Psychiatrist Carl Jung was the first to come up with the concepts of “introvert” and “extrovert,” though he didn’t give a name for those in the middle of these two personality types—that was Kimball Young in the 1920s. “Almost all of us are ambiverts to some degree,” psychotherapist Ken Page, LCSW, tells mbg. All of us are located somewhere along the spectrum between introversion and extroversion, meaning we do have access to both sets of personality traits in varying degrees and forms. Even though you’ll be assigned an “E” or “I” in your Myers-Briggs personality type, for example, everyone is actually somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. In general, a career that involved some degree of group work and collaboration, along with solo work, benefits ambiverts. Socially, ambiverts can thrive both in social settings and by themselves. It will vary greatly depending on any given day and what you’re in the mood for. As such, “finding people who give space to who you are, in our friendships and intimate relationships,” is very important, according to Page. “We need to be with people who are not rubbed the wrong way by our personality and offer deep nourishment to these roots of our being.” Ambiverts are very flexible and adaptable to different situations and people. They’re great at knowing how to interact with different personalities because they can relate to lots of different people. Their balance of extroversion and introversion makes them less likely to experience the downsides of either, like missing out on interpersonal connections (introverts) or lacking an inner connection to themselves (extroverts). However, this flexibility can make it difficult to pinpoint what they might want or need. Ever made plans when feeling extroverted, but then the day comes and your inner introvert pokes its head out? This is a common occurrence for ambiverts, as their mood and desires can and will change. It’s a gift to have this balance, Page says, but that makes it all the more important to be connected to our feelings and what actually feels good for us in the moment. “It’s a matter of following our feelings in a more subtle way,” he explains. Ambiversion requires a lot of self-awareness to honor your own feelings, whether that means reaching out to others or finding solace in our thoughts. As Page explains, it’s worth our while to tune into ourselves and find out what nourishes us most, regardless of where we are on the spectrum.
