Psyche logo

An Introverted Extrovert?

Struggling to Accept a Term That May or May Not Be Accurate

By Allie ThomasPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
Like

From what I’ve heard, it’s not uncommon to question whether you’re introverted or extroverted. I’ve been struggling with this thought for as long as I’ve known what the words meant.

I do things that most introverts would rather die than do, like flirt with strangers and make friends with every person I meet on the street. I’m very outgoing. I love performing in front of others, whether that’s acting or singing. Presentations in front of peers do not bother me in the slightest.

Despite many people viewing me as incredibly extroverted, I can't help but question if it's more complex than just a label. Talking to people for more than half an hour is excruciating. Parties wear me out quickly, and I tend to leave early. Ordering food at a restaurant makes me anxious beyond belief, sometimes to the point where I'd rather order takeout online.

Is it completely illogical to be afraid of going through a drive-thru when I’m okay singing in front of hundreds of people? Yes. I’m aware that it doesn’t make sense. Unfortunately, our minds don’t always think in the most logical ways.

I believe it all comes down to confidence. People who are unapologetically loud and outgoing seem to be very sure of who they are as a person. I’d like to think I’ve found my own, but truth be told, I might have only gotten good at pretending.

Fake it until you make it, right? That's what my director used to tell us while performing, especially when we looked like we didn't know what we were doing. If you act like you're confident, people will believe it. Faking seems to be the easy part. I'm trained in the faking part, thanks to years of theater and the forensics team. I just don’t think I’ve “made it” yet.

And a lot of the times, that’s okay. You don’t have to be completely confident in yourself all of the time. However, it’s too easy to get swept away by wanting to label yourself. It seems to be a natural reaction. Humans just love to create categories, such as introvert and extrovert. Sometimes you don't fit quite into either.

I'm aware I'm not the only person who feels this way. In fact, there is a term for this: an ambivert. An ambivert is someone who has characteristics of both an introvert and an extrovert.

Perhaps some of you have heard of an ambivert before, but you have to admit, it's not a common word to hear. It's not thrown around the way its sister terms are, even though you'd assume that many people would agree that it'd be a more accurate description of themselves. So I believe that this poses an obvious question; why don't we ever use this word?

I can't offer a definite answer, either. I suppose that's because we could spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out where we fall, creating new terms that describe us a little bit more accurately, labeling ourselves into just one more category.

However, it might not be an efficient use of our time. While how we identify can be incredibly important, we don't always need an exact place to fall into. There will be days where even extroverts rather not create conversation and introverts will feel a little bit more outgoing than usual. Sometimes a general idea of who we are will suffice.

Performing is part of who I am. Enjoying nights at home by myself is also part of who I am. There's no need to pick one over the other.

I can be extroverted at times and introverted at other times, even ambiverted. I'm allowed to be myself, no labels needed.

anxiety
Like

About the Creator

Allie Thomas

A college student who likes to be heard, even though she isn't necessarily right all of the time.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.