Introverted

I'll stop belabouring the point soon, but the completeist in me requires I finish up the topic on Meyers Briggs and the INTJ viewpoint. Today's topic is Introversion, or the starting I point. I purposely went into the NTJ exploration first because that has always been the most confusing for me and also misinterpreted by others. I suspect that introversion vs. extroversion is well documented and understood by most.

In generic terms, introversion means that I am very likely to have a very small circle of friends and/or family. In most cases I have noticed that people can assign concentric circles of people around themselves. Starting at the smallest circle, there is the self. Adding one more layer includes immediate family. One more ring out from the centre is more distant family and close friends. Moving out one more ring is a list of friends and acquaintances, perhaps including coworkers, etc. For me, this list starts to get quite blurry because my viewpoint is quite myopic.

It's quite simple from my perspective as an extreme introvert. There is really only one circle: myself. I might say that there are several people who are close to the circle but they are still outside. Acquaintances, immediate family, coworkers, strangers, and the little lady sitting in a hut in India are all "other". Outside the single circle with no rings, strata or other meaningful distinctions. Now for disclaimer, I have added two very important people in my life, my wife and daughter. In theory, I am supposed to say they are close to my heart and they are included in my inner circle of trust. Yes, that is true, dear.

In truth, there's really only one circle that I can fathom of human relationships: the circle that includes me. Other people exist and I recognise they could be out there in the distance, at least in theory (as I'm an NT, it's all just intellectual modelling and theoretcial constructs). These shadowy figures move and flit by and I am occasionally amused, interested, or bothered. I can imagine a projection of myself outside of myself looking back at myself. I can use this imagined projected reflection to pretend that I know what someone else is like. But it is a mental theory that tires me. I think about the construct of other people only when it's intriguing or if I need to solve some problem. Otherwise, I laugh at the shadows or else I ignore them.

This sounds extreme, and it is. I am an extreme introvert. Or, I was. I feel like I have become better at recognising people and their needs, wants, and thoughts. It has taken a long while and a lot of effort on the part of others. Yes, others who have had to sort of drag me out of the dark corners to see that they exist and acknowledge them. Thanks to tireless work of extroverts, they have moved my circle out a bit so that I could imagine someone else coming inside the circle a little bit. Thanks to other introverts who have shared their stories in ways that make sense to me, I have been able to imagine a concept of expanding my circle.

Living life for a long while has also ingrained the pragmatic approach that I do need to interact with other people. Successful interactions get me what I want and allow me to continue and further my plans. The other shadowy figures become more than ghosts; they are the proverbial pawns, obstacles, and tools that I use to function. My wife and daughter are not in that class of objects, however. Yes, dear, that is true. Everything I'm writing now excludes these two important people. Wink, wink.