A Community of Introverts

Have you taken a Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI)? Most people are at least aware of such personality profiles. Tools like MBTI are useful for understanding interpersonal dynamics in small groups, and I've seen such profiles used effectively for team development in work groups and in pre-marriage counseling for couples.

Since most people in a corporate environment have taken the MBTI at least once, it's not uncommon for members of relatively new groups to compare notes on their individual profiles. This has been a topic of discussion early on in the last several teams I've been on. Usually, however, the discussion doesn't go to far beyond, "oh...well, that's interesting".

Outside of these group discussions, however, I am amused to occasionally find MBTI profiles popping up in a wide variety of places. I've known a few people that have posted their profiles in their workspace for others to view. Others bring it up in more social settings. Some post their profiles on a website, or in a blog.

Earlier today, I came across a blogger who posted her MBTI profile, and it happened to be the same as mine (INTJ, for those of you that are interested). What was particularly interesting about her post, however, was that she apparently shared the same profile with her sister, who was also her roommate. She noted that it seemed odd that the two of them would share the same profile, when research shows our particular profile is shared by less than 2% of the population.

As I reflected on my MBTI profile, shared with two roommates somewhere in the Midwest, I felt an odd connection with them, even though I've never met them, and I likely never will. Part of that has to do with the need for acceptance that we all feel; it's human nature to seek others like ourselves. However, I wondered if there was something more significant in this connection.

In a rush of memories streaming through my head, I suddenly realized that every time I've had occasion to observe someone advertising their MBTI profile, every time I saw someone's profile posted on a cube wall, or written about in a blog, it was invariably the profile of an introvert! What an irony!

I guess all the extroverts in the world don't have much need to relate to each other on the basis of some abstract personality profile, since relating to others comes so naturally for them. But we introverts, on the other hand, need some kind of crutch to lean on as we tentatively share of ourselves. Or, better yet, why even talk to others when I can post my profile on the web, or on my wall, or in a blog?!

This has got to be the funniest insight I've had in a long time. The Internet seems to be custom-made for introverts, and I'm one of them! I guess we'll take our community wherever we can find it :-)

Light it up...

Rob