Catalyst

[ragani]

My boyfriend told me recently that I talk too much. In fact, to quote him I "talk more than anyone [he] know[s]." Since I have met people who talk more than I, I have accepted this remark, with an understanding that it is coming from someone who consider himself an introvert. He had always thought of me as one of the most extroverted people he knows, but, although I know I am more extroverted than him, all the tests I have taken that determine these things rate me as a slight extrovert.

However, I do not deny that I like to talk. Especially when in a comfortable setting with people I enjoy talking with. And, that said, I guess I try to find myself in that situation more often than not. So, yes, I do like to talk, but I also listen.

Some of what brought this up is that my boyfriend is reading a book called The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World.
He read some of this to me, as well as reading more on his own. Later we talked about it, and he had a lot of insights about the premise and how it relates to him. I was amused by the conclusion he had while I was rambling about some point I was making in that conversation that my thought process, and therefore the way I talked, was akin to a fractal. Anyone who knows how I converse that I have told this too can see what he means. In an attempt to curb the need to go into details, I will leave it up to you to figure out how that applies to me.

Comments

[emberleo.livejournal.com]

It has been pointed out to me on many occasions that I talk quite a bit, and it's true that I do.

I'm introverted. This may not be obvious, but psychological standards I seem to fit the bill.

It is my understanding that introverts are not less likely to talk - indeed, we may talk all the more, and be less likely to realize we should stop when we are comfortable enough to talk in the first place.

You are reasonably extroverted. You tend to hang out with introverts, though, and of the kind who don't talk so much. Maybe, like me, you find yourself carrying the conversation for them?

Maybe you're only talking so much because there's nobody around you at the time who might be inclined to join in?

--Ember--

reasonably extroverted

[ragani.livejournal.com]

I am aware that I am more of an extrovert than introvert, and yes, I do tend to prefer the company introverts.

There are times when I am keep talking because I don't get enough feedback from the listener that the message has been understood. It is OK for close friends/family to interrupt me to add their own point-of-view when I am on one of my long rambles, as long as it is OK for me to return to my point eventually. I probably do end up carrying the conversation on many occasions.

One of the reasons I have a tendency to throw words or ideas out in a conversation when you seem to be searching for the right way to say what your are thinking is to try to show that I am listening and trying to comprehend what you are saying (even if I turn out to be wrong).