It has been very fascinating to read Carl Jung’s book on Psychological Types. It was in this book that Jung elaborated on the character traits of the introvert and extrovert. What follows is a short summation and interpretation, the way I understand the terms. I briefly cover the dominant features of the introvert and extrovert, their inherent flaws, their defenses, and what it means for both to integrate their opposite disposition into their personality. 

Jung’s typology was not reduced to introversion and extroversion. And as the Myers Briggs personality test shows (which was grounded in Jung’s typology) there are three other pairs to personality (two of which came directly from Jung). Nonetheless, introversion and extroversion are the foundations. With the entire scope of his typology in mind it is important not to reduce the introvert to someone who is more of a “thinking person,” and the extrovert to someone who is more of a “feeling person” since one can be an introverted feeler or an extroverted thinker. Furthermore, both the extrovert and introvert are capable of being outgoing and enthusiastic, but it is the difference in what motivates and attracts them that creates the polarity.

Lastly, Jungian psychology holds that the external world and the internal world are of equal value. Here, the internal world refers to the individual thoughts and sensations generated within the individual that no other person is privy to. The internal world is also the world of the mind, the personal unconscious, as well as the collective unconscious. The last being the repository of recurring themes and ideas related to living and experiencing the world which span the entirety of evolution: 

The extrovert is dominated by the object whereas the introvert is dominated by the subject, more specifically, the introvert is most infatuated with ideas and the extrovert with desires. 

The extrovert is most fascinated with the effects generated from interacting with the objects of the world, with how the world affects them. The introvert is instead more concerned with that which is experiencing the world, more concerned with that aspect of selfhood which processes the world, along with the ideas and sensations that are independently generated within one’s self. 

The downside to the extrovert is that they may lose themselves in objects and experiences, never really stopping to reflect on what is or has happened long enough to develop any real stability or understanding of things.

The downside to the introvert is that they are too afraid of how the world of objects affects them and their state of being in the world. They lose themselves in their own ideas without realizing how much of their own experiences are subjective and interpretive.

Thus, the goal in balancing out one’s disposition is for the extrovert to pause and reflect more. Instead of mindlessly moving from experience to experience, pause and reflect on the reality of the world and one’s self in respect to the objects they are experiencing. Spend time cultivating what you mean, what you believe, what you think, along with how your inner life processes and senses the world. This is important since, when pressed for what they believe, extroverts may not be able to actually elaborate too deeply. They easily settle for euphemisms that are inherently meaningless and give no real insight into the nature of the world and how to live in it. When pressed, they may dismiss the introvert for being “hyper rational” which hides their own inability to reflect or feel deeply. 

For the introvert it is to interact with the world more and allow the world to affect them. Spend time sharing themselves with the world to discover what ideas and sensations are shared with others and which ones are idiosyncratic. Allow the world to affect them more and to exist on its own instead of trying to control it too much or mold it according to their ideas. The introvert too readily disregards the world and others because it does not conform to their own world. When pressed to act, they may insist on the pointlessness of taking any action which hides their own unwillingness to “test” their understandings and have them be tempered by the world of external reality.

What has to be remembered is the Jungian principle that the psyche is inherently compensatory. This means that whatever traits are dominant will be offset unconsciously by what is its opposite in order to maintain equilibrium. Thus, the calm and reflective introvert will have a strong and intensely passionate side that comes out seemingly at random. Ironically, actions taken in such instances by the introvert may end up being rash and may seem inexplicable even though so much time may be spent by the introvert in calculating options. The extrovert on the other hand will have a calculating unconscious consisting of twisted intentions, motivations, and manipulations. Ironically, the motivations underlying the extrovert’s interaction with the world can be surprisingly conniving and calculated even though so much time is spent moving from experience to experience without reflection.

Here, the defense mechanism of the extrovert, which will be used to prevent them from being more introverted, will consist of short and spiteful criticisms regarding how the introvert thinks too much, acts too little, and how important it is to simply “Do what feels good.” The defense of the introvert will be that no one understands them. Furthermore, they may insist on the correctness of their own ideas and protect them through intense emotionality. For the introvert, the extrovert doesn’t reflect or think enough. For the extrovert, the introvert doesn’t act enough. Both criticisms are right to a degree. Both dispositions, if too rigid, will become lost in illusions regarding reality. Both miss the importance of incorporating and cultivating, those aspects of their opposite disposition that will create a more integrated body, mind, and spirit.  

The goal in all of this, is for one to find equilibrium consciously. Thus, the introvert and extrovert cultivate the awareness needed to see how their dominant function is limiting them in living, understanding, and being at peace. From there, both find ways of extending out into the greater world. For the introvert this means a greater willingness to explore and interact with the external world. For the extrovert this means a greater willingness to explore and interact with the internal world.