In 1983, when I was 29 years old, I took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a psychological test of preferences based on Carl Jung’s theories. The test was administered to a group of retreat participants from my church. I found out I was an introvert.
Suddenly, a lot of things became clear. It wasn’t that I was different from most other people, I just had a different preference, and a need for solitude to recharge my batteries. Now I understood why I felt compelled to be rude to my in-laws when they wanted to play parlor games long into the night.
I would decline to play so I could go to my room to read or sleep. Extroverts get energized by being around others; I didn’t. Now I understood why, at a party, I felt better having one-to-one conversations rather than hanging out in a big group.
.I learned I was an INFJ. Statistically, only 2% of the population has this personality profile. It means I favor introversion over extraversion; I prefer intuition over sensing when I gather information; I trust feeling over thinking; I like to make quick decisions rather than do extensive comparison shopping.
This self-knowledge proved invaluable once I began medical school and the training beyond. I love working with people, but I recognized when I needed solitude. I understood that I was perceived as being quiet, but I was thoughtful about my self-expression.
Being an introvert meant that the changes, the transformation that would occur in medical practice were invisible and internal, but profound, nonetheless. I unearthed my ability to speak my thoughts more readily, to share more of my insights. I became authentic.
Question: Do you know where you fall on the extraversion-introversion spectrum? Have you ever noticed how this affects your relationships? Share your experience in the comments below.
