How do shyness and social anxiety manifest in the expression of the extroverted functions? Will an extrovert experience shyness/social anxiety the same way an introvert would?
I’d say it manifests in a huge desire to spend time and connect with other people but being overwhelmingly frustrated and sad because the person’s shyness, social anxiety or both, which have to do with fear of rejection mostly, keep them from doing it. The person might act like an introvert and withdraw from social interaction because of their fear but they crave for it at the same time, they wish they weren’t so fearful. When it comes to functions, I think Ne would be hesitant or fearful to discuss its ideas or the potential for them with others, Fe to make connections with others, Se to talk about the latest sensory things that made them feel alive and Te to discuss facts and external logical systems. Of all functions, the one that would suffer the most from it would be Fe, since it’s the most people-oriented one.
An introvert wouldn’t have the same problem because an introvert might choose to be with other people but, whether they suffer from shyness or social anxiety or not, they would know they need alone time sooner or later. An extrovert, even if they’re shy or fearful, doesn’t need it and so it makes them all the more frustrated for not being able to interact with people as much as they’d like to.
I think extroverts with shyness/social anxiety would act this way: Hesitant to talk to or form connections with people because of their fear but secretly wanting to. They might try to work on it and if they get to overcome their shyness, work on their social anxiety to try to feel less nervous around people, they might eventually be able to reach the connections with people they crave for.
Introverts, on the other hand, may have it harder because not only may they be shy or suffer from social anxiety but they also need time to recharge after long social or external interactions. In this case, they might not wish for as much social interaction as an extrovert (despite their shyness/social anxiety) would, however, introverts need social interaction too, thus they would prefer to socialize with people they know well instead of making connections with new people. Still, if an introvert works on these problems, they might interact successfully with new people and then recharge when needed.
-Rose
