Sunday, November 11, 2007

Introvert Behaving Badly

Two posts ago I said that I felt like an introvert pretenting to be an extrovert. I decided to retake the Myers Briggs Personality test to see if it would reveal, as Urban Pedestrian suggested, that I was perhaps harboring two personalities. She made me think I should create a name for this alter-ego so my posts don't get confusing. I actually gave it some thought, but then decided, no, that would just be enabling the questionably existant other personality, and an enabler I am NOT!

Now, while I don't think Myers Briggs is really meant to uncover dissociative identity disorders, I did find that I am still an ENFJ (see results in the left sidebar). Extrovert. Not Introvert. One Linda. Not Two. Whew.

So why all the retreating to dark corners, and my new preference for the fetal position? According to some of the explanations of the ENFJ Type, under extreme stress, or fatigue - which I totally kind of am right now - the "shadow" or opposite of what I am may appear. Uh, duh, isn't that like Newton's third law or something? But it is interesting to read that, and sort of understand those feelings as a natural reaction of my personality to stress.

So, cool. I want to embrace this newfound *permission* to go to the dark side. I want it to be like a built-in excuse for bad behavior. But, how would an introvert exhibit bad behavior? What would be the Hyde to my Jekyll? Would I think my honest opinion about someone, rather than blurting it out to their face as I normally do? Would I actually consider the consequences of telling someone the truth (for their own good of course) before I actually do it? Will I retreat so far into myself that I resort to self-psychoanalysis, based on free Internet tests and then hypothosize myself into oblivion? .... maybe...

3 comments:

Mrs. G. said...

A little dark side never hurt anyone if you know what I'm saying.

XUP said...

As someone who can totally relate to your personality issues, I would say bad introvert behaviour is to completely ignore everyone and hole up somewhere and be completely selfish until you feel extroverted again.

Newrose said...

My teacher would say that the "second person" is your Shadow Self and that you just need to find a balance between the two.

Everyone has that darker side...it's just how you choose to show it :)