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1. Temperament
Extroverts and Introverts
Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes PhD, LPC-MHSP, LMHC
Executive Director, AllCEUs
Host, Counselor Toolbox
President, Recovery and Resilience International

2.  Define temperament
 Examine how knowing your temperament and
the temperament of those around you can
 Improve communication
 Enhance relationships
 Reduce stress
 Explore in-depth the Extrovert/Introvert dimension
 Identify potential conflicts
 Examine potential ways to help people on opposite
ends of the spectrum collaborate.
Objectives

3. Temperament
 A relatively stable set of traits referring to
 Preferred environments
 Learning and problem solving styles and methods
 Ways of conceptualizing and approaching the world
 Philosophical approach to the world
 Time management
 Temperament occurs along a complementary
continuum
 Neither end of the continuum is better or worse
 Most people are somewhere in between each point

4. Temperament
 As stress increases, people gravitate toward their
preferred temperament dimensions
 Additional stress and vulnerabilities can be reduced
through
 Awareness of personal preferences (Prevent your stress)
 Awareness of the preferences of those around you
 Knowledge of how to create an environment supportive of
individual preferences

5. Temperament—Life Approach
Extrovert Introvert
 Are expansive and less
passionate (well rounded)
 Tend to focus on multiple
things superficially
 Might be thought of as lacking
focus
 May have 6 half-finished
projects
 Find it easy to transition
between multiple activities
 Are intense and passionate (well
versed)
 Will focus on one thing through
mastery
 Might be thought of as being too
self-involved
 Usually get immersed in a
project or topic sometimes to
the exclusion of other activities
(Family time, chores, etc…)

6. Interventions
 Encourage each person to understand the other’s
approach and avoid devaluing it
 Encourage Introverts to set alarms or otherwise schedule
in other activities (family/recovery) to avoid getting
consumed
 Sometimes Extroverts are hard to pin down—provide
deadlines for specific tasks
 Encourage partners to discuss their interests, goals
(survey, mastery)
 If it pertains to something like cleaning, recovery etc,
clearly define what the goal is…observable, measurable,
steps

7. Temperament—Social Support
Extrovert Introvert
 Generally easy to get to know
 Like meeting new people,
have many friends
 Know what is going on around
them rather than inside them
(chameleon-esque)
 Tend to be very open and
chatty
 Since they think on their feet
they often find reciprocal self-
disclosure to be quite easy
 More difficult to get to know
 Exert effort to meet new people,
have a few close friends
 Are more likely to know what is
going on inside them than what is
going on around them
 Like to think before they speak
which makes them seem more
reserved
 Often find connections with
others during post-event
processing

8.  Encourage awareness of each other’s feelings in situations
(excited vs. overwhelmed; bored vs. intensely fascinated)
 Have each partner share what they need/want/envision as
effective social support
 Explore reasons for feelings of jealousy/inadequacy and
normalize behavior
 Extroverts may want feedback/support from multiple people
 Introverts may always seek feedback/support and have intense
discussions with one or two people
 Extroverts do better in groups, draw energy from people
 Introverts do better with introspective activities draw
energy from personal grounding
Interventions

9. Temperament--Communication
Extrovert Introvert
 Would rather figure things out
while they are talking
 Are often considered good
talkers
 Often auditory learners
 Figure things out and THEN
talk
 Good listeners
 Often visual learners
 Potential Conflicts
 In disagreements, the extrovert may feel dismissed, the
introvert may feel cornered
 The Introvert may feel “talked over”
 When one partner is under stress, they respond with their
personal problem solving approach

10. Interventions
 Allow the extrovert to say their peace, validate understanding
and allow the introvert 30 minutes to compile thoughts.
 Extrovert writes down the problem, lets the introvert read the
narrative, discussion ensues 30 minutes later
 Understand your partner’s process and develop a system to
allow them to work through it.
 Extroverts will want to be clued in even if it had nothing to do
with them
 Introverts often want to hear about your day, but may forget to
ask…so offer
 Extroverts may need to verbally process their day to figure out
what is going on inside themselves
 Introverts in recovery may need external feedback for
perspective

11. Temperament--Environment
Extrovert Introvert
 Often enjoy background noise
such as TV or radio
 Often don’t mind clutter
 Prefer peace and quiet
 Prefer organization
 Possible Conflicts
 Extrovert feels “stir crazy” if it is too quiet.
 Introvert gets overstimulated with too much noise.
 Kids
 Dogs
 Television
 Ambient noise (city vs. country)

12. Interventions
 Earplugs and headphones
 Schedule “quite times”
 Create “quiet spaces”
 Develop your daytime/work schedule to conform to personal
preferences
 Add carpet and wall tapestries to absorb some of the noise
 Be aware of your personal “stress times” and arrange your
environment accordingly
 Environmental stressors can be huge vulnerabilities

13. Temperament--Environment
Extrovert Introvert
 Often do not mind
interruptions
 Transition easily between
and among tasks
 Dislike interruptions
 Have difficulty
transitioning (Remember:
Intense focus; deep sleep)
 Potential Conflicts which can add stress
 Kids
 Pets
 Phone
 Partner
 Appointments

14. Interventions
 Extroverts can handle interruptions while the Introvert is
on an intensive task
 Introverts need to be aware of time and time sucks
 Introverts can handle “life” while the extrovert gets some
things done.
 Introverts need to schedule “focus time” around the
needs of the family, recovery, wellness (Recovery can
pose unique challenges)
 Kennel the dog & turn off the phone
 Schedule appointments so they do not interrupt focus
time.
 Introverts can create a transition ritual

15.  Each person is often a combination of some introverted
and some extroverted characteristics
 Knowing your own preferences can help you reduce
your own vulnerabilities and stress
 Knowing the preferences of your friends, family,
coworkers can help you understand more about how to
interact in harmony with them
 Just like two people with depression may have different
“symptoms,” two extroverts may have different
extrovert traits.
Summary

16. Summary
 Quick Assessment
 Do they/you talk it out or think then talk?
 Are they/you “friends” with everyone or tend to stay
with one or two people or alone?
 Can they/you focus on one task for an extended period
or do they need variety?
 Do they/you prefer quiet or active environments?
 What do you bring?
 Who compliments your traits?