The power of introverts: should society rethink their attitude towards introverted people? Susan Cain, a book author, attorney and a self-described introvert, tries to convince her audience in a passionate talk of the qualities and abilities of introverts. “In a society where extroverted and outgoing persons are in great demand, introverts don’t have an easy life.” claims Susan Cain in her passionate talk at the TED conference in February 2012. For her, the encouragement of introverted people and the awareness that neither reserved, nor extroverted behaviour is the only way, are the most important issues she wants to emphasize. According to her, there are still a lot of people who have to suffer a different kind of treatment because of …show more content…
“Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” was published on January 24th in 2012, and took her 7 years to write. “I do believe that everyone carries along his or her own suitcase, which was said to be a metaphor for the treasures, memories and thoughts that make you actually you.” Cain explains. In her case the suitcase is filled with …show more content…
“The main problem”, so Cain, “is the design of our institutions such as school-systems or workplaces, for instance. They are designed mostly for extroverts. Especially nowadays, when group-working assignments have become more and more important, introvert kids or colleagues are seen as problem-cases in class. Although introverted persons in leadership positions often deliver better outcomes than extroverts.” According to Cain, some good examples may be “Eleanor Roosevelt, Mahatma Ghandi, Charles Darwin, and many others who had altogether no pleasure to being looked at and have all been very introverted personalities.” But it’s a fact that social group-dynamics make it very difficult for introverted people to bring through their ideas and opinions, and that especially western societies have always preferred leaders with extroverted nature. But Susan once again reminds the audience that the most dominant or charismatic person may not have the best ideas or acquired knowledge to make important decisions concerning all members of a group. Furthermore she explains: “Most people are somewhere in-between those two extremes, of course tending to one side. The correct term for this people is “ambivert” and according to her, “ambiverts definitely get the best of both
personality trait is often shared with many other leaders who decided to take their own path and
On this basis, those who are referred to as introverts are those that have a low degree of extroversion and the same applies to extroverts. Jung also notes that the functions of sensing, feeling, thinking, and intuiting impact on the personalities of people and moderate their degrees of extroversion and introversion. Generally speaking, introverts prefer quiet environments with minimal stimulation. Introverts are more likely to experience intense stress levels that can last for a long time as they strive to figure out the possible cause of the traumatizing events. It can be difficult for introverts to accommodate other people after they are hurt and need time alone before they recover from the trauma (Jung, 2014).
Psychologists have shown that there exist two major social behaviors that are widely associated with a person as they mature into young adulthood: extraversion or introversion. Carl Yung, a swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, coined the term “introversion” versus “extroversion”. His idea was further elaborated upon by Hens Eysenck, a British psychologist, who defined extroverts and introverts by their baseline arousal. As Jerome Kagan, Professor of psychology at Harvard says, ““Introverts” and “extroverts” are not definitive diagnoses like blood types”, a person displays more or less of one of these two traits; extroverts generally has a more advantage over introverts but each of these personality traits has its own strengths and building on these strengths is what one ought
If you are an introvert, you probably know how it feels like to be routinely passed over for leadership roles in school, in an organization or in college. The daring boy who always speaks his mind and raises his hands in class is always recognized as a better student representative than the introverts in the room. The frustration and disappointment that introverts have to go through because of the common misunderstanding that they are shy or anti-social has probably left a negative impact in your life. For centuries, people have preferred extroverted leaders rather than introverted leaders because great leaders are always characterized as gregarious and charismatic (McHugh,
For example, when asked a question at work I often answer with “give me just one second”, or “ill get back to you”. Most introverts need time for internal reflection. A chance to process the question and think about my response. Introverts make great listeners, are studious, and are okay with solitary activities (The Personality Page, n.d.). However, most introverts have a hard time with external communication and are sometimes perceived as being non-social (The Personality Page,
Have you ever stopped and wondered why some people seem to have traits that make them come out ahead of others? These people have characteristics that complement each other, these people are neat introverts. The character traits of neat people are defined in the article “Neat People vs. Sloppy People,” by Suzanne Britt, and the characteristics of an introvert are explained in the article “Caring for Your Introvert,” by Jonathan Rauch. Neat introverts are advantageous at life because their characteristics support one another and bring out the best in them. It is similar to how a runner would condition and train before a big race, if it wasn’t for the training that person probably wouldn’t do as well in the race. The same can be said about their
In terms of The Big Five Trait Theory, an individual with a high level of extraversion is thought to display dominant behaviour as well as good leadership skills. The individual focusses their psychic energy on things that are external...
...nd important in her treatment process other women may have found support in other areas of the health system which also require funding. This shows that consumer involvement can only fix so much and that there will always be a need for change and improvement.
Cain visited the Harvard Business School and immediately noticed the vigor among the students. After asking the students some questions on introversion, she got replies like “socializing here is an extreme sport” and “the school is predicated on extroversion”. She also discovered that the development of “group synergy” allows for the building of character. A good example of an extrovert is a company owner. Many CEO’s and managers are not successful because of their charisma, but their humility and ability to listen to their
“ …my first concern must be with the two general types I have termed introverted and extraverted. But, in addition, I shall also try to give a certain characterization of those special types whose particularity is due to the fact that his most differentiated function plays the principal role in an individual's adaptation or orientation to life.” (Jung)
Over time, it has been discovered that “an introvert really only has two options” in the long run: “1) learn to assert yourself, or 2) crawl under a rock” (Milford 1). Many shy people do not reco...
He says, “"extroversion," in contrast to more introverted people.” Extroversion describes people that are outgoing and love meeting and befriending people. Brian tells the audience in his TED talk that there are the three natures of people and extroverts help us understand them, “ First, our biogenic nature -- our neurophysiology. Second, our sociogenic or second nature, which has to do with the cultural and social aspects of our lives. And third, what makes you individually you -- idiosyncratic -- what I call your "idiogenic" nature.” Brian describes how he finds it intriguing how extroverts need stimulation all the time. Brian had mentioned introverts who are people who prefer their own company and are very shy. He explains which category he fits into, “I am an introvert, but I have a core project, which is to profess. I am a professor. And I adore my students, and I adore my field. And I cannot wait to tell them about what 's new, what 's exciting, what I cannot wait to tell them about. And so I act in an extroverted way, because at eight in the morning, the students need a little bit of humor, a little bit of engagement to keep them going in arduous days of study.” Brian brings about the idea that people can switch their personalities temporarily because of certain
On the other hand, introverts are people who are concerned with and interested in their own mental life and often perceived as more reserved and less outspoken in groups. Unlike extroverts who are feeling energized when they are around a large group of people, introverts have energy drained from them through human interaction. Hence, it is essential for them to spend some alone time to “recharge”. Al...
Introverts are just as capable as extroverts when it comes to becoming a great leader. It is believed that hard problems in the workforce or any leadership situation need to be given a lot of thought and consideration before making a drastic descision; this is a skill that introverts tend to possess (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). Unlike introverts, extroverts have more of a tendency to form solutions to problems without thinking much about the outcome, and they do not spend a lot of time getting other opinions on the matter (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). An introvert by nature asks more questions and listens closely to others which are great leadership skills (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). Unlike that of extroverts, introverts tend to be more capable at controlling negative emotions (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). By doing this, solutions are not determined by emotion, but by other’s input and serious
Being an introvert should be seen as someone who simply finds pleasure, relaxation, calmness, satisfaction, and tranquility with being by him/herself, a person who feels that loneliness, on the most literal and non harmful level,