that contributes to keeping things in balance in one of my earlier podcast episodes titled, The Valuable Role of Introverts in the Introvert-Extrovert Balance, which you should listen to once you’re finished listening to this one, but I basically made the point that no one is more important than the other, and both personality types, although different, have value in larger society.

  6. We Hate Any Type of Small Talk
    Many introverts are known for enjoying deep conversations that go below the surface level, but this doesn’t mean that all of us are vehemently against having small talk every once in a while.

    I actually enjoy small talk sometimes just to connect with the people around me and to let people know that I’m friendly and open to conversation.

    On the flip side of this one, I think many introverts can have a tendency to think that we are just not supposed to engage in small talk at all if we don’t like it, but I would argue that small talk can be a gateway to deeper connections.

    Think about it, you’re not just going to walk up to a random person and start asking them deep, philosophical questions right off the bat — unless you’re both in a museum or somewhere that would be expected — you’re likely going to start with something small that can initiate a connection, and potentially lead to something more meaningful.

    Or maybe it won’t lead to something more meaningful, because I definitely have people in my life who as soon as I try to go a little deeper on a topic, they are clearly uninterested, so I just let it go, but I think it’s still a good tool to have in your back pocket.

    I completely understand that some of us prefer deeper conversations to surface-level ones, especially in our closer relationships, but realistically, you’re going to have to engage in small talk at some point, whether it’s at church, at work, in your personal lives, in the airport, in the grocery store, etc.

    If you’re an introvert who is looking to brush up on your small talk skills, make sure you download my FREE Guide to Small Talk for Introverts.

  7. We Are All on the Autism Spectrum
    This misconception is less common than the other ones, but I’ve seen a few popular YouTube videos and content online that tends to group introverts and autistic people in the same category, and as someone who is autistic and an introvert, I think it’s worth addressing.

    While I admit there is a lot of overlap between the introversion and autism, they are not the same.
    Autism is a neurological disorder that affects people’s ability to socialize and communicate in the way most people do, and a common symptom of autism is the need for lots of alone time away from overstimulating environments.

    Introversion is not a disorder, but a personality trait of people who focus their energy inwardly rather than externally like extroverts, and although may prefer alone time or time spent with just a few people sparingly, they do not necessarily have the same social difficulties that autistic people do.

    Besides, I’ve met a few autistic people who I would describe as extroverted because they enjoy being around other people quite a bit. However, their autistic symptoms might make it more difficult to do that.

We’re all different, and there is so much more to our personalities than being an introvert or an extrovert, but how are people going to get to know you on a personal level if you happen to be an anxious introvert who struggles with shyness and social awkwardness like I once did?

If you’re ready to become a socially confident introvert without having to act like someone you’re not, check out my 1-on-1 coaching services specifically for shy, awkward introverts. This includes my 12-week program Communicate with Quiet Confidence, which is a more extensive coaching program to help you become socially confident, or my power hour coaching sessions where we can begin your journey to overcoming your fears of socializing in just 1 hour!

That’s all for today’s episode.

As always, if you enjoyed this talk, please don’t forget to hit the follow or subscribe button, leave a review and/or comment whether you’re tuning in on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts from, and share this podcast with a friend. Thanks for listening, and have a great day!

Connect With Caroline:

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Caroline Smith

Caroline is the founder of The Introverted Misfit, a community committed to helping socially inept people become more socially confident in themselves.

https://theintrovertedmisfit.com
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