The Introverts Have It!

Our discussion of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain, began with discussing our results from the 16 Personalities Test. It was fascinating! It seemed everybody had taken the test; anyone who hadn’t must have kept very QUIET – (You’re an introvert!) Here’s what we found out about our friends, in alphabetical order:

Carla is 62% introvert and 38% extrovert, a Mediator, and an INFP – Advocate.

Carol is an introvert and an Advocate.

Cindy T., like Carla, is 62% introvert and 38% extrovert. She’s an INFJ – Turbulent and an Advocate. I saw online that the INFJ combination is the most rare, at 1% to 2% of those tested. At our meeting, 20% of us were INFJ (Cindy and Claudia). I saw another website about the Meyers-Briggs test that said that INFJ is the third rarest. There’s lots of this kind of information online (and lots of it is inexact and much, unfortunately, is absolutely misinformation)! 

Claudia is 64% introverted, INFJ – Turbulent, and an Advocate.

Dennis is an INFP- Assertive, and an Advocate.

Flo is our extrovert, at 79%! She is a Diplomat.

Joanne was a surprising 9% less than an extrovert, with 41% introvert.

Ken is 53% extrovert, an EMTP, and a Turbulent Debater.

Lydia is an introvert and a Logician.

Marcia is an ambivert (equal introvert and extrovert scores).

Shirl is an ISFJ, which is a Defender (and an introvert).

There were a lot of variables discussed in the test. It was not a strict Meyers-Briggs test, but it was similar. The 4-letter designations follow the Meyers- Briggs formula.

Some of our answers might have been skewed toward the introvert side because we have been distancing during the pandemic, but it seems logical that readers would tend toward the introverted side. Carla said it seems likely that a reader would be an introvert, because reading “…is like a journey in your mind.”

We discussed the questions that were on the website and were sent to everyone before the meeting. I was the only one who did the lemon juice test, with kind of bland results. I used bottled lemon juice, which isn’t very tasty, and I didn’t have a strong reaction. Dennis wondered whether people who have reduced senses of smell and taste during/after getting COVID would become more extroverted!

There was a variety of answers about the Free Trait Theory, which says that a person has basic personality traits but can act in opposite ways at certain times, if the acting enhances a core personal project or value. Flo thought salespeople are like that. Dennis suggested everyone has some multiple personality in them. Shirley had an experience of advocating for a child in a courtroom. She said that although she is an introvert, she had strong convictions about the child, so she forced herself to speak up strongly, even though it was difficult for her. Marcia mentioned the example of teachers having to speak to groups of students all the time. Carla said that if a person is invested in what they are doing, they will do it regardless of a personal trait that makes it difficult to act that way.

Discussing the written questions, we shared lots of examples about our children and some personal experiences. Marcia said the movie, “The Interns,” starring Ann Hathaway, is a good example of an open office without everyone having separate walled work spaces. Joanne reminded us about many people bringing their computer work to public places, such as McDonald’s or Starbucks. This idea of being among people but not directly interacting with them seems to appeal to a broad spectrum of introverts and extroverts.

At the end of the meeting, some of us mentioned our favorite “restorative niches.”

Marcia: reading and movies

Shirley: exercise and quiet meditation

Carla: walking

Ken: books, the back patio, or at a specific picnic table at the end of a peninsula near Lake Travis

Claudia: resting with a book and often falling asleep

Lydia: gardening and movies