The Secret Strengths of Introverts

Extroverts have definite and prominent strengths to sustain and subsist. If so, shouldn’t there be an overwhelming population of them, extroverts than introverts? Instead, statistically, there is quite an equilibrium between the two personalities. Such means introverts too inherit similar features for continuance and their extraordinary talent. Like most ways of being, extroversion and introversion are not absolute. Yet, people tend to label themselves, ostracizing others for being too quiet in the case of introverts. Therefore, repressed in public conditions, they are confused as being shy, but shyness is simply a fear of social judgment. As introverts throughout history have dwelled shoulder to shoulder with extroverts, they hold the potential to advance society as wholly as extroverts.

The terminology “introvert” and “extrovert” were first introduced by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung in the 1920s. By Susan Cain’s definition, the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, introverts favor less stimulating environments and tend to appreciate calm concentration, listen more than they talk, and contemplate before they express themselves. Conversely, extroverts are entertained by social situations and tend to be assertive multi-taskers who think out loud and act on their feet.

The Struggles and Misinterpretations

Despite the corporate world’s emphasis on brazen confidence: “Speak up! Promote yourself! Socialize!!”, one-third to half of Americans are deemed to be introverted, according to Cain. Introverts may make up nearly half the population, but Cain contends they are second-class citizens. “A widely held, but rarely articulated, belief in our society is that the ideal self is bold, alpha, gregarious,” says Cain. “Introversion is viewed somewhere between disappointment and pathology.” Nevertheless, having to be viewed as inferior, how had the introverts been able to live through the ruthless society? What sort of concealed power do they possess?

In the old days, there were two standards of jobs. One being the anglers who go outdoors as their role and the opposite being the cook or house worker. Obviously, the ones who go outside have more opportunities and are more exposed to become socializers, while on the other hand, the ones working bounded scarcely have a chance to socialize and get along with. This ultimately not only puts extroverts at a more superior stature but it also draws introverts to become trivialized. But in reality, introverts are thinkers. In jeopardy, introverts tend to evaluate before they move while extroverts are risk-takers who desire to take prompt action and combat. Although risk-takers may have more chance of procuring their necessities, introverts could formulate sensible strategies to improve the efficiency and precision when they work it out. Further, the quiet leadership of introverts is strongly needed in the corporate world.

Introverts in Leadership

In the pseudo-jungle of the business world, the introverts contribute to reducing the tension in an overly extroverted culture of corporate capitalism. As Cain argues, introverted leaders seem to share power and are likely to offer others to express their ideas rather than seeking to obtain a spotlight on themselves. This creates a placid but more balanced culture universally.

A woman who simply answered no shaped the world in a quiet way. Montgomery, Alabama. Early evening on December 1, 1955. She sat in the first row of the “Colored” section and watched silently as the bus crowded with riders until the driver ordered her to give up her seat to a white passenger. She utters a single word that ignites one of the most significant civil rights protests of the twentieth century. The woman died in 2005 at the age of ninety-two, the flood of obituaries recalled her as soft-spoken, sweet, and small in stature. They said she was “shy” but had the “courage of a lion.” She is Rosa Parks. There are numerous individuals who demonstrated that being quiet could change the world. Albert Einstein is another well-known introvert. As a child, his preference for independent learning sometimes got him in trouble. When he was sixteen, he failed a school entrance exam partly because he hadn’t taken the time to study all the subjects; he’d focused only on what interested him. In his twenties, he inaugurated the Olympia Academy, a club where he’d meet with a few close friends to discuss the ideas he’d spent countless hours expanding in solitude. When he was twenty-six years old, Einstein completely rewrote the laws of physics. At age forty-two, he won the Nobel Prize.

Introversion in Education

How about us, at school? Students can all agree that raising hands and sharing your ideas is a crucial skill that you’ll need throughout life. Class participation has its benefits–it can be fun to express your ideas aloud–but some teachers push the idea of participation too far. Brianna, a Colorado teenager, had a teacher who gave each student three Popsicle sticks at the start of the class. The kids would sit in a big circle, and whenever they added something to the class discussion, they would throw one of their Popsicle sticks into the center. By the end of the class, they were supposed to have gotten rid of all of their sticks. “If all three sticks weren’t gone, your grade would go down dramatically,” Brianna recalled.

Instead of enriching the discussion, said Brianna, the Popsicle stick technique led to meaningless blather. Kids spoke up just to be able to throw a stick into the center. Brianna too had to stoop to this level, and it frustrated her. Other teachers grade students on class participation, awarding higher grades to vocal students, whether or not they’ve mastered the subject. But there are methods of teaching that instead measure “classroom engagement”–a much broader concept than “participation” that makes room for lots of different ways of interacting with the material.

The community is constantly demanding us to speak up, but keeping quiet isn’t always about fear, anxiety, or perfectionism. Many introverts simply prefer to wait until they have something meaningful to say. In contrast to extroverts, who tend to think out loud, introverts like to think before they speak. In fact, their ability to concentrate deeply on a topic is one of their particular gifts. A teacher calling on us unexpectedly can make us freeze up, since we haven’t had time to think through our response. Often, we introverts place so much value on the content and clarity of our answers that they’d rather be silent than simply blurt something out.

Conclusion

Understanding at a deep level of who you are, and what you need, is so empowering. Whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, I hope the insights in this writing will help you understand yourself, your friends, your families, and even those random classmates you pass each day in the halls. I also hope you now understand that introverts are a truly powerful bunch. You can count celebrity actresses, revolutionary scientists, brilliant writers, billionaires, All-Star athletes, comedians, and so many other unique individuals as part of your psychological tribe. All of these people and so many of the kids whose stories I’ve told in this book have learned to embrace their secret strengths as introverts: deep thinking, intense focus, comfort with solitude, and excellent listening skills.

References

Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. Crown Publishing Group.

Jung, C. G. (1921). Psychological Types. Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Rosa Parks: Her simple act of protest changed the world. (n.d.). Retrieved from [source URL]

Einstein, A. (n.d.). Biography. Retrieved from [source URL]