Introversion and extroversion are terms often used to categorize people’s general personality and intrinsic behavior. They were first introduced by Carl Jung through his personality theory and analytical psychology for which he is notably known for. In effect, he classified people as having two general attitudes which predispose them to act in certain ways. These attitudes are extroversion and introversion. Most people present a combination of both traits, but usually tend to lean towards one more than the other.
Extroversion is basically perceived as a general attitude that points outwards. Extroverted people usually direct most of their inner energy and psyche towards the external world. Extroverted people are very comfortable when surrounded with others and generally feed off of their opinions and reactions. They love being involved in many different activities and participating in events that involve interaction with others, as this energizes them. The extroverted person is seen as objective in terms of his views of the world and the way others perceive him. This objectivity means that they tend to act more in accordance with external societal norms and generally accepted behavior. Extroverted people are also not easily excitable, because there isn’t much going on at a psychic level and therefore need a lot of external stimuli to feel alive. In addition, they tend to be seen as outgoing and a people person. As they feel comfortable in crowds; they like having a lot of friends. They are also more impulsive and tend to act without thoroughly thinking it first.
Introversion, on the contrary, is a mind set which revolves around a lot of thinking. Introverted people tend to rely a lot upon their cognitive processes, and love thinking things over and processing them before they act. Introverted people feel comfortable when alone, but this doesn’t necessarily mean they are shy. During their alone time, these people think about things going on in their lives and interpret them according to their own internal world. In this way, Carl Jung classifies them as being subjective because they give meaning to things according to their own subjective reflections rather than relying on external societal norms for significance. Introverted people are also sociable, but they usually like having a few good friends they can have deep relationships with than having than a lot of friends. This type of people is also usually excitable and can feel overwhelmed by external events. This is because they already have a lot going on at a psychic level and frequently don’t need a lot of outside stimulus to feel content.
Source:
http://clinical-psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_personality_theory_of_carl_jung
