Could Some ADHD Cases be Overly High Extraversion?

[Asterisk Propernoun]

I'm going to make this short. I've heard that the difference between introversion and extraversion lies in the activity going on inside the brain, that lower brain activity means one needs to socialize in order to be energized, while higher brain activity means one gets tired out by over stimulation if they socialize too much. To me, the explanation for extraversion (having low brain activity and needing to socialize in order to be energized) sounds as though it would fit the description of some, if not many ADHD cases if the lower brain activity was more significant. What do you think?

[MathCat]

A couple of things about this question...

Firstly, One of the major criticisms of DSM-IV is that the criteria for diagnosis are kind of obdurate and rigid. So, for example, here's DSM-IV's criteria to be diagnosed with Somatoform Disorder:

 

 

Each of the following criteria must have been met, with individual symptoms occurring at any time during the course of the disturbance.

o 4 pain symptoms: a history of pain related to at least 4 different sites or functions

o 2 gastrointestinal symptoms: a history of at least 2 gastrointestinal symptoms

other than pain

o 1 sexual symptom: a history of at least 1 sexual or reproductive symptom other

than pain

o 1 pseudoneurological symptom: a history of at least 1 symptom or deficit

suggesting a neurological condition not limited to pain

 

I understand that we're on DSM-V right now, but I want to use this example to illustrate my point. That is, ADHD is a classification of symptoms that is typically recognized by a psychologist or psychiatrist behaviorally regardless of underlying brain activity. This does not mean that your idea is irrelevant, it's just that operational definitions that we're working within for ADHD are behavioral and not neurological, yet you're positing an origin that's neurological. Since the diagnosis is behavioral, it is generalized and subject to change as the DSM changes.

Secondly, the old introversion and extroversion model is also a behavioral instead of neurological. While you are correct in saying the behavioral patterns manifest themselves from underlying brain activity, this is a trivially true statement. This is because all behaviors and traits are a result of underlying brain activity. The issue of greater interest to most psychologists (and myself) is the interaction between the hardware that is the brain and rest of the world which generates these brain functions in the first place. So effectively I'm reading your question as, "Does this model of behaviors possibly come as a result of a certain degree of "brain activity?"

Notwithstanding, your language is very ambiguous. By "brain activity," do you mean within the prefrontal cortex? The Amygdala? The Lymbic System? What kind of activity are you referring to? The communication of synapses? Growth? Contemporary psychology as a science is largely about using terms with operationalized definitions so that we're all communicating the same ideas to each other when we talk.

Finally, while I'm sure there's contemporary research on both phenomenon neurologically, it isn't advanced enough for us to make claims about it yet.

[Marshalscienceguy]

I'm going to make this short. I've heard that the difference between introversion and extraversion lies in the activity going on inside the brain, that lower brain activity means one needs to socialize in order to be energized, while higher brain activity means one gets tired out by over stimulation if they socialize too much. To me, the explanation for extraversion (having low brain activity and needing to socialize in order to be energized) sounds as though it would fit the description of some, if not many ADHD cases if the lower brain activity was more significant. What do you think?

I heard the oppisate. People with high brain activity are going to be more active since they always need to keep busy. People that have low brain activity are more mellow. People with a lot of activity are going to be bored very quickly and easily distracted since they race from thought to thought. Where a person who does not think as much can be much more relaxed. I also read gifted people are going to be bored very quickly and very hyperactive since they just cant stop thinking and they notice things others might not notice.