Psychology Has a New Name for People Who Don’t Fit In

Maybe you were never socially awkward after all

Photo by Nami Liu on Adobe Stock

A few short years ago, people thought they knew everything there was to know about extroverts and introverts: Extroverts are outgoing and love people; introverts are shy and avoid people.

Aren’t you thankful that the world has become a little more nuanced in its ideas about introversion and extroversion? Recent definitions for both terms tend to focus more on how different personalities “recharge.”

Extroverts, for example, are often thought to gain energy by being around other people. Introverts, on the other hand, often report feeling recharged after they spend time alone.

Now there’s a new personality label that might better fit those who don’t feel they fit neatly in either the extrovert or introvert camps. In fact, that feeling of “not really wanting to belong” to either group might be the first sign that you are actually an otrovert.

What makes a person an otrovert?

What does it mean to be an “otrovert”?

According to psychologist Mary Odafe, “otroversion is an emerging personality type characterized by relating to the world as an ‘eternal outsider.’”

The Cleveland Clinic offers a similar definition, declaring that an otrovert is “typically described as someone who can socialize just fine but doesn’t really care about fitting in.” The same clinic also recognizes that otroversion is a new concept and is not yet “backed by much research.”

But that has not stopped people from making otroversion one of the hottest new topics on the Internet.

TikTok creators have started to offer content on this previously unexplored personality type, with one popular influencer sharing the insight that otroverts “don’t live on one side of the spectrum,” rather, they can be “quiet with the wrong energy” and “magnetic with the right people.”

Likewise, the WION podcast creators describe otroverts as a “third category” between introversion and extroversion, and suggest that otroverts, while often being very friendly, can struggle with “feeling a sense of belonging to any group.”

One of the most vocal proponents of the idea is psychiatrist and author Rami Kaminski, whose 2025 book *The Gift Of Not Belonging: How Outsiders Thrive In a World of Joiners*, was one of the first books to address otroversion. Kaminski has also created “The Otherness Institute,” to “explain and decipher the unique phenomenon of otherness.”

How it feels to be an otrovert

What does it actually look and feel like to live your life as an otrovert?

Psychologists are still working to define and study otroversion, but there are some traits that the majority of otroverts display.

Otroverts often have a strong sense of independence, and tend to focus more on living according to their own ideals, rather than “following group norms.” They may be aware that they don’t often “fit” into groups, but this realization does not particularly bother them.

Otroversion looks different from the shyness or social anxiety that is often associated (rightly or wrongly) with the more inward-looking trait of introversion. Those working to study and define this new personality type often state that otroverts “can participate in social situations and even enjoy them,” but they don’t rely on social occasions for their energy or sense of self-worth.

Otroverts may not particularly desire to be part of any groups, but this can sometimes make them feel a bit lonely, or like outsiders. They do not usually seek out group identification, but they do, most commentators agree, “tend to really value their deep one-on-one connections with others.”

Wait…does that just mean otroverts are ambiverts?

Long before we discussed “otroversion,” psychiatrists debated the traits of another personality type: the ambivert. “Ambiversion” is defined as “the tendency to display characteristics of introversion and extraversion in approximately equal degrees.”

Both ambiverts and otroverts occupy some of the vastly unexplored middle ground between inward-looking introverted personalities and group-oriented extroverted ones, but that doesn’t mean they are similar.

The term “ambivert” first appeared in the 1920s and 1930s, and was used to describe people who could seemingly adjust their personality in response to their situations. Sometimes ambiverts prefer to spend time alone, and sometimes they prefer to be with other people. They tend to be somewhat flexible personalities, and often “fly under the radar” because they are adept at getting along in many solo AND group situations.

Unlike ambiverts, otroverts have much stronger feelings that they simply cannot identify with most groups. Kaminski describes otroversion as “a personality trait that faces away from the group,” and otroverts as people who can be social, but who are not usually “communal.”

Like ambiversion, otroversion is also thought to be overlooked as a personality type.

It takes all kinds

Perhaps the most intriguing thing about the “otrovert” trait is how much we are still learning about it.

For individuals who might feel this label describes themselves, it can be very empowering to realize that feeling like an outsider can just be a natural part of their personalities. It can be freeing to accept that they don’t have to “force” group membership in order to feel fulfilled or happy.

There’s a lot we still don’t know about ourselves and how we might best interact with others. The more personality types we accept and explore, the more we might realize that every type can contribute something to our human experience.