Introvert / Extrovert – In Two Minds
About this episode
The episode explores the historical and psychological significance of the terms introvert and extrovert, tracing their origins and implications.
The terms introvert and extrovert have never been more popular. People seem to increasingly latch onto them as a core element of their personality, clinging to the personal definition they offer with ever-greater enthusiasm. Humans love to categorise things and there is nothing they like categorising more than themselves. We trace the weird story of these terms back to Vienna, on March 3rd 1907, when the Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Jung first met the Austrian neurologist Sigmund Freud. What follows is a hysterical, combative and sexually charged relationship which left both men in a state of social disarray. But in his efforts to later work out what happened, Jung settled on a personality binary which proved extremely intuitive to the public at large. Are these terms meaningful? Do they have scientific validity? And what are the dangers and advantages of defining ourselves in this way? Let's find out, as we delve into the world of personality types, psychoanalysis and what might genuinely be the single most preposterous intellectual dispute in the history of ideas. • Support Origin Story on Patreon • Buy the Origin Stories books on Centrism, Fascism and Conspiracy…
More episodes of Origin Story
- Origin Story – Live at Bloomsbury Theatre, 15th April 2026
- The General Strike – The Revolution That Wasn’t
- Stephen Miller – American Fascist
- 15-Minute Cities – How Urban Design Entered the Culture War
- Blue Labour: We Need to Talk About Maurice
- Socialism: The Finale – What’s Left?
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Origin Story podcast page.