Shy or bold?

[lemonice]

i was introverted when i was younger and like a grey mouse but now im Extroverted and love to talk and have conversations with people.
im going to be a teacher so i guess i need to be.. haha but sometimes im there between =)

[Schitterboogje]

I'm introvert most of the time, I don't go talk to people I don't know and stuff... like when I go out for drinks or something..  I also like to be by myself and do my own things and be in my own world (like I call it  )
But I can also be extrovert,  acting crazy and making jokes. Like when I'm with my boyfriend    Also I stand up for myself and my opinion.

So.. I choose the middel way 

[wystearya]

introvert. A bit of a hermit really. Although I love having friends. But a good extrovert can really drag me out of my shell.

This is me.  I have good friends, but we all now live apart, so I now just stay home most of the time.  When I do go out and do something, it is usually with my parents..  Kinda sad since I am thirty-three.

I don't like big crowds and I am not usually one to go introduce myself.   However, if I see someone who also looks shy, or just nice, I am OK with talking with them.  It's hard to explain, but I can often find other people like myself just by watching.

[SnorkMaiden]

I'm pretty introverted, but it has gotten a lot better over the years. Partly, that has to do with the people around me, and partly, it's my job. You cannot be a manager and be shy. In standing up for the members of my team, I have learned a lot about standing up for myself. It's nice to be able to talk to people, though I still enjoy being on my own when I want to be.

[June]

I'm quiet and don't like to draw attention to myself most of the time, but when I'm with my close friends (2-3 people) I act "normally" and I can even be loud. It really depends on the people I'm with. I'm not outgoing for stuff like parties and clubbing, but I like to hang out with friends. However, I often just stay at home doing something by myself because I just feel like I need to be alone.

[Enolaalone]

Depends on the crowd.... but I think that makes me a "polite extrovert" ^_^

If I'm in a new crowd, or where I only know one or two people, it would be rude to be all loud and brash. People are getting to know me, I'm getting to know them. It isn't the place for being loud.

Though a group of people I know and who know me, then I can be louder, and say things I think as they understand where I'm coming from, and they know I understand them. ^_^

I pretty much agree with this. For some people I can come across as shy, but it's because I'm more of a listener than a talker when I first meet people. I'm happy to chip in lots in groups, but not to lead some kind of story or whatever.

I've definitely become more confident and louder as time has gone on (having so many jobs since I left uni has meant I've had to learn to get on with lots of different people fairly quickly.

I do have a crazy phobia of the phone though. I'm actually pretty good on the phone, but I just hate using it to phone people I don't know. No problem with calling my friends, but not in my work capacity. I guess that's an introverted element of my personality. Or shy or nervous or something like that.

[aellos]

Very very introverted. Just being around people drains me. Which sucks since I have a social job. Now being introverted doesn't mean shy! Though in my case my social anxiety disorder also makes me shy soooo.

Remember, being introverted doesn't mean you are shy, or don't like to be around people or don't talk.
Same with being extroverted doesn't mean you're NOT shy, and are obnoxious.

An introvert loses energy in a crowd or around people while an extrovert gains energy by being around people. That's all. P:

[HavACrumpet452]

I used to be on the more extreme end of extrovert, and would still be in the right crowd, but now that I've had a job for several years where I work virtually alone I'm less tolerant of people and crowds.

[Pheasant]

I'm more extroverted if it's a meeting, i.e, a church group or something of the like, but I usually keep to myself.

[Hervoyel]

I always score E on Myers-Briggs tests (ENTJ, specifically), so I went with fairly extroverted.

Although looking at the responses it looks like the question was really about quiet vs. outgoing, which is a slightly different thing - I can go either way on that.

[spookysage]

As far as Myers-Briggs goes, I think I'm an ISFP. However, my girlfriend's is only a letter or two off (ISFJ?), so it makes it harder for me to remember both of them.

[kellyponyfeathers]

An introvert loses energy in a crowd or around people while an extrovert gains energy by being around people. That's all. P:

Yep. 

I guess I must have studied introversion/extroversion in my college psych class, but I never really thought about it or recognized these qualities in myself until I saw it laid out in my textbook for my M.A.'s negotiation class.  I'd always kind of assumed that most people are more social (extroverted) and I was unusually independent.  Now I see that introversion is actually pretty common.  When I was growing up, my mom could never understand why I always said I didn't mind coming home to an empty house at all (in fact, I LOVED it).  Now I understand that it was helping me recharge after being around people all day at school, which I found draining.  And though I often ate lunch with friends (mostly because it was sort of expected), I generally preferred to eat alone and read a book.

Now I'm in my mid-30's and happily single (sort-of hermit-like) with lots of pets, but I have half a dozen close friends.  I'm getting my M.A. in communications and just finished a job in public affairs with the Forest Service, so I'm not really that shy and can speak well when I know what I'm doing and have something worth saying.  I DESPISE making small talk, but I can be very talkative about stuff I'm interested in (like animals and toy collecting).  I usually hate parties, especially when I hardly know anyone else, but I have wonderful memories of summer dock parties with close friends.  In high school I was somewhat more shy and awkward, but I grew into myself during college, and now I'm just more reserved and don't really feel more than occasional social nervousness.  Usually I would rather keep to myself because most people either bore or annoy me.  Sorry, guess that sounds kinda rude; I'm really quite nice, but people just wear me out.

Anyway, I like the description from my negotiations text.  I'm STRONGLY alligned with the introverted side on all counts:

Extrovert:  sociability, interaction, external, breadth, extensive, multiple relationships, external events, gregarious, speaks and then thinks

Introvert:  territoriality, concentration, internal, depth, intensive, limited relationships, internal reactions, reflective, thinks and then speaks

Extroverts tend to verbalize much of what they observe and judge.  They are energized by people and action, and they become tired when they spend too much time alone.  They would rather talk than listen, and they sometimes speak before they think.  Extroverts prefer to work in groups, like to test ideas on others, and like affirmation from others.  They often talk until the answer or solution comes to them.

Introverts tend to keep their ovservations and judgements to themselves.  They are energized by thoughts and ideas and can become drained by prolonged interactions with others.  Introverts prefer listening over talking and often regret, after the fact, not having spoken up.  They think before they talk, often deferring a response.  Introverts get rejuvenated by time alone with their thoughts, and they prefer to work through problems alone.  They are perceived as good listeners and often as shy or reserved.  Introverts tend to become annoyed when someone states the obvious or restates something that has already been said.

[Terra.Dactyl]

I'm such an inteovert... sometimes I have issues on posting on forums

[MyLittleLambie]

I'm definitely an introvert... quiet, prefer to be alone or in the company of 1-2 close friends.

But, I think shyness is a behavior/attitude.  I don't like being the center of attention, so if I were thrust into that position (especially in a social setting), my natural tendency would be to look down and try to hide.  I consider that shyness.  But, for the most part, I've learned to overcome that. (Self-talk/motivation works for me.)

However, I do think I can be out-spoken, especially when I feel something is wrong/unjust.

[June]

Sorry, guess that sounds kinda rude; I'm really quite nice, but people just wear me out.

Now that you mentioned it, I remember when I had many friends a few years ago (when I tried to be cool extroverted kid ). They were from 4-5 different groups of people and I felt really tired from worrying about our relationships and going out with every group. Eventually, the real friends stayed and I'm really happy now because I have time both for my friends and for my selfish introvert needs