Not all extroverts are loud and outgoing. I'll say that again for the people in the back. Not all extroverts are loud and outgoing! Like any group of people, extroverts come with their own slew of stereotypes, such as loud, excited, assertive, arrogant and self-centered etc. Many of these traits rely on an extremely misguided understanding of what extroversion means and what it means to be extroverted or introverted.
Not to say that some extroverts are not loud, excited, outgoing, arrogant, or self-centered. Rather, extroverts are a varied population, each individual different from the next. What they share is not personality traits, but how they gather their energies. I would argue the same goes for introverts.
And speaking of introverts, introversion is susceptible to stereotypes as well. Many introverted people are shy, but some are resilient and markedly independent in a self-aware and aggressive manner. They are not shy. They are fiercely self-reliant and independent. They do not require the energy of others to encourage or facilitate their existence, and they know it. Some of the most outgoing people I know are introverts.
The fact of the matter is that one should not let a set of personality traits dictate one's understanding of how they get what they need. If you are the shyest person out there, but you know that you depend on the feedback, support, and encouragement of friends and family; you may be more extroverted than you think. And that's okay. Extroverts and introverts alike are so much more than the personality characteristics associated with them.
Know what you need from yourself or others and be okay with how you get it.
When I started college at Saint Joseph's College, I took a class called First Year experience. We spent the first week of our class getting to know each other but also getting to know ourselves. One of the most notable activities we did was taking personality tests. I was shocked when I took the Meyers-Briggs test to learn that I have an extroverted personality. I too prescribed to a set of preconceived notions about introversion and extroversion--stereotypes that led me to believe that I was introverted. I am often quiet, more of a listener than a talker. However, it is the side of me that I do not always consider that has the most impact on my personality--the side of me that reads into the emotional states, behaviors, and energies of others to shape my own state of being. This is part of what makes me who I am, whether I demonstrate the "typical" qualities of an extrovert or not.
