Within recent years, it seems like a greater emphasis has been put upon whether a person is introverted or extroverted. Whether this is because of these types of people finding each other on social media or it is a generational tendency to value this personality trait, it is an interesting part of a person to explore. This is a simple part of someone’s personality that, depending on who you ask, can be at either extreme of a far spectrum.
A person either derives their social energy from spending time alone to recharge, or from spending time with others. This personality trait is interesting enough to be studied on its own, but it has also been under microscopic focus since the world was locked down for months on end during 2020. How does spending an immense amount of time by oneself affect how they view themselves on the social spectrum? This question is what was explored through an interview of several high school students of different ages, genders, and social preferences.
When originally preparing for this survey, I was ready to hear about how introverts and extroverts alike were driven closer to extroversion because of a lack of social interaction. This assumption of how the lockdown would affect people didn’t scratch the surface of what was uncovered.
Although many students did follow this pattern, there were students that didn’t feel any shift in whether they are introverted or extroverted. They of course felt the lack of social interaction, but this didn’t change how they viewed themselves on this spectrum. Others were able to substitute sufficient enough social interactions with online ones. One student who considered themselves extroverted didn’t feel a change, but they were definitely aware of the fact that they “didn’t get to extrovert much.” More introverted students typically remained mostly the same, while noting a shorter social battery. Other introverted students considered themselves even more so because of this.
No matter who I interviewed, there were some shared sentiments between nearly everyone. There was a greater value on the limited amount of social interaction that is available, and a better knowledge of oneself because of the amount of time spent alone.