When reading Quiet:The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking by Susan Cain I find it hard to relate to the introvert living in an extrovert world because I feel that I am the clear definition of an extrovert. I've seldom feel the need to be alone, or want to leave a group of people. Being in Mansfield made me realize that college it is an extroverts dream. You are constantly surrounded by people and activities to partake in. As a Extrovert I relish and succeed in this type of environment. I am constantly motivated by the people around me making my work ethic better. An observation about Extroverts that I have made, that wasn't in the book, is that they are people pleasers and thrive off of the energy that they surround themselves with.What I understand now from reading Quiet is that Extroverts loved sharing what they have offer to the world and also crave it. I never had fulled realized that but this is also applicable to me too. Being a music student you are constantly being put on the spot or critiqued for your talent. We live off of the pressure to perform and be proficient in whatever we have to do. I also found out that being an extrovert doesn't equal power and being an introvert doesn't equal weakness. You can be an introvert and be a completely powerful and aggressive person. Even the author of this book, Susan Cain, had a career as a Wall Street lawyer for a decent amount of time and still identifies as a introvert.
The Merriam Webster Dictionary describes a extrovert as "A Gregarious and Unreserved Person." I use these personality traits to my advantage, and feel that this definition perfectly describes who I am today.
Hi Martin,
ReplyDeleteWe definitely have very different personalities and I found it interesting to read about your different perspectives and compare them to my own. I thought your observation about extroverts often being people pleasers was interesting. I do want to please people but I find that more than that I want to please myself. I hold myself to an extremely high standard, sometimes a virtually impossible standard. I have super high expectations of myself and I am motivated by my own desire to fulfill these expectations. I'm not sure if that's just me being crazy or if it does have something to do with my introverted nature. I am so glad that you realize being an introvert does not equate with being weak. I think that is a common misconception about people like me. I may be quiet but I can also possess great courage and strength if the situation requires it. I also really liked the title you chose for your post. I thought it was really creative.