For the Introverts

[dust]

A topic for the celebration of introversion.

 

 

Edited January 13, 2017 by dust

[liminal_luke]

Yeah, I`ve noticed the trend towards introvert celebration too, but I think it`s a good thing.  In the US anyway, it`s considered way better to be extroverted.  If introverts are having a bit of a moment lately, well, good for them -- better late than never. 

Edited January 8, 2017 by liminal_luke

[dust]

Yeah, I`ve noticed the trend towards introvert celebration too, but I think it`s a good thing.  In the US anyway, it`s considered way better to be extroverted.  If introverts are having a bit of a moment lately, well, good for them -- better late than never.

 

Yes, it's a good thing.. my comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. (Not so obviously, I guess.) The whole point of this thread is an online celebration of introversion!

 

(edited OP to hopefully reflect this!)

 

 

 

 

Edited January 8, 2017 by dust

[liminal_luke]

Ah, OK....very cool.  One of the most extroverted people I know often claims, usually in a very loud voice, to be "cripplingly shy."  Maybe this wins him social points among the many strangers he strikes up conversations with on a daily basis.  Alas, this kind of talk doesn`t work so well in job interview situations.  When a potential employer asked my very introverted partner why he quit his last job, he told the unfortunate truth: because he doesn`t like working with people.  Oops...  

Edited January 9, 2017 by liminal_luke

[dust]

Yeah, the employment thing can be an obstacle.

 

I wonder about these people who need interaction on an hourly basis, though. I used to have a very extroverted friend who, because I am often quite quiet and thoughtful (until you get to know me) latched onto me. Because she never stopped talking, she never noticed how uncomfortable certain behaviour made me, and never allowed me the chance to open up. Eventually I just had to make a break. I feel guilty still, as when I moved away I just lost contact with her, and I believe she was quite upset and confused. But I don't know how else to handle it! "No" is not in her vocabulary. And the thing is, I know that she's emotionally very vulnerable and needs good friends around her, and I feel bad for not being able to be one of them.

 

Hmm...that's enough lamentation from me.

 

 

Edited January 13, 2017 by dust

[TheDustAutumn]

As an introvert I think most people today confuse introversion with shyness and social anxiety and a lot of the memes about introverts make that same confusion.

[Marblehead]

I like introverts.  They don't talk my ears off.

[Rishi Das]

 

 

 

[dust]

To respond to both of you in one comment...
 

As an introvert I think most people today confuse introversion with shyness and social anxiety and a lot of the memes about introverts make that same confusion.

 

 

Yeah. Well, maybe not most people, but a lot.

Social anxiety and other learned mental issues (as opposed to inborn tendencies such as introversion) are supposedly becoming more commonplace in modern society, and I suspect many latch on to the 'introvert' label -- maybe it's easier to believe that.

 

Then again, one can experience a combination of the 3 (shy, anxiety, introversion). I was shy and introverted as a child. The shyness is gone, I've been around the block (not too far but enough) -- I can talk to anyone, I just don't want to most of the time.

[cold]

"I can talk to anyone, I just don't want to most of the time."

 

 

I identify and completely agree with that statement, emotion, and or decision !

[Rishi Das]

Yeah. Well, maybe not most people, but a lot.

 

I wouldn't know - so even saying, most, for me is a stretch.

 

What i do know is that i am deeply introverted and can differentiate between said introversion and shyness/social awkwardness. I am affected by both.

 

That said, there was a time i wouldn't have understood that difference and believe it is important to point out.

[C T]

introvert

 

someone who has mastered the difficult skill of bridge deconstruction

[Marblehead]

introvert

 

someone who has mastered the difficult skill of bridge deconstruction

 

Yeah, while in the Army I as stationed with three different Engineer units that did that kind of work.  In one of them my communications center was in an APC.  (Yes, I had an operator assigned to me to drive the freakin' thing.)

[Brian]

introvert

 

someone who has mastered the difficult skill of bridge deconstruction

Someone for whom bridge deconstruction comes naturally...

[dust]

I don't.

 

I could talk at anyone. But talking to someone tends to require there be mild-to-moderate common ground. I am a rather abnormal individual and there are significant swaths of the population with whom there is not usually common ground.

 

Not sure if this is introversion so much as misanthropy though either way I'm not one to judge..

 

 

 

Yeah, while in the Army I as stationed with three different Engineer units that did that kind of work.  In one of them my communications center was in an APC.  (Yes, I had an operator assigned to me to drive the freakin' thing.)

 

I must assume that the army is not a good place for people who don't enjoy being around other people most of the time... though an APC might be a good way to get around without people bothering you!

[C T]

Someone for whom bridge deconstruction comes naturally...

from what i have observed, its a tendency, and like all tendencies, its a pattern compounded by a complex web of habits that shapes the introvert into what he or she is presently. Not saying its good or bad, just that it often leads to contractive attitudes which can accumulate, and if so, could breed other darker states. 

[liminal_luke]

from what i have observed, its a tendency, and like all tendencies, its a pattern compounded by a complex web of habits that shapes the introvert into what he or she is presently. Not saying its good or bad, just that it often leads to contractive attitudes which can accumulate, and if so, could breed other darker states. 

 

It`s good, I think, to have choice.  Neither mode, extroversion or introversion, is intrinsically superior.  Rather, they come in handy at different moments. It`s heatlhy and occasionally necessary for introverts to do things introverts don`t typically do: attend parties, lead projects, give speeches.  It`s healthy and occasionally necessary for extroverts to withdraw from the hullabaloo of constant socialization and quietly consider and contemplate.  

 

We`ll likely always be who we are, and that`s good.  It`s also good not to so deeply identify with a particular stance in the world that we can`t explore alternative ways of being when the life circumstances call for something different from business as usual.

Edited January 11, 2017 by liminal_luke

[Brian]

It`s good, I think, to have choice.  Neither mode, extroversion or introversion, is intrinsically superior.  Rather, they come in handy at different moments. It`s heatlhy and occasionally necessary for introverts to do things introverts don`t typically do: attend parties, lead projects, give speeches.  It`s healthy and occasionally necessary for extroverts to withdraw from the hullabaloo of constant socialization and quietly consider and contemplate.  

 

We`ll likely always be who we are, and that`s good.  It`s also good not to so deeply identify with a particular stance in the world that we can`t explore alternative ways of being when the life circumstances call for something different from business as usual.

We are more than we see ourselves to be.

[dust]

Now now... let's not get too serious. (I think what both of you have said holds true to an extent, though I think introversion (as opposed to social anxiety and other learned states) is an inborn tendency and must be accepted in order for one to live a satisfying life. And I must wholeheartedly disagree about speeches. I will never give another speech as long as I live.)

 

 

http://www.boredpanda.com/funny-introvert-comics/

 

Some of these are very good

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 11, 2017 by dust

[Geof Nanto]

Sorry Dust, I just can't help but be serious on a subject so dear to my heart. When I read Susan Cain's book on introverts it totally change my perception of myself. I felt validated. (For anyone interested, there's also a TED talk video of her.)

 

Carl Jung's insights are significant too. He is the one who coined the terms Introvert and Extravert . Here’s something I like based around the powerful hero archetype……

 

In the Jungian framework there are three types of hero. We are mixtures of all three in various proportions - one type no more valid than another.  Briefly, they are as follows: - 

 

The aim of the extraverted type of hero is action - he / she is the founder, leader, and liberator whose deeds change the face of the world. The introverted type is the culture bringer, the redeemer and saviour who discovers inner values, exalting them as knowledge and wisdom, as a law and faith, a work to be accomplished and an example to be followed. The third type of hero does not seek to change the world through such struggles, but to transform the personality.  Self-transformation is his / her true aim, and the liberating effect this has on the world is only secondary.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Yueya

[dust]

It's celebratory in nature, not maudlin or despondent, so you're all good

[silent thunder]

My introversion fostered and catalyzed a sense of humor at a young age.

Humor was my bridge to social situations... if I could put other people at ease with sharing my strange and embarassing moments, then I too could relax.

I am absolutely comfortable standing on a stage alone in front of thousands of people.

Whereas going to a coffee shop to meet a handful of people intimately... can be a formidable process.

Once I'm there... energy flows naturally... but getting past the inertia can be a challenge... one that I'm not often inclined to see as mandatory or even healthy.  It all depends on the conditions and the moment really.