Introverts

It's dreadful what little things lead people to misunderstand each other. --L.M. Montgomery

I recently overheard my coworkers talking that they hate associating with introverts because they are anti-social and does not like anyone. I was surprised to hear my other coworker's response that only well-raised introverts say "hello." Meanwhile, I am laughing in my head because I am picturing a comic strip with these girls' comments in bubbles and arrows labelled "introvert" pointing at the two people next to them who happen to be their bosses.

When most people think of introverts, they picture a quiet, shy girl or boy who stay in the corner not associating with anyone. While it may be true that most introverts are characterized for their shyness, their reservations, and their quietness, applying this overgeneralization to the whole of the personality may be a mistake. Think on this for a moment. Majority of the jobs today involve forming connections with people or having some form of assertiveness to get the job done. Society favors the bold. Therefore, it would stand to reason that introverts similar to extroverts need to develop of form of communication skills and human relationships to get by in the world. Additional, diversity of personalities exists in the population. One cannot truly understand someone by just lumping them into one generalized group. Nevertheless, people do find it easier to lump people into one category or the other rather than face the complexity of diversity. It may make things less complicated to most but may lead to further misunderstandings.

Extroverts vs Introverts

Let us first consider the differences between extroverts and introverts. Before I begin, I am not a psychologist nor am I a psychiatrist. I am basing what I write from classes and personality-type readings I have done throughout my life. That said, this blog includes a very generalized description. If people are interested in learning more about the topic, they can research the multiple types of extroverts and introverts in their own time.

Extroverts get their energy from the external environment. They draw people toward them and are mostly the center of attention. They have assertive, outgoing personality and thrive on social networking and are the life of the party--for the most part. Not to say, they do not get their own "me" time. Nevertheless, they mostly get their energy from being around many people.

So essentially if extroverts are social, outgoing people and introverts are the opposite, does that mean introverts don't need people? Not true. Majority of the human population are built to socialize with other people. Introverts are the same. They enjoy spending time with people, but they tend to socialize in small parties rather than large, rave-sized party. When in large social gathering, they tend to get energized for a short period; however, overstimulation from that environment tend to later tire them out and they tend to need some time alone to recharge. Introverts get their energy from doing things that turn inward, rather it be painting or watching a movie alone. They are the group who after a day of public speaking or working with customers spend the day unwinding with a good book. I guess a best summarized description would be introverts and extroverts tend to get their energies from different sources.

Take Home Message

Society today favors the extroverts. They are popular and mostly fun to be around. Some may consider them intrusive but, overall, they are well-liked. However, you should not disregard the introverts or assume things about people's personalities without meeting them. They may well be the one who are running the show in the background.