Is There Hope for Introverts?
Other than questioning someone’s parentage, is there a faster way to insult someone than calling him an introvert? Isn’t introversion something that we need to cure people of by sending them to the Dale Carnegie Course?
Many organizations have invested in some form of psychometric instrument that indicates whether people have a preference for introverted or extroverted behaviour, but that hasn’t stopped the vast majority of people from throwing around these terms without actually having a clue as to what they mean.
People hear “extrovert”, and they think: outgoing, friendly, social, capable, productive, normal.
People hear “introvert”, and they think: shy, withdrawn, anti-social, illusive, dysfunctional, wall-flower.
The problem with these descriptions is that neither is particularly accurate, and it infers that people are capable of only one set of behaviours exclusively. There is also a connotation that Extroverts will excel in business to a much higher degree than Introverts.
In Good to Great, Jim Collins reveals the qualities that his research has shown as effective in running great organizations. Interestingly, many of the qualities of “Level Five Leadership”, are found more naturally in people with Introverted preferences.
You might also be surprised who may be a closet-introvert: High-profile leaders, television personalities, sports stars, maybe even one of your friends, neighbours, or family are introverted. They’re everywhere, so beware – you never know when they’ll want to slink into the back corner of a meeting room, and silently wish everyone would stop talking at once. Or perhaps pray that someone will listen to them for 20 seconds before interrupting them. Worse yet, they may think about something before responding to a question creating that awkward few seconds silence.
So you may be wondering where I fit on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Grid.
As someone who spends a lot of time talking to groups of people, and a person who worked in television (for a short and spectacularly unsuccessful period of time), I am rarely accused of being an Introvert.
I prefer to label myself as a Recovering-Extrovert. We might need to create a new scale for measurement.
I get what you’re saying by “Recovering-Extrovert”. Because most *typical* extroverts are immature and easily engage in vain talks. Some can accept an introvert better and some not at all.
Still, you’re an introvert. When you used the term “Recovering-Extrovert” it actually really reflects on what you wish to be.
Let people think what they want to think. But you must be clear yourself first. Being introverted is tough,because visuals, colors, sounds, etc. anything from the external put on a high scale are potential to drain an introvert. The problem is here, most extroverts can’t understand the concept at all.
Still, put an introvert in an environment that he/she prefer, plus engage them in a conversation they most prefer and they would seem like an extrovert. It’s a weird irony. I mean I’m an introvert and I have good social skills but small talks I do found subtly draining and sometimes even pointless.
Introversion is also linked with excellent talent, yes. Not to say extrovert aren’t talented/creative. But it’s proven introvert have greater focus and longer attentional span. Plus, because normally introvert can’t bear way too much or too long external stimulation usually they don’t take drugs/smoke as it would drain them faster. Well, the wise ones anyway.
For now, most introvert can only “adapt” to the world. But the truth is, in the usual case the introvert aren’t able to live to his/her full potential much, because of the “repression” and the current stigma that exist. While I don’t think it’s wise to force an extrovert to understand introversion, at the same time I do think an extrovert can be a bit wiser just like an introvert can have good social skills.
But I always keep this inside my head, to prevent myself from fooling my mind: good social skills doesn’t equal to good amount of energy too. Plus how the brain is wired. No one can change it, unless some kind of accident occur that damage the brain, or any kinds of mind altering method/medication that IMO would give even more negative effects than the seemingly illusive impression that extroversion is the only key to happiness.
True, extroverts are mostly happier but are usually extremely dependent. To come up with something completely new, original and inventive or whatever it is to bring good a detached person, capable of thinking outside the box suits this quest the most.
Who knows, someday a typical introvert would not being looked as a loser and gets to connect with everyone but in ways that is different and even more subtle. That’s when most people decide to be a bit more intelligent and realize what’s really really wrong. It’s not impossible, just don’t exist… YET.