A New Method of Perception

My personality has gradually evolved through the years. In my early years, I was an extreme introvert. I didn’t mind the company of others as long as their company was somewhere else. Very far away. I was very unsocial. And unfriendly (I don’t mean that I was a rude person, but I was not friendly or easily approachable. There is a difference!)

The other day I was thinking about a change I’ve noticed in myself. I now see myself as very friendly and approachable. And I enjoy the company of others. It’s easier to start conversations with strangers. I’m not going to say that I can walk into a room of 100 people and walk away with 100 new friends. And I have no desire to do that. Being an introvert, I’ve always valued quality of relationships over quantity, and I continue to do that today.

But the point is, I’m not as introverted as I used to be. But I am still an introvert at heart. There is no doubt about that.

I still enjoy time to myself. And I enjoy doing things that I want to do. I like listening to music that I enjoy, not crowdpleasing music like rap and the top 40 hits. Reading is a solitary act, and I do that from time to time. Is there any more introverted act than writing? Writing is so hard to do when you’re interacting with people, and I prefer to be alone when I do it.

But I have changed. And so, the other day when I was thinking about my change, I thought up the term social introvert. Apparently, someone else had too, because it showed up a lot when I searched the term on Google. But I’m not bitter to discover that I’m not as original as I had hoped. I’m happy to discover that I’m not completely crazy. The concept does exist and is already accepted!

I wish I could find the site I’m going to paraphrase from so that I could give credit. I’ve tried with no luck. Anyway. The site basically said that a social introvert enjoys being around people and being social but often needs time alone afterward. To recharge his batteries. The analogy made was related to jogging. You jog and afterward you feel good and you’re glad you did it, but you need time to rest. That’s definitely me. I can socialize and I enjoy doing so, but I definitely need some time to recoup afterward.

I’m glad to have discovered this term. I’ve found a new label for myself. Introvert sounds as if you hate people. But social introvert just sounds so much more…sociable.

Peaceful crowd or angry mob? That depends: are you an introvert or an extrovert?

And so I want to turn this around on you. How do you perceive certain aspects of yourself? Are any of them negative? Is there some way that you can turn that into a positive? We all know that simply relabeling something can make it more attractive. Can you relabel yourself? Just remember to make sure that your labels are honest.

Tagged as: extrovert, introvert, perception, personality, social introvert