When I was at the obstetrician a few weeks ago, I looked at an article in a parenting magazine that talked about the different personality types and how that plays out in motherhood.
I read the one for me (INFJ) and I thought it was very accurate. I wish I would have asked the receptionist to make a copy for me so I could quote it here, but I didn’t.
Personality Types and Motherhood
But reading that got me thinking about how different personalities adjust to new phases in life. So that got me thinking about how women adjust to motherhood and, more specifically, where I might find the adjustment easiest and most difficult.
Here’s my current working theory on how introverts and extroverts adjust to motherhood. Feel free to tell me if you think I’m remotely in the ballpark or if I should just stick to doing something else. 🙂
Introverts and Motherhood
I’m guessing that introverts might have an easier time in the earlier phases of motherhood, especially when caring for the baby entails a lot of feeding and at-home time. Introverts thrive on being alone with their own thoughts so I’m guessing feeding baby ten times a day leaves a woman with lots of time with her own thoughts.
Now whether she’s coherent enough to HAVE her own thoughts might be another story, but she is getting a lot of time with just her and a baby that’s busy eating.
Extroverts and Motherhood
So it stands to reason that perhaps extroverts have the hardest time early on when they are “tied down” to the baby. Extroverts thrive on lots of interaction with people and I’m guessing most new moms don’t get a lot of time with other adults to get the stimulation they need.
However, I’m guessing maybe it switches as the children get older. Introverts get less time alone with their own thoughts and extroverts get more opportunities for interaction whether it is with their own children or other families.
There’s my theory.
Was this true for you? Care to shoot holes in my theory? Feel free – just be nice and remember I’m a rookie at this!