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Scientists have discovered a new personality type that you might not even realise you are.
It turns out the personality spectrum might be more complex than just introverts and extroverts.
American psychiatrist Dr. Rami Kaminski, has proposed a new personality type called 'otroverts.'
Bear in mind, this concept isn't yet established in psychological science, but it might help selected individuals identify with it.
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'Otroversion' isn't recognised in mainstream psychology textbooks or diagnostic manuals, and the idea appears to be based primarily on Dr. Kaminski's personal observations rather than peer-reviewed research.
According to Dr. Kaminski's theory, otroverts struggle to feel belonging within groups and prefer to remain separate from social collectives, even while being capable of deep individual friendships.
"Simply put, an otrovert is a person who feels no sense of belonging to any group. Otroverts are very friendly and able to forge very deep connections with other people," the expert explained. "The only social difference happens in the lack of connection to groups: collective identity or shared traditions."
Dr. Kaminski suggests that while introverts 'turn' inward and extroverts 'turn' outward, otroverts 'turn' in a different direction, which is away from group participation entirely.
They are however, often more creative, free-thinking and inventive. Famous otroverts include scientist Albert Einstein, painter Frida Kahlo, and writers George Orwell and Virginia Woolf.
Considering himself an otrovert, Dr. Kaminski describes his childhood when taking the Scout's Oath left him feeling emotionally disconnected from the group experience.
He explained that otroverts don't forge the same emotional connections to group identities or shared rituals in the same way that others do. Instead, they experience a discomfort with team sports and group activities and prefer to work independently than in teams.
Moreover, otroverts are immune to the so-called 'Bluetooth phenomenon,' Dr. Kaminski said, which he described as the process through which most people emotionally 'sync up' with those around them and naturally connect with group identities.
"Otroverts discover very early in life that they feel like outsiders in any group," the psychiatrist added. "This is despite the fact that they are often popular and welcome in groups. That discrepancy may cause emotional discomfort and a sense of being misunderstood."
As a result, otroverts can often find themselves struggling under the pressure to 'fit in' with the rest of society, he proposed.
That said, Dr. Kaminski emphasised that this doesn't make otroverts antisocial or loners. Instead, he suggests they're capable of forming deep and meaningful relationships with individual people they're close to.
"Otroverts find it very difficult to be part of a group, even if the group is composed of individuals who are each good friends," he noted. "The problem lies in the relationship with the group as an entity, rather than with its individual members."
