You hear it every day: College is where you find out who you are. It’s where you truly find yourself and fully develop into your own personality. It’s no surprise that everyone has a very different personality, but it is surprising that society labels certain personalities as superior or inferior. There is a stigma about introverts – maybe it’s the mystery or a misconception. Either way, I think that we as a culture need to move away from labeling introversion as a negative.
Extroversion vs. introversion… What’s the real difference?
Extroversion is defined as the quality of being outgoing and directing attention to things other than yourself. Introversion is a central dimension of human personality theories. For the Smokin’ Notes version of those long definitions, I would simply say that extroverts tend to get their energy from being around others while introverts get their energy from spending time alone. Extroverts are usually the shouters while introverts are the reflectors. It doesn’t stop there. There are people who have begun to label themselves as ‘introverted extroverts’ and ‘extroverted introverts’ because the lines do blur. Personality is definitely not something that fits in a cut-and-dried definition.
How does my personality type affect my daily life?
Personally, I definitely consider myself an introvert the majority of the time, but this doesn’t stop me from being able to be a leader or be any less influential in decision-making situations. It doesn’t mean that I’m scared of speaking up. I just have to think it through before voicing how I feel. It means that I may die a little on the inside when working on group projects or when I’m asked out to Midtown. Or when your parents had friends over for dinner and you hide in your room until the last possible second. Small talk is my enemy – and I have to work on that. Don’t let anyone label you as a “loner” just because you enjoy your time alone.
There is a gap between how society views introverts.
If you look up synonyms for the word “introvert,” the selections are “loner, recluse, hermit, timid” and the list goes on. I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty negative to me. As an introvert, you hear it all the time, “Oh, you must be really shy.” No, introverts are not always shy, just like extroverts are not always down for a long, drawn-out conversation. Personalities have a wide spectrum, but society seems to only want to focus on the negative. In reality, introverts have an extreme attention to detail and have the potential to be wildly successful. If anyone questions the success rate of introverts, point them to Emma Watson, Bill Gates, J.K. Rowling, Albert Einstein and many more.
If you’re the girl that dies a little on the inside when the teacher announces that the class will be working on a group assignment that day, I would say that you have some introversion qualities. Don’t let anyone think less of you because of it. Society is changing and I think that it’s about time that the vocal, outgoing extroverts aren’t seen as superior to the inward-thinking introverts. Own your personality and work hard to prove that introverts should not be seen as inferior. We’re just different in a remarkable way.
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