I thought I was very clear on my E/I preference, but I'm finding myself very confused today about the Extraversion/Introversion dichotomy of the MBTI.
This morning, as I sat in the waiting room while getting an oil change, I had a surprising discovery about myself.
When I walked into the room, there were about four other people in the room silently watching a morning show on TV. I found a seat as far away from the others as I could and proceeded to read a book I had brought. With some effort, I was able to block out the sounds from the TV so I could concentrate on my reading.
Then after about 10 minutes, a middle-aged woman in the room decided to make a comment about something that was said on TV, and two of the men responded by saying, "yes, I agree," and "me too," respectively. That opened the flood gates. For the next hour or so, the rest of the waiting room learned all about this woman's life and her views. I don't remember any details, as I was silently screaming "shut the hell up" in my head the whole time, never looking up from my book.
There were people walking in and out, the door opening and closing, the TV blaring, and this woman talking loudly in her annoying voice about her opinions on things...endlessly... It probably seemed more chaotic to me than it really was in reality. I usually pride myself in my level of patience and understanding. This morning was different. I almost had an anxiety attack and was on the verge of taking action I may have lived to regret when the service guy walked in and called my name. God made the word "Hallelujah" for occasions like these...
It is possible that this could just be an isolated incident. However, I thought about it at length and realized that most of the time, I would rather not talk to strangers. When it happens, I do end up enjoying talking to them. But generally, I prefer keeping to myself. I love conversation, but only in intimate settings. Even with close friends, I feel drained if I am around more than two or three at a time. Now that I am thinking about it, I realize this has always been the case. Why did it not become clear to me until today?? Had I been in denial because of my unrealistic expectation of myself to always be the bubbly, outgoing, social butterfly?
There are five E/I facets in the MBTI Step II (Form Q). I am way over to the Extraverted side in only two of the five: Expressive/Contained and Enthusiastic/Quiet. I am midzone in Initiating/Receiving and Gregarious/Intimate and slightly on the Introverted side in Active/Reflective.
I'm beginning to think I'm increasingly inching my way to the "I" side. Hmm...
