Is introversion a sign of higher psychological/cognitive development?

[Ibn Sina]

Based on my readings and experience with people, Extraversion is a personality trait where people want the company of others.
These are the people who are depressed when they say - I feel so lonely, I have no friends. They feel like people not liking them is the worst thing in the world.
These are the people mad about not having a girlfriend by x age, wanting to look cool compared to their social circle.

For me, frankly, I am not lying, these are completely foreign emotions to me and at the same time ridiciously illogical. I have never understood the phrase " I feel so lonely, I have no friends" .

Also, having such cravings , from a spiritual/buddhist point of view, is lack of development, because that means you are attached to the appearance of this 'life dream'

Introverts, do not have such impulses to talk to people ( cannot say for every introvert, but I don't have these, and I am an introvert, so this is what I think)

I used to be friends with an extroverts. I didn't used to talk much , but my friends used to talk about all illogical shits- 
Who is dating whom, comparing people, criticizing people, spreading rumors about people.

I used to be in relationship with a girl, and for no reason they would start talking about her and with no evidence or any logic at all would say things like she doesn't like you, she is dating other  guy. They would love to criticize each other, trying to get reactions out of each other and me, for no reason.

Then  I did some studying about personality, and read that one of the traits of extraverts have more tendency to engage in confrontations , extraverts are more  aggressive (again, a sign of  low development, since high morality and control of aggression is associated with the prefrontal cortex of the brain (Medical physiology Guyton and all) like wise Peacefullness , Blissfulness in solitude is ofcourse associated  with higher spiritual development).

It's like it is an 'itch' for extraverts to perform all those drama. It is an impulse.They do not feel happy without doing all the shits that they do. If they are alone, they panic, they immediately try to mingle with 'the herd'.
I have observed this 'neediness' in countless of occasion. Observing  that, I can say that it is like an impulse within them, a panic response. And for most people, this is the case , based on my observations of many many people in the course of my life.

And yea, there is something opposite also. There is also a psychology where such need is absolutely absent. There is just very deep , holy bliss  in silence and solitude. And that evidence(best evidence for me) is me. I have deep, peaceful kind of  silence within me that gives me peace when I am alone in tune with nature. I don't need the company of  others, but I can entertain a butterfly if it comes flying and sits besides me and enjoys nature with me.

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Ibn Sina

[GreenWoods]

@Ibn Sina I am no expert but I would say that neither introversion nor extroversion are signs of higher development.

7 minutes ago, Ibn Sina said:

These [extroverts] are the people who are depressed when they say - I feel so lonely, I have no friends. They feel like people not liking them is the worst thing in the world.
These are the people mad about not having a girlfriend by x age, wanting to look cool compared to their social circle.

I guess this also applies to most introverts. It just depends on how emotionally and spiritually developed you are and not on extroversion or introversion. you are probably far more developed than the average introvert so you don't have those issues. But I believe that an equally developed extrovert also doesn't have these issues. Though what can be argued is, that introverts are more likely to do personal development and thus outgrow these issues.

[Pelin]

Short answer, No. 

Long answer, being an extravert or an introvert is not about a need of people as far as I'm concerned. An introvert can also feel lonely, and it is normal. It is more about how you energize yourself, alone or with company. As an introvert, I need some alone time to recharge, but feel comfortable (mostly) among other people as well. You may have a job that includes spending a lot of time with people and socializing (that actually requires being more conscious of your actions than by yourself) and can be an introvert.

I do not associate anger and aggression with this personality trait. Either type can experience it, and it is tbh quite common in introverts too. The same case with the need to create drama.

Beware of this feeling of associating yourself with higher consciousness. It has happened a lot to me and happens still. We tend to see ourselves and our traits to be better than others, that is an ego trick. I've taken your post as a reminder for me that I should look into this within myself as well.

 

[tenta]

Or it could be because narcissists and unconscious people are more likely to be extroverts

[arlin]

introverts get their energy by being on themselves, extroverts by being in social contexts.

This does not mean that introverts cannot be social.

Those 2 are personality traits not intelligence traits.

So, the introvert displays this trait in some context, the extroverts in others.

You have to develop a balance between the 2.

[Aeris]

There is no introvert/ extravert on a Real scale.

You could be both or switch from Time to Time dépend of many exterior paraméter and prior experience in life.( Way of surviving by choosing a way to interact with the surrounding )

Even me who was a kid on a computer I needed to talk with people for instance.

And this post and présence of you here could mean a virtual extravert.

 

By the way where it start when you are introvert vs extravert is there a moment when you are one ?

[Hansu]

I "was" introvert when I couldn't make friends.

Then I got friends, and I "was" extrovert about 80% of time, 20% of time I wanted to be alone in my room with nobody bothering me. I mean 80% of the time of a party I was extroverted, then around 11 o'clock I would escape to my room to be alone.

All "introvert/extrovert" classification has done to me has been to limit me. It drove me to exclude introverted or extroverted behavior out of my life, making me unhappy when I did. The greatest lie of my life. I don't think its any kind of sign of "being sign of higher psychological/cognitive development", I think classifying yourself as one has the opposite implication.

Edited July 13, 2019 by Hansu

[Ibn Sina]

 

3 hours ago, Pelin said:

Long answer, being an extravert or an introvert is not about a need of people

Okay, but I have encountered many many many many needy people (as I described above) where I live, and I can't see how they are introvert as they want to talk with people whenever they are without company. That's why I am connecting neediness and extraversion. Introverts may also want it, but usually they are comfortable with themselves most of the time.

 

3 hours ago, Pelin said:

An introvert can also feel lonely, and it is normal. It is more about how you energize yourself, alone or with company. As an introvert, I need some alone time to recharge, but feel comfortable (mostly) among other people as well.

Yes I agree. But my case is slightly extreme and abnormal in that I don't even need others, but like you I am also comfortable with people (the butterfly beside me) unless they do not talk for the sake of talking like spewing unnecessary shit, or do drama for the sake of doing drama.  I have bit low tolerance for  that. I don't dislike people or socializing. I dislike bad, immoral people, that's all. But I don't don't crave for socialization either.

3 hours ago, Pelin said:

I do not associate anger and aggression with this personality trait. Either type can experience it, and it is tbh quite common in introverts too. The same case with the need to create drama.

Yes, I do believe that both introverts and extroverts experience anger, but I was not talking about experiencing the anger, but aggression in the social context. I can say that introverts experience anger because I myself do. 
 

But I associated aggression with extroverts because-

Wikipedia says-  Introverts are non-aggressive.

Also, I have read Thomas Jefferson's (an introvert) Biography The Art of Power and it said  he avoided confrontation although he disagreed  with people.

And also, I myself do not indulge in pointless confrontations with people unless I am left with no choice. 

Let's say there is an introvert who in the course of conversation felt slight annoyance or anger towards someone ( I am not saying Introverts do not feel extreme anger), feel slight anger or annoyance about someone, but they may think, why to start an arguement for such a reason (although I feel some anger). It will only worsen the situation. Let me just go away and ignore him and bury myself in bed instead of a huge drama. Or let me just change the topic.
Ofcourse  extroverts can also do that, but I am talking about what introverts usually do, and what extroverts usually don't.

The thing about the 'other' people I am talking about is pointless drama and aggression, which if you are saying introverts  do , then all evidence  I have seen point toward the contrary ( again take note, introverts can sometimes come out of their comfort zone and do all that. Like in parties and social gatherings I also summon up my extraversion. The difference is extroverts do it on a daily basis, introverts do it occasionally only)

. Introverts even if they are aggressive, do so for a reason, usually when they must, but they don't start out confrontations out of the blue, why?  Of course this point doesn't work with those people introverts really (reaaallly ) are close to like their best friend or family.

3 hours ago, Pelin said:

Beware of this feeling of associating yourself with higher consciousness. It has happened a lot to me and happens still. We tend to see ourselves and our traits to be better than others, that is an ego trick. I've taken your post as a reminder for me that I should look into this within myself as well.

I don't think not  needing friends is a sign of high consciousness( though I think it is higher and developed than  neediness.) I am not enlightened, I have many problems of my own.. But yea, it is true when I say feeling lonely is foreign to me. Actually, my brother is also like that. He is always on his own, reading books, articles. The difference is he doesn't meditate and write and read poetry,but I do , so in addition I feel happiness in my solitude, just like nature loving poets also do. So it's not so much of a high consciousness thing as it  looks since it is not confined to mystics only but to poets,scientists, nerds also.

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Ibn Sina

[DrewNows]

This video does a great job at explaining what you're contemplating  

Edited July 13, 2019 by DrewNows

[Ibn Sina]

@DrewNows 
I watched the vid.

At one point (3:36) she says-

"Extroverts feel absence of life itself and spends is his her time seeking out initiating situations where they can feel alive"

aaaaahhhh, explains so much, right in the bulls eye.

She clearly explains what those people I encounter who are constantly trying to create stimulations and drama are doing. They feel so hollow that they have to do all that. That is exactly what I am saying in my original post. What I didn't know about was the hollowness, so apparently this hollowness in them is what generates  the impulse in them that creates neediness and drama.

She also talks about being both extrovert and introvert.

Ofcourse, it's not that I avoid people, I talk to people whenever I want, but I don't need stimulations like the extroverts, my mind is always bombarding with stimulations, sometimes I feel sad or happy by myself , I am already on a roller coaster  inside my head and heart.
The trait that introverts should remove is not wanting to engage with people(if they have this trait). I think that's the only wrong thing about introversion.

 

 

Edited July 13, 2019 by Ibn Sina

[Dan502]

@Ibn Sina no but succinctness is

I'm kidding.

I did hear somewhere that introversion correlates with self-awareness. I think it was in one of Jordan Peterson's lectures about personality.

Edited July 13, 2019 by Dan502

[Ibn Sina]

@Dan502 Your answer is so succinct. But my  answers are so long. This must mean I am an idiot.

[Joseph Maynor]

I like the Big Five definition of Extroversion as including the two sub-traits of Enthusiasm and Assertiveness.  Extroversion in the Big 5 sense is cultivation of social confidence.

It's Openness to Experience in the Big Five that's about increasing smarts.   The two sub-traits of Openness to Experience are Intellect and Openness/ Creativity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_Aspect_Scales

//

The Essence of Each of the Big Five Aspects of Personality:

1. Openness to Experience — Smarts
2. Conscientiousness — Work Ethic/ Career Prospects
3. Extroversion — Social Confidence
4. Agreeableness — Social Relate-ability
5. Neuroticism — Emotional Instability

Edited July 13, 2019 by Joseph Maynor

[ValiantSalvatore]

Also the point about the prefrontal cortex is elaborated.

Edited July 13, 2019 by ValiantSalvatore

[SaltyMeatballs]

Perhaps there's a slight itch you feel about wanting to be more extroverted... Hence why you bring this question up. Is there a part of yourself which you are not accepting? 

[bejapuskas]

Introversion can be a sign of depression, social anxiety, loneliness or some other type of suffering.

Extraversion can be a sign of neediness, lack of fulfillment, thirst for approval or some other type of suffering.

But it can also be the case, that they are signaling happiness - when I am happy for example, I feel much more interested in people, but I can also enjoy alone time much more, it's the best of both worlds  

[Jonac]

Introversion means you cultivate interior life. You live more in imagination, you try to construct reality in your mind. Is usually asociate with sings of neurosis. 

[Shadowraix]

It's less about introversion and extraversion in of itself but the intent behind them. A lot of extroverts put up a fake front while introverts will just be quiet when they've got nothing to add instead of over compensating. Lots of contemplation time. This may be why you see such a trend. 

These personality traits you could write a book on how they vary in intent though. 

[Raphael]

Things are complicated ...

This thread seems like mixing many things together: introversion, extroversion, shyness, social anxiety, loneliness, neediness, low consciousness, high consciousness...

By the way, I don't think Sadhguru or Joe Rogan have low psychological development. I will maybe go back to this thread later this week, I have a lot of things in my mind right now.

[Commodent]

You definitely have extroverts that are wicked smart. It's just that their smartness is more centered around other people, while with introverts it's more centered around the self.