am·bi·vert ˈambəˌvərt/

noun, PSYCHOLOGY

1. a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features.

Thanks, Google.

So in case you were wondering what an ambivert is, well, there's your definition.

Ambiversion: some people deny its existence completely. They think that it is not possible for there to be a grey between the black-and-white of personality. Unfortunately to those that think that way, when it comes to people )especially their personalities), it is anything but black and white.

When a person says that they are extroverted, they (should be) are referring to where they get their energy. Extroverts thrive in social environments and get their energy from spending time with others. They are known to be very good at handling large groups of people and have no fear of 'putting themselves out there' which can be a pro and a con for them. When someone is labeled as being an extrovert, this does not mean that they are bad at keeping their mouth shut. There are actually (believe it or not) shy extroverts.

Introverts get their energy from spending time alone. This is not a bad thing. They have a more independent self-reliant attitude. When someone is an Introvert this does not technically mean that they are anti-social. I have met plenty of social introverts that can hold their own in a large gathering of people. This only means that they like their time alone, of course being self-reliant can also have its pros and cons. When a person is labeled as an Introvert this does not mean that they are incapable of talking to a stranger, or being social. There are actually (believe it or not) social Introverts.

Having taken the Myers Briggs test multiple times I have gotten multiple different results. ENFP, ENTP, INTP, and INFP. I will not be going into details about how the Myers Briggs personality test works, but I will focus on the meaning of the first letter. E stands for extrovert and I stands for introvert. Basically, what this test told me is that I am 50-50 between the two.

What is that like? You may wonder. Well, let me tell you.

First of all most of you reading this probably have both Introverted and Extroverted tendencies. We are all in a sense Ambiverts though some favor one side over the other, and most only identify with one.

Being an Ambivert, I am mostly neutral in social gatherings. I'm not as 'out there' as the everyday Extrovert, but I am also not as 'withdrawn' as an Introvert. I can choose to be as social as an extrovert or to be withdrawn and stand with an introvert. It really is up to my mood. You could say that I am very adaptable. It is enjoyable to be this way, because I can do either. Unfortunately at times, socializing can exhaust me but so can staying alone for too long.

I have found myself not in the mood to see or talk to anybody (University is a struggle), but have also had the undying need to be around people. Ambiverts can be the ideal friends for both Introverts and extroverts. We like personal time with people whether it includes talking non stop, or not talking at all.

I could go into the fact that there are different kinds of ambiverts as there are different kinds of extroverts and introverts, but that will take too long and you will probably lose interest.

If I am honest I would say that I do not even like calling myself an ambivert when people ask. Mostly because our personalities change with time, you may be an introvert now but maybe in a few years time you could find yourself feeling more extroverted.

The concept of these personalities, whether it is Myers Briggs or another test. Is only to give us a suggestion. I do not believe that we should use these labels to profile people and try and understand their tendencies. I have had my personality explained to me so many times by people based off of my Myers Briggs (I usually tell them that I am ENTP), but it is never accurate because humans are more complex than a computerized test. We all see things through different lenses and we all understand things differently, so our understanding of a personality trait can differ from another due to what we have experienced.

Going back to the Black, White, and Grey picture. I will describe personalities like this to you. There are about 30,000 shades of white, only one shade of black (technically) and 30 distinguishable shades of grey that humans can perceive. Hopefully you understand what I am saying here.

I would like to encourage you to take pride in who you are. Not what society or a computerized test has labeled you as. These things are only to help us discover who we are, not to tell us who we are. So just be yourself.

Because in the end, if you were to ask me who I honestly am (extrovert, introvert, or ambivert), I would probably tell you that I am simply Isabel.