My therapist has been working with me on a theory that I'm not really introverted, but an extrovert who has been taught that socializing is unsafe. Social dysphoria. I (AuDHD) don't fully agree because while I enjoy my individual or small group connections I still feel my battery deplete in large gatherings. But it remains an interesting hypothesis.
I call myself a “selectrovert”: selectively intro- or extroverted depending on my mood, time of day, number of people, whether my favorite (or least favorite) people/activities are involved, noise-to-fun ratio, specific sensory stimuli, what else I could be doing instead, how much advance warning I receive (especially for strategic timing of meds), exit strategies, and a long list of other relevant information.
250
u/withgreatpower 2d ago
My therapist has been working with me on a theory that I'm not really introverted, but an extrovert who has been taught that socializing is unsafe. Social dysphoria. I (AuDHD) don't fully agree because while I enjoy my individual or small group connections I still feel my battery deplete in large gatherings. But it remains an interesting hypothesis.