Introvert: The Invention of a Type

<p><span>In 2013, introverts staged their comeback. For decades, they’d been told to get out of their shells and *smile*, while those  showy, gregarious extroverts were held up as the American ideal. But when one author published a kind of introvert’s manifesto, she sparked an introvert pride movement. Since then, the war of the ‘verts has only escalated, with self-identified introverts accusing extroverts of being shallow and incessantly chatty party monsters, and extroverts declaring introverts self-absorbed shut-ins who are just jealous because extroverts are actually happy. (A contention that studies support.)</span></p> <p><span>It all feels like a very 21st Century, internet-era drama. But the history of the dubious and divisive introvert-extrovert binary began 100 years ago, when Carl Jung fell out with Sigmund Freud, and tried to make sense of where they’d gone wrong. In the process, Jung coined a couple of new terms, and unleashed an enduring cultural obsession with cramming ourselves into personality boxes.</span></p> <h3>Guests:</h3> <p><a href="https://psychology.northwestern.edu/people/faculty/core/profiles/dan-mcadams.html"><span>Dan McAdams</span></a><span> is a professor of psychology at Northwestern University. </span></p> <p><a href="https://psychology.ucdavis.edu/people/wbleidor"><span>Wiebke Bleidorn</span></a><span> is a professor of psychology at the University of California Davis.</span></p> <p>Kelly Egusa is producer Chris Egusa’s sister, and a proud introvert.</p> <h3>Footnotes &amp; Further Reading: </h3> <p><span>For an introvert’s manifesto, check out </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8520610-quiet"><em><span>Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking</span></em></a> <span>by Susan Cain.<br></span><br><span>Looking for a personality test backed by science? </span><a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/personality-quiz/"><span>This one</span></a><span> comes closest.</span></p> <p><span>Curious about the 18,000 words in “Trait Name