Articles by Jonathan Rauch: <b>Caring for Your Introvert</b> The Atlantic Monthly | March 2003 DO YOU KNOW someone who needs hours alone every day? Who loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and maladroit at small talk? Who has to be dragged to parties and then needs the rest of the day to recuperate? Who growls or scowls or grunts or winces when accosted with pleasantries by people who are just trying to be nice? If so, do you tell this person he is "too serious," or ask if he is okay? If you answered yes to these questions, chances are that you have an introvert on your hands—and that you aren't caring for him properly. I know. Oh, for years I denied it. What is introversion? Extroverts are energized by people, and wilt or fade when alone.
How many people are introverts? Are introverts misunderstood? Are introverts oppressed? Extroverts therefore dominate public life. Are introverts arrogant? Third, don't say anything else, either. The Tyranny of the Extroverts. By Allen B. Downey Fall 2003 Society rewards extroverts. They get the job, the money, the girl (or boy), and the front page. Fortune 500 companies are run by 499 extroverts, plus Bill Gates. There are 435 extroverts in the House of Representatives and 100 in the Senate, two from each state. Olin College rewards extroverts, too. This is not an accident. The Plan cites two studies that try to identify the skills engineers need to be more effective. At first reading, this is motherhood and apple pie. Maybe, but I think there is a danger in placing too much emphasis on skills that are so tightly linked with personality traits.
If "interpersonal skills" really means skills, then I can't object, but I'm afraid that in the wrong hands it means something more like "interpersonal style", and in particular it means the style of extroverts. The Power of Introverts: A Manifesto for Quiet Brilliance. Do you enjoy having time to yourself, but always feel a little guilty about it?
Then Susan Cain’s “Quiet : The Power of Introverts” is for you. It’s part book, part manifesto. We live in a nation that values its extroverts – the outgoing, the lovers of crowds – but not the quiet types who change the world. She recently answered questions from Mind Matters editor Gareth Cook. Cook: This may be a stupid question, but how do you define an introvert? Cain: Not a stupid question at all! It’s also important to understand that introversion is different from shyness.
Cook: You argue that our culture has an extroversion bias. Cain: In our society, the ideal self is bold, gregarious, and comfortable in the spotlight. In my book, I travel the country – from a Tony Robbins seminar to Harvard Business School to Rick Warren’s powerful Saddleback Church – shining a light on the bias against introversion. Cook: How does this cultural inclination affect introverts? Cain: Yes. Introvert-640x472.png (PNG Image, 640 × 472 pixels)
Revenge of the Introvert. There are as many introverts as extraverts, but you'd never know it by looking around. Introverts would rather be entertained by what's going on in their heads than in seeking happiness. Their big challenge is not to feel like outsiders in their own culture. by Laurie Helgoe, Ph.D. After ten years as a psychologist practicing psychodynamic psychotherapy , I reclined on the couch of my own analyst feeling burdened by my chosen work. Your-personality-type.gif (GIF Image, 600 × 505 pixels) Solitude - Ella Wheeler Wilcox.