Are You an Otrovert? The New Personality Type

I’m sure you’ve heard someone describe themselves as either an introvert or an extrovert. Two personality types on opposite sides of the spectrum. The eccentric and outgoing extroverts and the quiet and mysterious introverts, it seems wherever we look society tells us we are either one or the other. This leads many of us to pick a side that we may not associate with completely but feels closest to who we are. Nothing in the middle.

But what if I told you that this has recently changed, and we have a third personality type that many of us will associate with on a deep level, the Otrovert.

In this post, I will introduce you to the characteristics of an Otrovert, and how understanding it can help you become comfortable with not belonging to activities that society says you should enjoy.

What is an Otrovert?

The term Otrovert was first introduced by New York psychiatrist Dr. Rami Kaminski in his book The Gift of Not Belonging and quickly gained international attention as a personality type. The word derives from the Spanish word for “Other”, “Otro”, and refers to people who don’t seem to fully align with the typical personality types of introverts and extroverts. People who feel like outsiders in groups despite being able to function well in them if needed. It introduces the middle ground between the opposites that are introverts and extroverts and focuses more on group identity rather than on sociability.

Characteristics of an Otrovert.

Otroverts are more than just a mixture of introverts and extroverts, they are unique and independent individuals who maintain their own perspectives rather than conforming to group norms. They prefer meaningful one-to-one interaction instead of interacting with large groups or spending time alone. It may not show at first, as Otroverts can engage socially and seem to do well in large groups, but they may feel like outsiders inside. Otroverts may often be described as friendly and popular yet will resist being pressured into group activities or social norms. They often don’t conform to what is expected of them from everyone else.

An important characteristic of Otroverts is that they don’t seek validation from others and instead look inside themselves. They avoid activities that involve risk yet are daring in their thought processes. This makes them incredible thinkers and they may often be seen as controversial as they don’t subscribe to social norms, traditions, and ceremonies. Instead, they feel more comfortable with personal habits, routines, and quality over quantity in relationships.

Signs you may be an Otroverts

How can you tell if you’re an Otrovert? A common indicator is feeling lonely when in group settings, and the tendency to shy away from activities and traditions that society deems as necessary. You also may value independence and find joy in thought and questions rather than in discussion and answers. You don’t need validation, are helpful, polite, and don’t care much about what everyone else is doing. Instead, you prefer to be close to a small group of people and feel the most connection during one-to-one conversations. FOMO doesn’t rule your life, you do, and despite being the light of the party, inside you’re deep, mysterious, and not what is seen on the outside.

What do you think?

Understanding what an Otrovert is has been liberating. I always felt that I associated with both the introverts and extroverts, and felt almost guilty that I did not enjoy activities that others did. It was as if I was meant to like them purely because others did. It’s very freeing knowing that there may be others like me that may fit in on the outside, but deep inside they’re experiencing the world in a completely different way.

Let me know in the comments if you think you’re an Otrovert!

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