Comparing Introverted and Extroverted Personality Types
Or: Examining the Research on Personality Development and Disability
Image Description: A woman wearing a gray sweater holds up her arms across her face with only eyes and nose peaking out between.
Who we are is shaped by many factors: genetics, family, social influences, life experiences, and the minutia of how we absorb and process every aspect of each day. While personality types are many and the research on this area of psychology is wide and varied, there is a general understanding about outgoing vs shy (also known as extroverted vs introverted). But what are actually the differences of these personality traits?
What Is an Introverted Personality Type vs Extroverted?
Generally speaking, an introverted person is someone who is introspective and is re-energized by quiet and thinking. Alternatively, an extroverted person is outgoing and gains energy from spending time with other people.
Vocabulary.com provides a useful description:
“These two personality types are opposites — introverts focus inward, into their own thoughts, and extroverts focus outward, into the world. But don’t get too excited; most people are a little bit of both.
Introverts are mostly concerned with what’s going on inside their own heads, so an introvert is a quiet person who likes people but doesn’t feel the need to go to parties every night. In fact, nightly parties would be decidedly un-fun for an introvert. Introverts are often but not always shy… Extroverts pay more attention to what’s going on around them than what is in their heads. They love to get out and about…
So, if we pretend we’re batteries, introverts recharge alone, but extroverts get energy from other people. If you get them mixed up, remember that introverts turn inward and extroverts like external action.”
This brief overview helps me to understand why I dwell in my thoughts, lose energy around other people, and need quiet and downtime to recover from spending energy. This Verywell article on “8 Signs of Introverts and What They Mean” perfectly captures these aspects of the introverted personality type.
How Does Social Environment Influence Personality Type?
Research indicates that personality types are based in genetics, but also influenced by your surroundings and experiences. An article from Introvert Dear describes genes as providing set points (or a general range) for personality that is impacted by social interaction:
“Introversion isn’t entirely genetic. It’s shaped by your environment, especially when you’re young, and your genes allow some flexibility. This flexibility works through “set points,” which are the upper and lower limits of how much social stimulation your brain can handle…
This explains why two introverts with similar genetics can act quite differently. One might prefer staying near the high-stimulation end of their comfort zone, while the other sticks closer to the low-stimulation side. These tendencies are shaped by experience.”
Another article notes:
“Situations can activate different traits depending on the circumstances, making personality more fluid than static. Factors like mood, the presence of certain people, or specific settings can lead to behaviors that do not necessarily reflect one’s typical personality.”
These articles capture how context shapes my level of introversion and energy. In times when I have experienced accessibility, welcoming inclusion, and support of my disability, I have felt comfortable expending more energy to slide towards extroversion. In situations where I am fighting for myself by tooth and nail, I have to save all that energy to do so and cannot afford to socialize.
But, what does the research say about how disabled people are impacted by social support or lack thereof?
How Does Society Influence Personality Traits of Disabled People?
I suppose the short answer is: it depends. A great exploration of the complex interweaving of factors can be found in “Personality Development in People with Disabilities: Challenges and Resilience”:
“When we think about personality development, we often picture a smooth journey of growth and self-discovery. But what happens when this journey includes navigating life with a disability? The path becomes more complex, filled with unique challenges that can either hinder or surprisingly strengthen one’s character. Understanding how personality develops in people with disabilities isn’t just an academic exercise—it’s crucial for creating a more inclusive society that recognizes the incredible resilience and potential within every individual.”
The article highlights that the disability experience not only includes navigating physical barriers, but also attitudinal and societal ones that can result in being excluded:
“Social barriers manifest in the systematic exclusion from typical social experiences that contribute to personality development. Limited access to peer groups, recreational activities, dating, and community participation can significantly impact social identity formation and emotional development.
Research shows that individuals with disabilities often experience higher rates of social isolation, which can lead to difficulties in developing social skills, emotional regulation, and a sense of belonging. This isolation doesn’t just affect social personality traits—it can impact overall psychological well-being and the development of a positive self-concept.”
While these experiences can result in strength and resilience for the impacted individuals, it doesn’t mean that they are not also harmful. (Personally, I know that I can be crusty and keep to myself because of so many exhausting and hurtful experiences I have going out into society as a disabled person.)
The article explores how training or practice can improve resilience skills, like stress management and self-advocacy. It is noted that:
“Individual resilience is important, but it flourishes best within supportive environments that recognize and nurture potential while addressing systemic barriers.”
Additionally, a research paper published in Frontiers in Psychology examined the mediating impact of social support on personality and self-rated quality of life experienced by disabled people:
“When an individual has a good social support and a close social support network, it means that when he is facing difficulties, he can realize that he can get a lot of resources and assistance to tide over the difficulties smoothly (Guo et al., 2020). When an individual has a healthy physical and mental state and a good sense of well-being, his satisfaction with life is also high. Social support can also help individuals buffer against different pressures in work and life and help them adapt. People with high social support have stable and good interpersonal relations and social interaction (Belayneh et al., 2018). Even if they encounter bottlenecks, they can be sure that they are loved and cared for. When individuals face stressful events in life with such a belief, they can play a buffer role, slow down the impact on individuals, and have the power to face challenges and solve problems.”
This research has some limitations, including a lot of ableist (and sexist) language in the paper and the regional and cultural specificity of it being conducted only in China. But despite this, the takeaway message is still relevant in that both personality factors and social support impact the experience disabled people report on the quality of their lives (or how satisfied they are with the life they can live).
Whether we end up introverted (like me) or extraverted (like many others I know), disabled people thrive with better inclusion and societal support. Inaccessibility, exclusion, and ostracism lead us down dark and lonely roads, whether we are disabled or not.
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Really interesting read, Kelly!
being an introvert help me stay grounded