This question came up over this past month in our house. So, I thought I might take advantage of this space to try to explore it knowing fully that this exploration will likely not bring me any solutions to the question. As an introvert I am not likely to go around asking extroverts the question.
Both my husband and I are on the introverted end of the spectrum. He is more fully on the spectrum than I am, but I have similar tendencies. We both prefer to be alone the majority of the time, or with those that we are exceptionally close to us. However, we feel pressure to be social and maintain some balance.
My choice to be social is to be a part of small groups. I like to find a group that I'm comfortable with and build my social community in that manner. I curl on a team, I am part of a group of stitchers, I go to writing sessions with other writers and I'm often the planner of large family gatherings.
Hubby's manner of being out in the world is to attend large sporting events as a spectator, participate in huge runs, and he enjoys Vegas! For him, I think this is akin to being a part of the action, but not the focus of the attention. He can blend in to the crowd and feel their energy.
This past weekend we were on our way to my curling teams annual Christmas party. It's not huge, only eight of us with spouses. I wasn't feeling particularly like going - almost approaching too big, but hubby was looking forward to it. He knows my team mates, but only peripherally. Therefore, true to form he could get away with pulling back into himself and allowing me to be the outgoing one of the couple. I think that is what led to my reluctance to go.
Upon discussing our thoughts on this we decided that hubby and I do these things in order to maintain a certain perspective on life and to feel like we're part of society. This revelation got me to wondering if extroverts feel any kind of pressure to be solitary and explore their own imaginations free from the stimulation from others.
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