When we think of extrovert and introvert, we think of opposites. One is an out-going talker who knows no strangers. The other is a shy, quiet mouse who doesn't like being around too many people. The problem with these and other definitions people use when writing articles about introversion or extroversion is that these characteristics are as unique as the people who claim them, and they are also on more of a continuum.
Some people fall on the extreme ends, but most of us are somewhere in between. We have times when we can appear extroverted and times we appear introverted. I consider myself an introvert. In some situations, however, depending on the company and the topic of conversation or the activity, I can talk with the best of them.
Another problem with the concept of saying the world belongs to extroverts is that the world would come to a grinding halt without introverts.These are often the ones who do the detail work that doesn't involve social networking. Both introverts and extroverts are needed in this world. We couldn't get along without both of them; they both have their merits and their place in the scheme of things.
As an introvert, I may have fewer friends than my extrovert husband, but my friendships are much deeper. I gather my friends carefully; he gathers his everywhere he goes. There is nothing wrong with either method; it is the method that works for each of us and our own unique personalities.
I have made friends with the art of reading while my husband would rather be talking to other people. I learn more about some things, but he learns more about other things. He knows many things about other people's lives. He remembers to ask about that dad with cancer or the new baby. I remember the things I learned through my reading. Both of us learn, we just learn differently, and we learn the things that are most important to us.
Introverts are not anti-social as a group; I love being around people. I just prefer a smaller group. When my husband and I go out socially, I take my knitting or some other activity. He chats everyone up and I knit while listening happily to the conversation going on around me, contributing occasionally to the chatter. We are opposites, but we compliment one another. Together we make one successful team.
I am not generally shy; I don't hate social gatherings; I enjoy conversation; the difference is that I will not carry the conversation. I will be that person everyone thinks is a great listener. I will never know everyone and their business like my husband, but my world is whole and complete as I am. Introversion is just one way people can be. We need to remember that most of us fall somewhere on a continuum and we are as God created us. We need both types of people to have a successful world.
So surviving as an introvert isn't such a big problem if you understand your strengths and weaknesses and fully embrace them, accepting yourself as you are and accepting others as they are as well. The world needs both of us to survive, so whether you're an introverted extrovert or an extroverted introvert, don't let anyone say you're not just exactly as you were meant to be.
Also, remember that we need one another. My husband and I work well together when we realize the strengths of the other and use both. My husband has learned to draw me in to conversations on occasion (or provide a break for me to jump in). I have learned how to help him realize the need for quietness at times as well. The key for both is balance between the strengths and weaknesses of each type of personality trait, and valuing the strengths of both. Like a giant puzzle the strengths of the extrovert fill in the weaknesses of the introvert and the strengths of the introvert fill in the weaknesses of the extrovert: together providing a cohesive whole. Whether a spouse, friend, family member or acquaintance, this relationship allows all of us to find our niche in the world.