Can An Introvert Become An Extrovert? -The Introverted Guide 2.
In short simple terms; Yes and No.
Why and how? You might ask. Well make ur you read to the end to find out.
First of all, who is an introvert? And who is an Extrovert?
An Introvert is often thought of as a quiet, reserved and thoughtful individual. They prefer minimal stimulating environments and need time alone to recharge. They are people that fill drained by social interactions and enjoy solitude.
An Extrovert is the exact opposite. They are outgoing, socially confident people. They are talkative, sociable, enthusiastic, friendly, etc.
Now that we know who an introvert is, we can simply say that they are shy, quiet and reserved people.
A question I often see people ask is; can an introvert become an extrovert?
And although many people have their own points and views about this, I also have mine. And after a careful observation of my fellow introverts, I somehow figured out the true answer to this question. And although having two opposing answers, the explanation makes it very clear.
I strongly believe that Introverts are forced to become extoverts under certain conditions.
Conditions Where An Introvert Is Forced To Become An Extrovert.
1. During Work
As humans, we need money to eat and take care of ourselves. And that can only be achieved if you work for it as money doesn't come free.
Due to this, some people have to do jobs that they don't want to do, but have to do in order to survive. And many Introverts face this dilemma.
Some instances are;
An introvert working for a customer care service. In this case, he/she is forced to step out of his comfort zone and engage in a long friendly conversation with a complete stranger. Something an introvert would not do on a normal day.
Or a waiter/waitress. In this instance, an introvert would have to converse with people and walk through crowds to get orders. Another thing an introvert wouldn't comfortably do. Or maybe a journalist, which I strongly believe that no introvert in his right senses would even think of specializing. But if they do, they would have to totally and completely alter their personality and push down their introvert side.
2. Peer Pressure
There is a saying; "show me your friend and I will tell you who you are," and that isn't very far from the truth.
An introverted person can have a friend circle filled with mostly or completely extroverts. And being in the company of loud, outgoing, crowd loving, party animal friends, he or she is forced to engage himself in their activities to maybe fit in and belong.
And most times, the extroverted friends, pressure you to join them in their wild activities. This we see in highschools and teenagers. And in case you are an extrovert and didn't know this, introverts have a hard time saying no; which makes it difficult for them to decline activities they don't want to engage in.
3. Relationships
In most cases of introvert relationships, I have observed that most introverts have the tendency to date extroverts.
I don't know why, but it happens. It happens a lot. And in most cases; although the extroverted person in the relationship likes his introverted partners personality, I noticed that they sometimes get tired of our shy, quiet attitude and want us to engage in conversations with them. Even if we don't want to.
4. Alcohol
Although they say that alcohol reveals a persons true self, I also strongly believe that in the case of introverts; alcohol simply brings out a part of themselves that they keep hidden.
A part that they simply want to let loose but can't, no matter how hard they try. And alcohol does that for them. It becomes a trigger, a boost of confidence that they needed to socialize.
But take away the alcohol and an introvert remains an introvert. The forced boost to socialize has gone, and the reserved character is back to stay.
5. Friends
So most introverts know this; an introvert is able to comfortably talk and engage in social activities when they are with people that they trust and have a tight bond with.
Most introverts do not have friends and when they do, they become social to that person as long as they are comfortable and trust them. Trust me when I say this; if an introvert doesn't comfortably engage in conversations or avoids his/her friends, that introvert doesn't trust them or hasn't bonded with them enough to open up to them.
Although the introvert isn't forced to socialize, I assume that they are because if you take away those friends, an introvert goes back to enjoying his/her solitude.
These are some situations where an introvert is forced to become an extrovert. Although there are many more instances and situations, these are the most common.
I have also heard people mention something about a 'social introvert' and I would like to clear this up.
THERE ISN'T ANYTHING LIKE A SOCIAL INTROVERT. it's either someone is an introvert or an extrovert. Someone that is inbetween the introvert-extrovert line, a person that is talkative and not shy but reserved is addressed as an 'AMBIVERT' (a topic I would probably touch on later).
So back to the question 'can an introvert become an extrovert?'
A zebra cannot change his stripes. An introvert cannot change his personality, a quiet person cannot just become talkative.
Even if a person says that he/she was an introvert before, he's not telling himself the truth or doesn't even know the truth.
An introvert can't just stop being an introvert. Take away work and he becomes his true self. Take away friends and watch his character come back. Take away alcohol and watching reality set in.
To summarize it all, an introvert cannot be an extrovert. An introvert can only be an extrovert under certain conditions. So in a way, there are two answers to this question.
Thank you for reading if you stayed till the end! I hope you found this topic interesting. Make sure to comment your thoughts and keep up for my next post.
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