Introversion

A psychological term formulated by Carl Jung in his book Psychological Types to describe the flow of psychic energy inward, toward the inner world of ideas and emotions or “subject.” The word introversion comes from the Latin introvertere, meaning to turn inward. Jung theorized introversion and its opposite, extraversion, to explain the two fundamental and innate attitudes of people toward the outer world or “object.” Introversion and extraversion describe theoretical polarities on a continuum, with all persons using some degree of both attitudes in reality. Jung defined introversion as a withdrawing of psychic energy, or libido, from the object into the subject. People with a preference for introversion both use and renew their energy by focusing inward and can feel drained by focusing energy on the outside world. Some general characteristics of introversion include a preference for solitude and solitary activities, for one-on-one and small-group interactions, and for listening more...