Stereotypes believe that introverts are socially awkward loners, who abhor large gatherings and don’t like people very much.
Susan Cain, who is the author of ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’ has shed some light on introverts, who live in a culture that tends to value extroverted qualities like assertiveness and outspokenness over solitude and quiet contemplation.
According to Sophia Dembling, author of ‘The Introvert’s Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World,’ the introversion/extroversion distinction has its roots in Jungian psychology that views extroverts as naturally oriented towards the outside world, and introverts focused on their inner world.
Huffington Post has laid out some thoughts about the introverts which are clearly wrong.
One such myth is that all introverts are shy and all shy people are introverts. Introversion, Dembling explained, is usually defined as recharging and gaining energy through alone time, while shyness has more to do with discomfort and anxiety in situations involving social interaction. She said that many introverts aren’t shy; and may feel confident and at ease around people, they just require more alone time to balance out the energy that they expend in social situations, the Huffington Post reported.
Another belief about introverts is that they don’t like to be around people.
Dembling said that introverts may prefer one-on-one interaction and want to sit and watch the action from the sidelines, which can be classified as fun for an introvert.
Another thing that people believe about introverts is that they don’t make good leaders or public speakers, which in reality is not true as Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and countless other leaders have shown.
According to a research, individuals of both personality types may be well-suited to leadership and sales roles.
Another belief that is doing rounds is that introverted people have more negative personalities. This misconception is likely to have stemmed from the fact that extroverts, who gain their energy from social interaction may feel sad when they don’t spend enough time with people, Dembling said.
People also think that introverts are more intellectual or creative than extroverts which is false, as creativity though occurring in an introverted space doesn’t mean that they have cornered the market on it, Dembling said. (ANI)