Reply #29: It has nothing to do with ego for me. [View All]

I am simply not social.

When I am under stress, I become even more introverted. I go to work, gym, the grocery store, and home, and rarely call people or answer the phone when I am particularly stressed. It has nothing to do with my opinion of myself or my opinion of other people. I would just prefer to be alone. Social situations are taxing and not what I need when I'm already being taxed by other circumstances.

I feel badly that sometimes people take my need for solitude the wrong way. It has nothing to do with them. When I'm less stressed I can handle more socialization, but it isn't a lot even then.

I do have to wonder, though, how in the heck a person goes from being an introvert to an extrovert, and just how much of an introvert you actually were during the time you say you were an introvert. There are some people who are pretty much 50/50 on the introvert/extrovert scale. Perhaps you have phases where you like more and less socialization, and see your "less socialization" phases as introversion, but ... I don't think I could change the way I am if I tried. Did you try?