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>It bothers me when people just say "you are introverted" or "you are extroverted". Labelling people like this [...] is not helpful [...] and does change from

by jasode 5y ago

>It bothers me when people just say "you are introverted" or "you are extroverted". Labelling people like this [...] is not helpful [...] and does change from situation to situation. I like to label myself as "introverted" because it matches my stable trait regardless of changing activities. Similar to labeling myself as "right-handed" because it's an underlying stable trait even though I press Ctrl+C on the keyboard with my left hand. Using my left hand in many circumstances that change from situation to situation still does not change my "right-handedness". Likewise, being at a social event still does not change my "introversion". But since the word "introvert" bugs some people, I've previously asked what an alternative label could be to describe a stable preference but nobody suggested one yet: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27794741 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27794741

toolz 5y ago
If you're renting golf clubs, knowing you're right handed is useful. I struggle to find the equivalent use for introvert/extrovert label. Maybe you have a good example?
- atoav 5y ago
  As someone who would call themselves introverted as well, the most useful function of that label is, that it gives people the chance to classify my reactions to them more easily. Me not being in contact with you every day of the week means nothing about me liking or disliking you. Of course "introvert" is a broad label and no single individual fits that definition squarely — however so are most ofher words we made up to describe the inner life of people. While I would welcome a more differenciated vocabular to describe how we are inside, at some point you will have to over-generalize if you want to use it in daily communications.
- sdoering 5y ago
  Maybe I, not OP, can chime in with an example. Since labeling myself an introvert I was better able to know what attending bigger social come togethers (like team events, family reunions, conferences and the like meant to my "energy" level. I liked how in another thread a commenter described this "energy" as maybe the energy necessary for our brains to keep the shields up. Attending a social event to me means I know it will deplete me. It will require me to find a way of refueling afterwards. I now know better when and why to make this trade off. Because there are benefits to attending certain situations/events - I just need to balance them for my mind and body with taking care of myself. It is like doing a grueling but necessary work. I know it needs to be done and I know how to take care for me afterwards. And on the other hand it also helped me to understand, why certain situations (like being with a few select friends and talking all night) left me invigorated and provided said "energy". So labeling myself that way provided a heuristic for managing my mental state and energy level better than before.
- lolinder 5y ago
  For me, it's very similar to your golf clubs example: knowing that I'm right handed allows me to make an informed decision about what clubs to purchase. Knowing that I'm introverted allows me to make an informed decision about how to plan my free time.

by jasode 5y ago

toolz 5y ago

If you're renting golf clubs, knowing you're right handed is useful. I struggle to find the equivalent use for introvert/extrovert label. Maybe you have a good example?

atoav 5y ago
As someone who would call themselves introverted as well, the most useful function of that label is, that it gives people the chance to classify my reactions to them more easily. Me not being in contact with you every day of the week means nothing about me liking or disliking you. Of course "introvert" is a broad label and no single individual fits that definition squarely — however so are most ofher words we made up to describe the inner life of people. While I would welcome a more differenciated vocabular to describe how we are inside, at some point you will have to over-generalize if you want to use it in daily communications.
sdoering 5y ago
Maybe I, not OP, can chime in with an example. Since labeling myself an introvert I was better able to know what attending bigger social come togethers (like team events, family reunions, conferences and the like meant to my "energy" level. I liked how in another thread a commenter described this "energy" as maybe the energy necessary for our brains to keep the shields up. Attending a social event to me means I know it will deplete me. It will require me to find a way of refueling afterwards. I now know better when and why to make this trade off. Because there are benefits to attending certain situations/events - I just need to balance them for my mind and body with taking care of myself. It is like doing a grueling but necessary work. I know it needs to be done and I know how to take care for me afterwards. And on the other hand it also helped me to understand, why certain situations (like being with a few select friends and talking all night) left me invigorated and provided said "energy". So labeling myself that way provided a heuristic for managing my mental state and energy level better than before.
lolinder 5y ago
For me, it's very similar to your golf clubs example: knowing that I'm right handed allows me to make an informed decision about what clubs to purchase. Knowing that I'm introverted allows me to make an informed decision about how to plan my free time.