And the last installment of my introversion posts (hopefully… for now) is this article called “Caring for your introvert.” I think probably my favorite part of it is that the author entertains the idea that introverts are oppressed. This might sound ludicrous to an extrovert, but as an introvert, I certainly feel oppressed in the extroverted world we live in. I can’t tell you the number of times extroverts have told me the following, each time to my dismay:
“why are you so serious all the time?”
“lighten up”
“you should smile more”
“are you okay?” - asked when I’m merely processing internally and nothing’s wrong at all!!
“quit being so anti-social and come join the party”
ok, so this is turning into a rant… but what would make me happier/smile more is for people to realize that being an introvert isn’t a bad thing! There is incredible depth to us introverts, and you just have to take the time to understand us. And if we need time to get away, don’t take it personally, and don’t judge us for it - there’s actually a lot of good that can come from some peaceful solitude.
And i really want to drive this point home: watch your language. i don’t know if extroverts pick this up, but there is often a bias revealed in the language of everyone that favors extroversion over introversion in American society… people will use negative tones of voice or words to describe their own introverted behavior or the introverted behavior of others…
e.g. “I don’t know what was wrong with me, I was being so anti-social that day, I just needed to get away from people and be by myself to recharge” - this kind of thing hurts and it pisses me off. choose to try to understand the introverted perspective, value it, and if you can’t get it, just at least respect it.
2 years ago