So I was in a funk earlier today and decided that I would reread that book on introverts that appeared a year or so ago as a bit of a boost, and went onto the library\u2019s online catalog. This is what I found: <\/p>\n
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can\u2019t Stop Talking, by Susan Cain, 8 holds on 5 copies. <\/p>\n
The Introvert\u2019s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World, by Sophia Dembling, 2 holds on 1 copy. <\/p>\n
Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength, by Laurie A. Helgoe, sole copy checked out. <\/p>\n
So apparently the popularity of \u201cpro-introvert\u201d memes floating around on the internet a while back has persisted, and, introverts being readers after all, introvert-friendly reading material is in high demand. <\/p>\n
Now, if you\u2019ve been living under a rock, the classic difference between introverts and extroverts is that introverts need \u201calone time\u201d to regenerate from draining social occaisons, whereas those very social occaisons leave extroverts energized. Of course, that\u2019s not enough to fill a book, and at least the first of the three books above continues with ways in which the introvert\u2019s introspection is an advantage in problem-solving, and various other aspects of Introvert Power. <\/p>\n
But that always seems to be as far as it goes. No one really seems to acknowledge that there\u2019s a \u201cwhy\u201d underlying this.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s (at least to a significant degree) a social skill issue.\u00a0 If you\u2019re a bit sucky in the social skills department (maybe not a full-blown Aspie \u2014 which psychiatrists tell us doesn\u2019t exist anyway; it\u2019s all just autism \u2014\u00a0but just tendencies in that direction), being in a large group is hard. You worry about whether you\u2019re going to end up saying something inappropriate or just fail to really be a part of the conversation, and then you berate yourself afterwards when you do. You look around the room and aren\u2019t really sure who to talk to in the first place, and, let\u2019s face it, no one\u2019s really seeking you out, either. You struggle to understand the conversation in a noisy room because it is, after all, a sort of social skill to fill in the unheard words. Of course<\/i> a large group is draining. <\/p>\n
At the same time, a large anonymous group in which you don\u2019t have to worry about being \u201con the spot\u201d is a different story altogether. Good times, those college hockey games. <\/p>\n
And, depending on the context, the noise of a large group can itself be bothersome for some people, and quiet is soothing because, well, it\u2019s a break from the noise.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not simply intrinsically about a person\u2019s\u00a0inward or outward focus; or, at least, the particular difficulties of socializing complicate the picture.<\/p>\n
As for extroverts \u2014 well, most solitary activities require a certain intellectual focus, whether it\u2019s reading, or journaling, or someone who plays the piano or sews or knits.\u00a0 So is an extrovert, at least sometimes or in part,\u00a0someone who is less able to focus, and less able to enjoy these sorts of solitary activities?\u00a0 (Of course, the world of video gaming has introduced new solitary activities which are not particularly intellectual and don\u2019t require much focus.)\u00a0 I\u2019d say more about extroverts but \u2014 let\u2019s face it \u2014 I don\u2019t know any well enough to understand them, anyway. <\/p>\n
UPDATE: Thinking about this some more. There are<\/i> extroverts with poor social skills; I know one and maybe you do, too. If you\u2019re somewhat oblivious \u2014 and either happen to land in a tolerant social group or are involved in activities where the socializing is scheduled (e.g., church young adult group, Jaycees, etc.), and you don\u2019t have to worry about whether your invitations are reciprocated, it\u2019s much easier. <\/p>\n
The question to think about is this: is someone who\u2019s an introvert, a life-long introvert, and the reverse? Or does it depend on the type of social situations\/social groups one ends up in over the course of one\u2019s life?<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
So I was in a funk earlier today and decided that I would reread that book on introverts that appeared a year or so ago as a bit of a boost, and went onto the library\u2019s online catalog. This is what I found: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can\u2019t Stop Talking, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n