There is no such thing as a pure introvert or a pure extrovert. Such a person would be in the lunatic asylum.—Carl G Jung
Have you ever felt like there are days where you thrive in the company of others, and other days where all you want is to just stay home with a steaming cup of hot chocolate? If you’re nodding your head right now, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
Traditionally, people were either categorised as introverted or extroverted personality types. You’re either the life of the party, or not. Extroverts generally gain energy from being around people; introverts are exactly the opposite. However, it’s becoming more difficult these days to only choose one personality type.
While these two personality types have distinct pros and cons, in recent times however, more people are discovering that they seem to have an overlap of these two.
Enter the ambivert: a person with a blend of introverted and extroverted qualities.
There are a number of benefits to being an ambivert. One of those is the innate ability to adapt to situations easily. If you think of these qualities as a continuous spectrum, then the ambivert personality would fall right in the middle, emulating parts of both introversion and extroversion.
Are you an ambivert?
Unsurprisingly, ambiverts seem to thrive at the workplace. The ease with which they intuitively adapt to environments, give them an upper hand in managing difficult people and situations.
If you answer yes to most of the statements below, then you are highly likely to be an ambivert:
- You enjoy being the life of the party, but you’re also comfortable curling up at home reading a book.
- You understand when to take the lead, and when to follow the pack. In other words, adapting to situations isn’t an issue for you.
- You are neither reserved, nor feel the need to express yourself too much.
- You relate to both introverted and extroverted characteristics easily.
- Spending too much time with others can drain you, but spending too much time alone can also make you feel unproductive.
- People have trouble describing you. Some say you’re very sociable, others think you’re reserved.
Being an ambivert is actually a good thing. The adaptability and flexibility ambiverts hold are highly desirable traits that employers look for in today’s potential workforce. In fact, it is widely accepted now that no one person can be entirely extroverted or introverted.
The ability to choose which type of personality you want to portray, according to circumstances, allows for a greater expression of capabilities and strengths.
Darshana believes that if you don’t try, you’ll never know what you’re capable of achieving. To connect with her, email her at darshana.sivanantham@leaderonomics.com. For more Try This articles, click here.