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Reader contribution: All the world’s a stage for introverts

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Carol G. Whiting, pens her thoughts on the need for introverts to perform on the world stage of life.

I often think that if the Academy Awards were open to all performers, introverts would sweep the evening with critical acclaim. Introverts excel at the art of acting and although we’d rather not stand in the spotlight, we know that the stage surrounds us. It’s as close as the busy world outside the calm, inner sanctum of our quiet thoughts and observations.

Our ability to act or perform is not about insincerity, it’s about necessity. It’s about functioning well in successful interactions with others where we live and work. If you’re a businesswoman, you’ll eventually have to give a presentation to a group. If you’re a construction worker, you’ll likely be in an environment of noise and people. If you’re a student, you’ll be called upon to answer the instructor’s questions.

“Introversion is not a “condition” and extroversion is not the gold standard of personality measurement”

Are introvert’s fakers? Absolutely not! Most of us make the very best friends and are known to be kind, trustworthy, loyal, dedicated, helpful, interesting, funny and yes, even talkative in small close-knit groups. When introverts “act” we aren’t pretending, we’re just pulling up all the bubbles we can muster from our brains, imagining we are outgoing and completely confident, stepping from our comfort zone and putting ourselves “out there.”

It’s the reverse action and thought process an extrovert may struggle with in trying to be silent in a lively group discussion when they know everything about the subject. Susan Cain described introversion perfectly in her book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. She says, “As adults, many of us work for organisations that insist we work in teams, offices without walls and for supervisors who value ‘people skills’ above all. To advance our careers, we’re expected to promote ourselves unabashedly.” Susan adds, “You wouldn’t be reading this book if I hadn’t convinced my publisher that I was enough of a pseudo-extrovert to promote it.”

Introversion and extroversion are often misunderstood. I would like to say here, to any extroverts who are reading, that introversion is not a “condition” and extroversion is not the gold standard of personality measurement. Introverts and extroverts each inherit and learn distinctly different ways of processing information and interacting with people. The complementary features of our make-up can allow for great work to be accomplished when we understand our differences and use those to work or reach a common goal.

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Introverts prefer written communication as opposed to verbal

Introverted people are thoughtful, reserved, observant and self-aware. We enjoy writing, research and spending quiet time alone. We prefer written communication, instead of verbal. Extroverts are outgoing, have large circles of friends and derive energy from interacting with others. They like group discussions, speaking and sharing their opinions.

Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jüng didn’t identify these two personality descriptions as behaviours. His research that popularised the two positions placed each on the ends of a horizontal continuum, as dimensions of the psyche, with neither to be considered better than the other. Most of us have discovered for ourselves that people lean toward one end of the spectrum or the other and that many of us are found somewhere in the middle. Jüng wrote, “There is no such thing as a pure extrovert or a pure introvert. Such a man would be in the lunatic asylum.”

So, dear introvert, as you ponder your creativity in acting, and spend time analysing and practicing the script you will speak on the stage of your next performance, consider the words of science journalist Winifred Gallagher, “The glory of the disposition that stops to consider stimuli rather than rushing to engage with them is its long association with intellectual and artistic achievement.” And celebrate your personality. For me, if I win an Oscar it will be in the artistic category of “Daily Life.” Of course, I won’t be there to accept it, but will send an extroverted friend on my behalf, who is much more adept at public speaking and posing!

Carol G. Whiting is a Wallflower based in South Carolina, USA

 

 

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