Fellow introverts, check in here...

[YoungDemCA]

-If you tend to lose energy from being around people, rather than gaining it...

-If you have a relatively small number of close friends...

-If you would rather read an interesting book than go to a party on a Friday night...

-If people have ever commented on you being "Shy" or "quiet"...

-If you feel pressure by society to be more "outgoing" and "sociable", rather than it being natural and unconscious to you (extravert)....

-If people have described you as "cold" or "aloof" or "disinterested" in them...

Then you might be an introvert.

I thought I would create this thread to raise a bit of introvert awareness, for myself and for others. In a society dominated by loud, noisy extroverts, us introverts have got to stay together.

So check in...don't be shy!

[Swede]

1. Checking in.

[Populist_Prole]

2. Checkin' In! Man that list you made is ME.

I pisses me off though that so many people are intellectually lazy and don't know the difference between "shy" and "reserved". Reserved does NOT mean one is uneasy socially. I tend to be aloof around ultra "type A" obnoxious bores. They think me snobby: I am.

If I could literally be born again, i wouldn't be any other way.

[hifiguy]

3. Checking in!

Introvert and dx'd Asperger's.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

4. ~

[Tom_Foolery]

5. Count me in...

[LaurenG]

6. Here, and hopefully there won't be a crowd here. I don't do crowds well

[progressoid]

7. That's my daughter.

And a little bit of me.

[KamaAina]

8. I am not an introvert so stop saying that!

I'm Autistic, dammit!

Exception: I do tend to gain energy from being around people, especially females.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

9. Here!

But don't crowd me...

[RebelOne]

10. Checking in.

I was an extrovert when I was younger. But now in my old age, I would rather read an interesting book than go to a party.

[deutsey]

27. I was a big introvert when I was younger

and have become more extroverted as I've aged (though I'm still essentially introverted).

I think Jung said that's part of developing a balanced psyche...you need to integrate your weaker "shadow" side into your dominant personality type.

[petronius]

11. No thank you, I don't really like crowds

I'll just hang out on my own over here ...
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[TheCentepedeShoes]

12. Here I am

sort of

[kayakjohnny]

13. This reminds me of one my favorite threads ever...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/123715



I still laugh every time.

[dimbear]

14. People would probably call me quiet if I knew any. n/t

[applegrove]

15. I am an introvert. I like hanging only with people I know quite well. Then I can

be gregarious. There is a new book out on introverts which I will get when I find out its title.

[csziggy]

16. Checking In - but I'll be going off to be alone now.

[UTUSN]

17. Extroverts put me on edge. And they are so selfish, always have to be *on*. n/t

[deucemagnet]

18. Man, the part about losing energy aroung people is so true for me.

And the opposite is true, as well. Nothing recharges my batteries like some quiet solitary time.

[Generic Brad]

19. Introverts rule!

(Quietly and preferably behind the scenes)

[femmocrat]

20. Here I am. Over here. :waving:

Pretty much "all of the above" apply to me, except maybe "cold or aloof". I don't really get close enough for people to make that judgment.

[rurallib]

21. no - I don't want to

and you can't make me
leave me alone

[ThoughtCriminal]

22. Ding!

[graywarrior]

23. Leave me alone with your questions!

Yes, I'm an introvert and proud of it.

[kaitcat]

24. Checking in...

Party of One: The Loners' Manifesto
http://books.google.com/books?id=DDZyCfq3PYEC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=false

I'm one of the lucky ones I guess. The people in my life accept how really crabby and obnoxious I can get when I have to be around people for longer than I'm comfortable, so they don't push it or even try to make me feel guilty about it.

[irisblue]

25. ::hi::

one of the best things for me i've found is keeping my car keys in my jean pocket and my car unblocked, so when i do make my 15 minute show up at a party, i can make a quick and faster escape. my partner travels in her own car, this took a while to work out tho.

[deutsey]

26. INFP here

I remember when I took the Myers-Briggs assessment and read my personality type (introversion, intuition feeling perceptive) I suddenly had such a burden lifted from me. It's apparently a rare personality type, but knowing that it is a type I didn't feel that there was something wrong with me.

[nuxvomica]

32. I'm also an INFP

All us INFPs should get together for an annual convention. Why has no one thought of that before?

[Avalux]

37. I'm an INFP too, and finding out was a disaster.

We took the test at work as a team building exercise (ha!) and upon the revelation that I am an INFP, my boss didn't have much use for me anymore ("just not tough enough" she said). Instead of seeing the value in how I am, she held it against me. Thankfully, I moved on and am in a position where I can excel.

[grntuscarora]

28. Checking in!

[MrScorpio]

29. That's me

[siligut]

30. I test out as an introvert

But mostly, I just don't like people

[JesterCS]

31. I have all of these.. Do I win a prize? lol n/t

[zanana1]

33. I'm both!

I've always thought of myself as an introvert, but a funny thing happened in 2007. I started volunteering for the Obama campaign and they put me on the phonebank. AUGH! I thought I would be the worst person to do this and I was so shy about it, the first few calls were disasters because I was whispering AND mumbling, though I didn't know it. By the end of the night, I had turned into an extrovert! As far as the above list is concerned, the only one that applies to me is that I'd rather read a good book on Saturday night than go to a party.

[LeftinOH]

34. Checking in here.. but not for long (it's too crowded!!). n/t

[Still Blue in PDX]

35. Checking in.

That's me in a (nut)shell.

[Avalux]

36. I'm an introvert at the core, but have learned a balance.

I used to beat myself up for not being an extrovert; for not wanting to constantly be out and about with other people. Now that I'm older, I've realized I need to learn to balance alone time vs. people time to be healthy; being alone all the time isn't. I do get drained from being around people and constant stimuli and it would keep me from truly enjoying others and being in the moment. Now, I am able to do so, knowing I will eventually have my down time to recharge.

Another trait of an introvert.....living in one's own head.

I have an awful lot going on in my head but don't tend to speak until I've formed my thoughts and know exactly what I'm going to say. I don't put everything out there.

[Ron Obvious]

38. I tick all the boxes

I've been an introvert all my life. Probably because, growing up in a military family, we moved a lot and had to say goodbye to a lot of childhood friends all the time.

I wouldn't want to be any different. I'm self-reliant, have been married for more than 26 years and usually have one or two best friends that might not even see more than once a year. I'm never bored because the world's a fascinating place with a lot of books and I have a lot of hobbies and interests..

To quote Dilbert: "People.. People who don't need people... are the luckiest in the world!"

[TrogL]

39. INTP

[MadrasT]

40. I am a proud introvert

I am also not shy.

It frustrates me that people automatically correlate "introversion" with "shyness".

OK, that's enough socializing for now.