Emotional and Rational Introverts and Extroverts: Where Do You Fit?

    Myers-Briggs has been one of the most popular personality tests for figuring out where your psyche falls on a range of issues. Created by a mother/daughter team in the mid 1900s, it’s based on Carl Jung’s work on psychological functioning. You might know the four things he focused on, especially if you’ve ever taken the Myers-Briggs test before. Sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking are input methods we all use for garnering information about the world.

While it’s all well and good to have the specificity of Myers-Briggs, what happens when we just want to know how we process our information? When we’re just looking for a quick and easy approach to approaching the world? This method of breaking down personality takes much less time, and is a good overall approach to personality. It tells you whether you fall more closely in the Rational Introvert, Rational Extrovert, Emotional Extrovert, or Emotional Introvert sections of the diagram above. This article explores the different configurations of this diagram, and tells you what each of them mean.

Rational Introvert

   Otherwise known as the “Thinker”, if you fall in this section of the wheel you tend to prefer to be alone. You like your books and your quiet, and would rather go to the morning lecture than the midnight rave. However, don’t write yourself off as asocial. You do like to spend time with people, just in small, one-on-one doses. Your preference is for good conversation and detailed discussion than big parties, though you’re up for wild times sometimes. Life is all about the balance for you. You’re smart enough to know how to moderate yourself, and how to succeed with anything you want to put your mind to. Make sure you follow your heart when it comes to the important things, as oftentimes Rational Introverts get caught in the trap of listening to their logic, rather than their impulses.

Rational Extrovert

     Who’s the person who acts as a ringleader in any given situation? You are! While you have your strengths and weaknesses like anyone else, you’re able to utilize both to develop a persona of strength, charisma, and logic that makes everyone feel at ease. People trust your opinions, as they know you’re someone who thinks things through. While you might not place much importance on impulse or emotions, you know that there’s a time and a place for feelings– And that’s usually when you’re with your friends! You consider your friends to be the people you can let loose and get wild with, and sometimes get a little swept up in the parties and plans. However, you’re logical enough to understand when to pull yourself back, and you’re usually pretty good at keeping other people in check too. Letting yourself get lost in your feelings is a good exercise in staying balanced, and is necessary to keep up with your carefully balanced life.  

Emotional Extrovert

      When people think of extroverts you’re usually what they picture. While not a stereotypical extrovert, you might portray some of the more stereotypical elements of extroversion: enjoying groups of people, talking through your problems or ideas, and relying on the energy of a situation to recharge your batteries (rather than alone time). You’re a talker, and you get excited easily. You love having a lot of close friends and acquaintances, and your romantic life is very rich. You love people, and people love to love you. Why? You’re good with people! You pay attention and really care about others, and have a strong sense of empathy. You’re very curious about the world and tend to ask a lot of questions, and get sucked into new passions and obsessions easily. Utilize your logical thinking skills to keep yourself from getting lost in the sea of sensation and you’ll be fine!

Emotional Introvert

      You’re a “Feeler”. You’re driven by your emotions; when this is coupled with being an introvert, it means your inner life is rich and vivid. You’re able to easily empathize with people, and make a great emotional support system when they need a friend, listener, or advice-giver. Why are you so good at advice? Your talents lie in seeing the big picture of life, love, and everything in between. You don’t tend to get caught up in details, unless they’re going to directly have an impact on the overall situation. You follow your impulse, and because of this you can get yourself into trouble. Make sure you stop and think before making decisions, as sometimes you forget to think logically about things. You’re very smart though, and many actors would envy you on your abilities to relate to people.  

Want to know more about introverts and extroverts? Have questions that you want answered? Leave a comment below, subscribe to our Youtube Channel, or check out other articles for more psychological content.