8 ms·

These aren't myths. This is the author attempting to redefine the meaning of the word "introvert". For example: Myth #2 – Introverts are shy. From dictionary.

These aren't myths. This is the author attempting to redefine the meaning of the word "introvert". For example: Myth #2 – Introverts are shy. From dictionary.com: noun: 1. a shy person. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/introvert http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/introvert If you want to use the word "introvert" to support some psychological theory, that's fine. Just don't act like everyone else has been misusing the word all along.

drivebyacct2 15y ago
Maybe I use the word wrong, but I'm an introvert and I'm certainly not shy.
ShardPhoenix 15y ago
Dictionaries aren't necessarily a good reference for technical terms.
- deleted 15y ago
  [deleted]
- boas 15y ago
  Exactly. Dictionaries don't always reflect current usage. Take a look at how the Oxford English Dictionary defines "sarcastic": "a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark." By that definition, "you're stupid!" is sarcastic.
  - Jach 15y ago
    I like to emphasize "Dictionary editors are historians of usage, not legislators of language." ( http://lesswrong.com/lw/od/37_ways_that_words_can_be_wrong/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/od/37_ways_that_words_can_be_wrong/ )
Wilya 15y ago
This issue has been raised and discussed quite at length at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2657554 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2657554 (article was in essence the same list).
- Jach 15y ago
  You should post this at the article-level so it gets seen.
j_baker 15y ago
Well, actually that's true. From Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung (the guy who came up with the terms introvert and extravert): "But if one is an introvert and the other is an extravert, their different and contradictory standpoints may clash right away... The extravert, for instance, will choose the majority view; the introvert will reject it simply because it's fashionable." That doesn't sound like shyness at all to me. So yes, the original definition of introversion all along hasn't been shyness.
billpatrianakos 15y ago
I accidentally downvoted you. I still disagree, but disagreement doesn't warrant downvoting (I think it's totally abused lately). Anyway, I think you're just reading into it too much. The author is just saying that they're misunderstood. What may appear to be shyness is in fact something else entirely like really super deep thoughtfulness.

drivebyacct2 15y ago

Maybe I use the word wrong, but I'm an introvert and I'm certainly not shy.

ShardPhoenix 15y ago

Dictionaries aren't necessarily a good reference for technical terms.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
boas 15y ago
Exactly. Dictionaries don't always reflect current usage. Take a look at how the Oxford English Dictionary defines "sarcastic": "a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark." By that definition, "you're stupid!" is sarcastic.
- Jach 15y ago
  I like to emphasize "Dictionary editors are historians of usage, not legislators of language." ( http://lesswrong.com/lw/od/37_ways_that_words_can_be_wrong/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/od/37_ways_that_words_can_be_wrong/ )

Wilya 15y ago

This issue has been raised and discussed quite at length at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2657554 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2657554 (article was in essence the same list).

Jach 15y ago
You should post this at the article-level so it gets seen.

j_baker 15y ago

Well, actually that's true. From Man and His Symbols by Carl Jung (the guy who came up with the terms introvert and extravert): "But if one is an introvert and the other is an extravert, their different and contradictory standpoints may clash right away... The extravert, for instance, will choose the majority view; the introvert will reject it simply because it's fashionable." That doesn't sound like shyness at all to me. So yes, the original definition of introversion all along hasn't been shyness.

billpatrianakos 15y ago

I accidentally downvoted you. I still disagree, but disagreement doesn't warrant downvoting (I think it's totally abused lately). Anyway, I think you're just reading into it too much. The author is just saying that they're misunderstood. What may appear to be shyness is in fact something else entirely like really super deep thoughtfulness.