The power of Quiet
Dear all,
Over the past few days we’ve been celebrating Psychology and Biology Enrichment Week. Monday’s assembly explored the difference between introverts, extroverts and ambiverts; how over the past 100 years or so, the Western world has arguably come to value style over substance; and the positive contribution of introverts. Here is a copy of the reading:
‘Do you regard yourself as being a loud or a quiet person? Does the prospect of going to a party where you won’t know most people excite or terrify you? Do you look forward more to a night out or a night in? Are you a social butterfly or would you rather lose yourself in a good book?
And, if you think of yourself as a quiet person, do you think that’s generally a positive or a negative character trait?
Over the past 100 years or so, Western culture has moved away from valuing character and towards valuing personality. Qualities such as sociability and assertiveness have become key indicators of likely career success which has arguably led to the underestimation and undervaluation of traits such as reflection and deep thinking. You don’t need to look very hard to find examples – think about reality TV stars or social media influencers, for example.
This has been called the ‘Extrovert Ideal’ by some. Think of your favourite musician, actor, or sporting hero and it’s likely you will consider them to be someone who is outgoing and extroverted. But would you be correct in this assumption? Many high-profile leaders and popular figures were or are in fact, introverts. As a child, Mahatma Gandhi used to run home from school to avoid socialising with his classmates, yet he went on to lead India to its independence without changing his inherent introversion; Albert Einstein failed a school entrance exam at the age of sixteen, partly because he had focused only on the subjects that interested him – that’s another feature of introversion, the preference to dive deeply into a topic rather than studying a broad but more superficial range of subjects; JK Rowling believes that being a strong introvert is what allowed her to become a writer as it has given her the capacity to develop her characters to such depth and to sit for hours on end thinking about where to take a storyline; whilst one of the stars of the Harry Potter films, Emma Watson, is also a self-proclaimed introvert. I could go on – Barack Obama, Bill Gates, Steven Spielberg, even Beyonce – all of them leaders, performers, and influential in their chosen fields, and all of them self-proclaimed introverts.
In reality, around half of us are more introverted than extroverted but what do these terms actually mean? The simplest explanation is that it comes down to how much you enjoy, want, and need interaction with other people, and the extent to which you feel either energised or drained by them. An introvert may be perfectly comfortable in the company of others but is unlikely to be energised or inspired by it and may find they are at their most productive and motivated when working individually, whilst the opposite is true for extroverts.
Introversion does not mean shyness or a lack of confidence. Shyness is a behaviour – a response to being anxious in a social situation – so it is entirely possible to be a confident introvert or a shy extrovert.
Put simply, what defines each type of person is whether they draw their energy from within themselves or from other people.
Most psychologists agree that where you fall on this spectrum is one of the most important things in determining your personality but, as with so many other things in life, it’s not as simple as deciding whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert. Some of us are extreme introverts and others are extreme extroverts, but many of us have a tendency towards one with aspects of the other, whilst some people are split down the middle – so-called ambiverts.
So, which are you – introvert, extrovert, or ambivert?’
In most respects, we definitely live in a noisier world than was the case 100 years ago and it’s an interesting hypothesis that the Western world has come to value personality over character, or – some would argue – style over substance. If you haven’t read it, I recommend the book Quiet Power, by Susan Cain. Its strapline is ‘growing up as an introvert in a world that can’t stop talking’ and whether you think you’re an introvert, an extrovert, or an ambivert it’s a really interesting book that can help us better understand ourselves and those around us.
Have a great weekend and a nice half-term break.
Best wishes
Michael Bond
