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Have you ever talked to someone about being an introvert and had them tell you that you’re just making excuses for slacking off? Have you told someone who’s clearly an extravert about your introversion, only to have them tell you, “That’s totally me!” Or have you ever read a book on introverts and then read a psychology paper and noticed that they aren’t talking about the same thing?
Introverts are poorly understood in today’s world. With so many websites and books out there saying different things, it’s understandable that people are confused. Introverts may sound like slackers at first if you don’t have much information. Extraverts who also need some time to recharge might think that they’re introverts. And sometimes it seems like popular writers and personality researchers are speaking different languages.
Consider this: introversion is an inborn temperament. However, most personality researchers tests their subjects’ personalities using self-report surveys, not their temperaments. So why, then, do we often hear people talk about inborn temperament differences between introverts and extraverts (or "extroverts") that reference mainly personality studies and rarely temperament studies?
Introverts are poorly understood in today’s world. With so many websites and books out there saying different things, it’s understandable that people are confused. Introverts may sound like slackers at first if you don’t have much information. Extraverts who also need some time to recharge might think that they’re introverts. And sometimes it seems like popular writers and personality researchers are speaking different languages.
Consider this: introversion is an inborn temperament. However, most personality researchers tests their subjects’ personalities using self-report surveys, not their temperaments. So why, then, do we often hear people talk about inborn temperament differences between introverts and extraverts (or "extroverts") that reference mainly personality studies and rarely temperament studies?
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It’s time for us to look at introversion from a philosopher’s perspective. Philosophers carefully define terms, construct logical arguments, and check whether our conclusions match the evidence around us. While self-help books are great, philosophers aren’t satisfied giving lifestyle advice. We want to understand the theory behind what we’re talking about. Because we know that if we don’t, then we may make critical errors.
That’s what Introvert University is all about. Using my experience as a curriculum developer and my education as a philosopher, as well as my research on introversion, I present my thoughts on introversion. These lectures talk about the theory and science of introversion, where the idea came from, and what it means today. They explore the origin text for introversion, psychoanalyst Carl Jung’s colossus Psychological Types. They also describe what oppression means in philosophy, show how introverts are oppressed in society today, and explore how to end this oppression. |
Photo by Burst from Pexels
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
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I call my approach to psychological types Neo-Jungian. I adopt Jung's original concepts of introversion, extraversion, and psychological types, but incorporate ideas from later thinkers and contemporary scientific research, including personality studies, neuroscience, and evolutionary psychology. I call his types the 16 Temperaments and name them after their two principal mental functions. Another important element is philosophical, including a systemic, social justice angle to describe type prevalence based on the structure of society.
Below are some tables I created to illustrate the Jungian and Neo-Jungian type systems:
Below are some tables I created to illustrate the Jungian and Neo-Jungian type systems:
INT 101: The Philosophy and Science of Introversion
Lecture 1: The Origin of the Introvert
Lecture 2: How the Mind Works (Jung's Functions and Types)
Lecture 3: The Origin of Personality Types (The Functional Stack and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Overcast, and more
anchor.fm/harrison-paul
Lecture 2: How the Mind Works (Jung's Functions and Types)
Lecture 3: The Origin of Personality Types (The Functional Stack and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)
Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, Overcast, and more
anchor.fm/harrison-paul
