Link: Myths about Introverts

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Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

It seems a lot of these myths are actually true of me.

Am i alone?

To INTJs, authority based on position, rank, title, or publication has absolutely no force.

INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.

INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.
The INTJs live in an introspective reality, focusing on possibilities, using thinking in the form of emperical logic, and preferring that events and people serve some positive use.

INTJs do, however, tend to conform to rules, if they are useful, not because they believe in them, or because they make sense, but because of their unique view of reality. They are the supreme pragmatists, who see reality as something which is quite arbitrary and made up.

INTJs can be very single minded at times; this can be either a weakness or a strength in their careers, for they can ignore the points of view and wishes of others. INTJs usually rise to positions of responsibility, for they work long and hard and are steady in their pursuit of goals, sparing neither time nor effort on their part of that of their colleagues and employees.

Fellow workers of INTJs often feel as if the INTJ can see right through them, and often believe that the INTJ finds them wanting. This tendancy of people to feel transparent in the presence of the INTJ often results in relationships which have psychological distance.

.....many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.
Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

Introversion has many strengths. Many scientists and engineers come from these ranks:

I have an extremely hard time with the idea of "neurotypical" as opposed to people that have a diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum. In my opinion all humans are neurodiverse with elements of disability and giftedness. Science seems to support this suggestion.

I always come out as an INTJ but even though I can relate to some of those traits, I can barely take care of myself due to performance anxiety/sensory issues. So I'm kind of skeptical of this part: INTJs usually rise to positions of responsibility. It kind of made me laugh. I actually hate responsibility. The only person I want to be responsible for is myself, I think.

I believe neurodiversity explicitly includes neurotypicality as a possible set of expressions of neurodiversity.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

Neurodiversity is an idea which asserts that atypical (neurodivergent) neurological development is a normal human difference that is to be recognized and respected as any other human variation.[1] Differences may arise in ways of processing information, including language, sound, images, light, texture, taste, or movement. The concept of neurodiversity is embraced by some autistic individuals and people with related conditions. Some groups apply the concept of neurodiversity to conditions potentially unrelated (or non-concomitant) to autism such as bipolar disorder, ADHD,[2] schizophrenia,[3] circadian rhythm disorders, developmental speech disorders, Parkinson's disease, dyslexia, and dyspraxia.[2]

. . . On a related note, the DSM-V is looking to make Introversion, called Detachment, one of six dimensional trait domains for diagnosis of personality disorders. This will lead to individualized diagnosis of PDs and no more PD-NOS catch-all. . .

Great posts in the thread.

Introversion awry:
I can be a 'quite shy' person in social settings, and can just feel plain embarrassed in these social environments. I believe I'm this "extra shy" due to dopamine issues (ADD). I cycle between good and poor executive functioning, depending on sleep and stress - my gate changes and my movements are "jerky"-- maybe a little like a mild Parkinson's condition- (low dopamine)- for an analogy. Dopamine and nor -epinephrine are impaired in ADD. I can move into a more confident mode when doing better, implicating a shift in neurotransmitters- (gate goes back to normal).

Too much dopamine runs in the family, though:
My grandmother ( and others) had schizophrenia, and the last I heard, this condition generates too much dopamine, antagonising serotonin receptors with this glut.

Just to add.

Exercise helped keep it all in order for me; increasing dopamine, serotonin, epinephrine, oxytocin, and natural endorphins; while burning off stress hormones. I think it is nature's own natural reward, that kept us moving thousands of years in the search for food. I would imagine a more sedentary way of life, impacts our biological inclinations.

That is a helpful point. I've noticed this, and thanks for the reminder.

Introversion awry:
I can be a 'quite shy' person in social settings, and can just feel plain embarrassed in these social environments. I believe I'm this "extra shy" due to dopamine issues (ADD). I cycle between good and poor executive functioning, depending on sleep and stress - my gate changes and my movements are "jerky"-- maybe a little like a mild Parkinson's condition- (low dopamine)- for an analogy. Dopamine and nor -epinephrine are impaired in ADD. I can move into a more confident mode when doing better, implicating a shift in neurotransmitters- (gate goes back to normal).

Too much dopamine runs in the family, though:
My grandmother ( and others) had schizophrenia, and the last I heard, this condition generates too much dopamine, antagonising serotonin receptors with this glut.

The idea that introverts don't like stimulation can't be true though. I like stimulation. I love thrill rides. Ever since I was a child I loved to scramble up to the top of hills, rocks, mountains. I've also always loved LOUD thunderstorms. I just don't like social stimulation. Actually I don't even find "parties" stimulating. I find "mingling" with random people tedious and draining at best. Also, I do enjoy actually DOING things with other people. I just don't enjoy standing around in a crowded room talking and sipping wine / beer. THAT is what I call boring and under-stimulating. Unless you want to count stress and anxiety as stimulation.