©Arlene R. Taylor PhD

x Extroverts 16% *

68%

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Introverts 16%x

Tend to be less responsive to punishment, are likely to continue acting in the face of frustration, and may take longer to form conditioned reflexes.Tend to be more sensitive to punishment and negativity. They form conditioned reflexes more easily (e.g., may be easier to train).
May gravitate toward groups of people, or they may prefer to obtain their stimulation from activities that don’t involve people.May prefer one-to-one interactions with people or activities that don’t involve people.
Tend to be less sensitive to stimuli at all levels so can tolerate high-tension situations more easily. They can perform in situations that could overwhelm more introverted brains.Tend to be more sensitive to stimuli at all levels, including barely detectable levels of stimuli, so handle high-tension situations less easily.
Are often able to perform better under pressure (e.g., exams, conflict, negotiations).May perform less well under pressure (e.g., exams, conflict) or even shut down.
May use phone, fax, and e-mail as tools to help them compete successfully and “win,” but prefer being out where the action is.May be quite comfortable, or even prefer, communicating by phone, fax, or e-mail.
Can become bored quickly and may become restless or fall asleep if there isn’t enough stimulation available. Tend to be participators.Require relief from stimulation and may back off and/or need protection from too much stimulation. Tend to be observers.
Tend to excel at tasks that provide high levels of stimulation, interaction, and variety versus prolonged attention to detail.Tend to excel at tasks that require careful attention (e.g. reading radar screens, research labs with solitary cubicles).
Tend to fall asleep with low doses of sedatives. They may require lower doses of pain medication.Tend to require higher doses of sedatives and/or pain medication. May generate high amounts of anxiety when even anticipating the possibility of pain and/or discomfort.
Tend to:
  • Want to participate
  • Be more outer directed
  • Read to gain additional stimulation if nothing else is available
  • Be seen as a party animal
  • Debate and argue
  • Compete (the BR will usually try to achieve a win/win)
  • Roughhouse and fight
  • Be labeled (by introverts) as noisy, restless, manic, undisciplined, and even ADD or ADHD
Tend to:
  • Prefer to observe
  • Be more inner directed
  • Read
  • Sit or stand alone
  • Take a walk alone or a nap to decrease levels of stimulation
  • Feel like “misfits”
  • Be perceived by others as quiet, shy, nonparticipators, or even stuck-up
  • Be labeled (by extraverts) as quiet, shy, loners, non-participators, wallflowers, scaredy-cats, or even stuck-up
May be at higher risk for delinquency (as they search for stimulation and variety).May be at higher risk for depression.

 

* Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. Extraverts/extroverts, according to Eysenck's theory, are chronically under-aroused and bored and are therefore in need of external stimulation to bring them up to an optimal level of performance. About 16 percent of the population tend to fall in this range. Introverts, on the other hand, (also about 16 percent of the population) are chronically over-aroused and jittery and are therefore in need of peace and quiet to bring them up to an optimal level of performance. Most people (about 68 percent of the population) fall in the midrange of the continuum, an area referred to as ambiversion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eysenck_Personality_Questionnaire) Accessed 12/13.