Elementary Matters: how do you find your energy?

Last week I posted about the Myers-Briggs Personality Types. (See THIS post.)

Personality Types. This part focuses on how people find their energy -Introversion or Extraversion?

This week I want to tell more about the Myers-Briggs Personality Types. As I mentioned last time, there are four "scales". Today's scale asks how you find your energy.

There are two ways people get their energy:

1. They get their energy from other people. (Extroversion)

2. They get their energy by turning inward. (Introversion)

When I originally took the test, I really struggled over this one. I thought being an introvert meant I was anti-people. I thought it meant I was doomed to be alone, and I really questioned the accuracy of this scale. After all, I like people! I have a lot of great friends!

To some people, being an introvert can mean "terribly shy" or "prefers to be alone".

For the Myers-Briggs scale, it doesn't mean that at all.

Introverts prefer small groups of people to large groups.
Extroverts prefer large groups of people to small groups.
Introverts "recharge" by spending time alone.
Extroverts "recharge" by surrounding themselves with friends.
Introverts think, then act.
Extroverts act, then think.
Introverts are very reflective.
Extroverts are very social.
Introverts feel drained after a social get together, even if they had fun.
Extroverts feel energized after a social get together.

When extroverts get together, they all talk at once.
When introverts get together, they take turns and speak one at a time

These last two comments remind me of the two staff rooms in my school, and the groups of people who have lunch in each room. Being an introvert, I go to the "quieter" staff room for lunch. It's a smaller group, and there is one conversation going on in the room. We all take turns and listen to each other. The other staff room has several conversations going on at once.They are clearly having a great time in there, but I can honestly say, the days I've gone in there, I was so drained I could barely go back to my classroom and face the afternoon with the kids! That's just not how I "regroup"!

I think what I've learned most about personality types is that our society needs all types. I've learned to value who I am and appreciate the other types. I've come to recognize the different types in other adults as well as the students I work with. Life would be boring if we were all the same!

Some famous introverts: Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Theresa, George Washington, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Julia Roberts, Audrey Hepburn, Johnny Carson, J.K.Rowling, Mozart, Steven Spielberg

Some famous extroverts: Oprah, Martin Luther King, Ben Franklin, Winston Churchill, Andrew Carnegie, Margaret Thatcher, John Kennedy, Bill Gates, Aristotle, Mark Twain, Anne Frank, Ronald Reagan

Great jobs for introverts: Accountant, Software Engineer, Market Research Analyst, Graphic Designer, Translator, Writer, Fine Arts, Designer, Chef, Scientist, Editor, Mechanic, Truck Driver, Lawyer, Teacher

Great jobs for extroverts: Emergency Medical Technician, Dental Hygienist, Physical Therapist, Public Relations Manager, Human Resource Specialist, Sports coach, Event planner, Corporate Fund Raiser, Hairdresser, Customer Service, Nurse, Financial Advisor, Teacher

Check out these book recommendations by exploring the images. (These are affiliate links,) Type Talk is the one I bought when I first learned about Myers Briggs Personality Types, and it has helped me understand people in all parts of my life.