In Defense Of Introversion
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In Defense Of Introversion

Because it's not something that needs to be defended at all.

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In Defense Of Introversion
Flickr/Japanexpertna.se

Though I’ve been naturally introverted for the majority of my life, I’ve never been a huge fan of the cultural dichotomy between “introversion” and “extroversion”. I think everyone can be a combination of both. Still, I’ve noticed that most people tend to lean one way or the other, and in general, both extroversion and introversion are largely misunderstood.

Part of what makes someone more or less extroverted is where they feel most energized: An extrovert will probably feel more energized in a room with a lot of people, doing a group activity or playing a game. Introverts like me might enjoy this setting sometimes, too, but our mental energy generally comes from alone time. So, extroverts may be a lot better at brainstorming on a team, while introverts tend to come up with ideas more productively by themselves. Nothing is set in stone; extroverts can be creative on their own, and introverts can be creative in groups. However, each will feel more “at home” in a creative sense in their typical settings.

Looking around at the world we live in, it’s easy to see how this can bring some disadvantages to introverts. Educational and workplace settings in the modern day have pushed everything toward a group setting. Elementary school classrooms, even, tend to have the desks together in pods rather than individually in rows.

This is helpful for the number of extroverts who felt like they were under too much pressure to “sit still” in school and at work, but it can also be highly harmful to the creativity of the introvert. Susan Cain—bestselling author of “QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking”—points out that while extroverts thrive under constant stimulation, introverts are not necessarily the same way. This has created institutions—schools and workplaces—that fit the mental stimulation needs of extroverts, but not introverts.

You know when you’re sitting in class, the instructor says “Get into groups,” and you hear four or five people around you let out a sigh of exasperation? Those people are probably introverts (I’m guilty of the group work eye-roll too). It’s not that we can’t work well in groups, it’s just that it can be exhausting because everything flows much more naturally when we’re working on our own. That’s not to sound like we think we’re better than everyone else; we don’t. It’s just the way our brains work, and the ideal team is made up of both introverts who can bring their ideas to the table and extroverts who are very good at making sure those ideas will work in practice. And extroverts are creative as well; they just tend to foster those ideas better in a highly stimulated setting.

This model, a team made up of introverts and extroverts and everyone in between, all of whom could potentially be leaders and none of whom feel out of their element, could work in every setting. There’s one problem though: we live in a society that values extroverted qualities over introverted ones as leadership traits. Of course, being able to command attention at the drop of a hat and entertain others is a useful tool when you need many people to listen to you, but it’s not the only thing that makes a good leader.

Take Rosa Parks for example. People who knew her described her as being introverted in nature, and yet she is iconic for her act of courage based on doing the right thing. Whether or not she had the boldest personality or the most charisma when someone spoke to her doesn’t make a difference; she was a leader because of her strong moral ideas that propelled a movement. She didn’t need to be extroverted, necessarily, to be a leader. Parks used her introversion to her advantage, and so that quiet moment in which she contemplated what to do before speaking up became one of the most crucial instances of decision-making in the civil rights movement.

In one of my favorite TED talks, Susan Cain discusses this concept, pointing out that introverted folks like Gandhi weren’t leaders in spite of their introversion, but rather because of the ideas they gained from their reflectiveness. The same goes for J.K. Rowling and Abraham Lincoln, who have been described by various people as more on the reserved side. Her point—and mine—is that if society doesn’t allow introverts to be productive and creative in their own way, then it will lose out on all of the amazing contributions they have to offer.

The same way that very outgoing people feel stifled by solitude, introverted people feel stifled by constantly being placed into group settings where we don’t have enough mental space to run free. Can you imagine the world without J.K. Rowling’s four-hour long train ride alone from Manchester to London, when she created the world of Harry Potter? Can you imagine America without Abraham Lincoln’s quiet yet dignified leadership?

I’m enjoying college because I love that my studies are more self-focused. Of course, not everyone is like that, and that’s awesome. The world needs people of all learning styles and tendencies to introversion and extroversion. Extroverts still make up the other two-thirds or half of the people in the world, and I love them. Still, living in this bold, loud, fast-paced world, it can be hard to remember that as an introvert, you’re still valuable. You still contribute so much without being outspoken. Your ideas change the world.

“Introverts… The world needs you, and it needs the things you carry.”
– Susan Cain


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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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