Is there any research that links introverts or extroverts to particular mental health conditions?
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Is there any research that links introverts or extroverts to particular mental health conditions?
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In the cases of many people, the more knowledge a person retains and the more concepts they can understand at a deep level invites a certain possibility that internal conflict and anxiety within that person will accumulate. I am referring to people of creative and intellectual strains. Its a pathological view, but that is my study based on observation and experience.
The mind may make an excellent servant, but is a terrible master.
Thank you YesNo for calling me "healthy." The attainment and maintenance of sound physical and mental health is pretty much my main preoccupation. Its why I puruse knowledge, why I read.Quote:
Originally Posted by YesNo
And yes, what you say about getting a diagnosss reflects my thoughts on the matter precisely. Labels are so often bogus, I simply do not want one.
I can't say whether I am introverted or extroverted with any final definiteness. I like to be alone and I like to be around other people. I need both. If I partied every Friday and Saturday night like most people my age do I would not enjoy it much. But if I don't get out at least a few times a month, and meet up with friends on a regular basis, my depression arises fierce and growling. I like to be around people for a good chunk of each day, as I like to be alone for several hours each day.
Yin and yang.
I just did a quick search on introversion and depression and found an article by Deborah Gray that seemed to describe the two traits accurately:Quote:
Originally Posted by Delta40
http://www.healthcentral.com/depress...k-depression/2
I don't think I'm quite as introverted as she is. I can initiate a conversation with more than one person at a party before I'm burnt out for example.
She did mention a poll by John McManamy which suggests introverts are more depressed than extroverts. Now I'm wondering if any of these terms mean anything to me.
http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar...tests-bipolar/
He also said introverts in his poll were more likely to be mystics and dreamers.
I don't know how accurate any of this is, but perhaps tonywalt is right about the link between the isolation of introversion and depression.
I think the link between depression and introversion is only relevant once isolation becomes a factor that you're battling with. Like the article says, an introvert would prefer to stay at home with a good book rather than go to a party, so that's a choice and not linked to depression. Although, hours of self-absorbed thinking could have it's down side, especially when one is convinced they are separate from the rest of the world.
I guess the problem with linking depression and introversion is that it confuses the concepts which are already vague enough. Depression would need isolation which could also happen to an extrovert.
The dualism of extroversion-introversion might too easily become metaphors for other dual concepts like manic-depressive or pleasure-pain or abuser-victim which have little to do with each other.
Introversion is only an indication of depression if an extrovert suddenly becomes introverted. I concede that not being able to talk about any problems you may have could lead to depression, but I doubt whether there are many introverts who are really that far on the spectrum that they cannot, under any circumstances whatsoever, go to a psychiatrist or their doctor to sort themselves out. In all likelihood, I would argue, that introverts would more quickly realise that they have a problem as extroverts run past themselves sometimes, so to say.
Personally, I am also like Helga. At a certain time, it is enough. I cannot be around people all the time. The better I know them, the longer I can be with them, but social gatherings where I know no-one apart from my hubby (who is a decided extrovert) are a prospect of much fear. And I do become physically ill as the prospect comes closer.
As introverts are naturally dominated by extroverts in society, the latter set the standard and as they think they are always right, naturally introverts are 'abnormal'. As I come from a family of introverts, I have witnessed nothing different than introversion, o my extrovert hubby was quite new to me. I am grateful that I met him though, because a svere introvert needs an extrovert to compensate and vice versa.
To me, the people that I meet are of three categories:
1 Absolutely not interesting. In that case I will listen and hope the time passes quickly.
2 Those who are fun and interesting for the time being. Are fun to talk to and keep the conversation going (what a relief), but are not interesting enough to further investigate.
3 Those who are fun and interesting to talk to, have something to say beyond the average washing powder and what produces the whitest washing. They could become a friend if contact persists. Though to be called 'friend' takes a few years at least.
I have a total of five friends in the world who I personally think I am losing because we have drifted apart. Although that does not do much to me personally.
I agree that the better I know people the more comfortable I am being around them, my best friend is the only person except my son I could always be around. but my problem is that I don't want people to get to close, and I am better one on one than a party or any social gathering.Quote:
Originally Posted by kiki1982
I feel very positive hearing about your husband being an extrovert, I think that is a good combination.
Thats true. It's rather like trying to catch rain drops in a tea strainer but I asked the question because I hadn't thought of being either introverted or extroverted before and I do have ties with people who have depression and other conditions. I wondered overall about labelling in general especially when introversion and extroversion is more of a scale measurement imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by YesNo
When I think of introverts and depression, David Foster Wallace springs first to mind. He was probably the most gifted author of his generation who was certainly introverted and suffered from depression, unfortunately ended his own life. He was brilliant incredibly complex, just listen to the interview - probably his best and most revealing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLPSt...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAT9V...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDIVX...feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjf27...feature=relmfu
I do sort of associate being depressed with being an introvert although I don't know of anyone whom I would call an introvert who is depressed, but since I'm somewhat introverted, I probably don't know enough people to make any reasonable judgement.
The people in my extended family who seem to get into trouble I would have to classify as extroverts rather than introverts. Making noisy scenes in a bar until one is kicked out, giving the local policeman the finger, or screaming for no reason at one's boyfriend or girlfriend doesn't really seem like something an introvert would waste their time doing.
You guys are really cutting into extroverts in this thread.
Being a slight extrovert on the scale (58), I feel I should speak up. This entire thread just seems to be a way of labeling and making certain people feel better than others.
I don't think anyone is entirely introverted, or entirely extroverted, and I don't think that all people follow the line of traits indicated as set rules.
Most of the individuals I have met are introverts. I say that because most people are worried about what other people think, and are very reserved.
Growing up as an extrovert, I was given a very hard time, and seen as being abnormal, from kindergarten and upwards. I would unabashedly run up to kids I didn't know and ask to be friends. I was friendly, kind, and nice. (Still am, I hope!)
I had rocks thrown at me, I was teased, called names, people spit in my seat and gave me a hard time, and I can promise you that the majority of the people who did this were introverts just trying to fit in. I remember very distinctly reading my big thick books against the brick wall, and having rocks thrown, for no apparent reason other than the fact that I stuck out. I put up with it, and I never stopped trying to be kind to people, because I didn't want them to feel the way that I felt.
Extroverts read too, and the world isn't really ruled by extroverts. A lot of the people who rule in business are just introverts that learned to be extroverted, because they thought they had to, to get ahead.
Extroversion is simply a trait that anyone can have, or learn, and I don't think that you could really assign people to 'introvert' and 'extrovert'. My psychology professor had a terrible social phobia, and she was an incredibly shy, introverted individual. Still, she found the strength to get up every single day, and make it to a lecture hall, which was one of her greatest fears... And is now one of her greatest passions. She was bubbly, and quirky, and incredibly fun. She gave some of the best lectures I've seen (And I'm a big fan of lectures... Yes... I watch lectures on the internet... For fun. :P)
I can guarantee you that if you were to see her giving her lectures, or speaking with people, you'd call her an extrovert.
My point here is that not everything is what it seems, and that it's wrong to use labels for good and bad behaviour.
Sorry, I did try to hold myself back to contributing to this thread, but it kinda bubbled over. :D
I think you are confusing a few things, though. Shyness has nothing to do with introversion. Introversion is wishing to keep your feelings to yourself. Shyness is being scared of what other people think. You can have a lot of self-confidence as an introvert, so not be shy, but still not feel comfortable meeting unknown people all day.
You can work on your social skills, so you will fool others and learn to keep a conversation going, but you will never become a decided extrovert. Let's say, you will have a pleasant conversation (for the other then), but you will not lay open your life to him, though he will do that to you most probably if he is an extrovert. Familiarity has a lot to do with it. If your lecturer in the beginnig elt incredibly oppressed doing her lectures but she persevered, then she will start feeling more comfortable. But she will never ever ever feel truly in her element doing that. She'll feel fine and confident that it will all go swimmingly as before, but every time she has to face a whole new class, that fear will surface again. Or at least so it is with me.
I did not mean to say that the world is literally ruled in all places by extroverts (in Asia it is the other way around), but the anglo-saxon world, led by the USA is definitely the measure when it comes to the business world. And American (business) people are scary to me as an introvert. Too much for one time! Facebook of all things (what a useless thing it is) is also their invention. It is a decided extrovert phenomenon. No introvert would wish to lay open all his opinions to all his friends and acquaintances, colleagues and what have you. I am quite confident that if you were to count the amount of 'friends' people had on those social networks and would then have them take a test to see what side of the intro-extrovert spectrum they are on, the people with the most 'friends' would probably all score above 50/100. Th introverts (under 50) would have fewer friends because they do not tend to hit the 'friend'-button too quickly, would put more privacy features on their profile, and would converse more in closed groups where the extroverts would have more friends and throw their opinions out there in the open without much regard for the status of friends they have (whether good inner circle friends or acuaintances).
As I said, there are parts in this world where the odds are different, probably in Scandinavia too. So, you as an extrovert are perceived as 'weird' by most people because you seem not to be able to keep yourself under control and people feel threatened by you (that is seriously how I feel if someone gets too close to me in one go). Conversely, introverts in an extrovertly-oriented society are maybe not bullied (although if they are, people are less likely to know about it, like with me) but at least found quiet, dreaming and are sometimes even totally misunderstood as disintersted or uninvolved. As in P&P where Bingley is perceived as the quintessential fine young man (a decided etrovert) and Darcy is percieved as proud and conceited (a decided introvert). He is maybe somewhat conceited, but him not talking to anyone but Bingley's sisters and anyone in their party was not down to him being too proud to talk to anyone else because they are beneath him, the prospect of a ball with all strangers is just too much for him and he has a hard time being natural, unlike Bingley. He is not the one to walk up to a lady and ask to dance. I can tell you as girl though, I never did and in our group girls were sometimes ask to invite. I danced for about 10 years. Every time the start of the academic year with a lot of new members was a porspect of fear because what do you say to them?
@Helga:
I feel that I was lucky in meeting my hubby. If I had an introverted hubby, what a mess it would become. At least now I have someone to talk for me. :)
When Mr Kiki (hihi, I like that ;)) went to Prague a year ago for a month, for a course, I just spent the whole month at home alone, with our three cats. I saw no-one. Didn't even feel alone. My husband is already driven up the wall if he has to stay at home during his weeks off for about three days. Oh, wait, he already wishes to go and have a coffee when we have reached the one-day mark...
Shyness was only an example, but my point was that nothing is black and white. You can't really categorize people like that, putting everyone in a line and calling them 'Extrovert' or 'Introvert'.Quote:
Originally Posted by kiki1982
I think that in youth, one is more likely to be open and give out information, because they have no reason not to trust. In time, common sense and learning give way, and unfortunately in many cases, they learn the hard way, sometimes being very hurt.
I do appreciate your point-- Yes, she certainly still struggles with this everyday, and it's never something that will go away completely. It's a terrible phobia.
That's really not what I was jiving at.
Even as she is an introvert and has phobias she will struggle with, and conquer: Anyone who would see her, would think she were an extrovert.
So, my point is: Nothing is what it seems, and one should never assume. Labels are useful only for memory recollection. Stereotyping is simply the way the human brain works. But, we shouldn't say that being an extrovert is worse than being an introvert, or vice versa.
I'm not pointing at you specifically though. :D It's clear that you have the right idea.