Introverts: Successfulness and Value To Our Society

Danielle Lizarraga
Passage I Proposal
March 20, 2015
Mrs. Hanson

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Introduction
The personality of introverts and extroverts is something that has been much debated for
years. There are many that will argue that extroverts are the world dominators. There are others
that claim introverts are in fact the world dominators. On average, extroverts are seen as the ones
who achieve the most success on a global scale. It is logical; extroverts are the social
butterflies and since this is a social world they will adapt well to multiple environments that
they are put in. Introverts are not viewed as highly as extroverts because of their reserved nature.
Anyone can be successful, introverts, extroverts, and everything in between. Globally, modern
society tends to value qualities of extroversion, but introverts can be just as successful and
valuable to our world as well.
Introversion and extroversion are personality types officially introduced to us by Carl
Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. Carl
G. Jung is probably best known for his research being the basis for the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI), a popular personality test that indicates whether you are an introvert or an
extrovert along with how you think or act. This paper will follow what Carl Jung started, but
will also include new studies and research of the modern day. There will be information for both
of the personality groups; Who are they? What are their personality characteristics? How do
people come to have these personalities? How does personality type affect memory, IQ and
success in academics? How successful are they in the professional world, referring to leadership
positions, and job varieties?
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Background of These Personalities

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The definition of introversion as stated by Susan Cain in a radio interview on To the
Best of Our Knowledge, is (someone who has a) preference for less stimulation. Introverts are
individuals who prefer to roam alone as much as possible. Most people describe an introvert as
being shy and reserved, which is understandable due to their lack of social contact, but this is not
accurate. Introversion is not about being shy. Such a person is different from an introvert.
Susan Cain describes a shy person as someone who is afraid of social judgement, as someone
who is excessively worried about what people think (of them) in her book, Quiet: The Power
of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.
However, it is very possible for an introvert to also be shy. Some introverts are shy and
some are not, but the differences in these qualities have been overlooked, and people have come
to the conclusion that all introverts are shy people. Some examples of well known introverts
according to the Huffington Post are J.K.Rowling, Christina Aguilera, Eleanor Roosevelt, Albert
Einstein, Emma Watson, Rosa Parks, Bill Gates, Gandhi, and Abraham Lincoln. Just to name a
few. These individuals have described themselves as being introverted, but not entirely shy.
An extrovert is typically known for his or her social skills. Their personalities are that of
the social butterfly that likes the attention and wants to be around people as much as possible.
The definition of extroversion is that extroverts, really crave stimulation in order to feel at their
best, as given by Susan Cain in her interview with Ian Tucker in The Observer. Extroverts need
the social interaction to get reenergized when they are feeling under the weather, which is
usually due to the lack of interaction between humans. Introverts do the same thing, except when
they are in social places they start to feel under the weather. Introverts need a solitary place to
reenergize so that they can have energy to be in social settings. These personality types are

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categorized by where you get your source of energy from: social situations for extroverts and
alone time for introverts.
There has also been some recent research showing an ambiversion personality type.
Ambiversion lies between introversion and extroversion. The Collins English Dictionary
describes a ambivert as "a person who is intermediate between an extrovert and an introvert"
This personality type is for the ones who identify themselves as neither introverts or extroverts,
they are a bit of both. They can be an introverted extrovert, or an extroverted introvert. Carl G.
Jung said, There is no such thing as a pure introvert or extrovert. Such a person would be in the
lunatic asylum. Lonerwolf Newsletter describes ambiverts as the lost personality type, sitting
on the fence, stuck between the extroverted and introverted world. In an interview made by
Sophie Elmhirst from New Statesman Magazine on Susan Cains book Quiet, Susan Cain
describes an ambivert as someone, who has control of which way they feel and act, then they
have the best of all possible worlds. But some ambiverts dont have this sense of control over
which self they are going to be at any given moment. But there is not much accessible
research or information on this personality type, or at least not yet, being as though the term has
just been newly brought up to Psychology.
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Personality Formation
According to Psychologist Betty W. Phillips, there are more extroverts than introverts in
the world, a two to one ratio. Why is that? Why are there two extroverts for every one introvert?
How were both of these social groups born? Or were they created? According to
Psychologies.co.uk in the article The Revenge of the Introvert, Psychotherapist Christine
Webber believes your personality type is largely to do with your life experiences. She gives us

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the example of, if your father said you were stupid for not understanding a question, or teachers
constantly put you down, this is likely to affect how confident you feel about speaking up. She
also says, and if friends were always shouting out correct answers to questions before you, that
may have reinforced this inner commentary and made you retreat. When you are constantly put
down you start to lose confidence and just start to give up. Because of this, introverts will usually
chose to instead think about things in their own mind without sharing.
Susan Cain also mentions gender as a factor in whether a person is introverted or
extroverted. In her interview with Ian Tucker in The Observer, she says that, It's pretty much
50/50. Men are more likely to be introverted than women are, but it's really very slight. In the
same interview she mentions cultural stereotypes as having an effect, for men it can be a little
bit more difficult, because there are these cultural demands for men to be very dominant. But
there are roles for introverted men: the strong reserved man, the strong silent type. I think
especially in the UK, there is more of a place for dignified reserve. The US used to have a place
for that, but we lost it! For women, on the other hand there is some permission to be more
demure, more modest. Men are supposed to be, macho, macho, being the Spanish word for
aggressive and masculine and ladies are prefered not to say a word.
This can vary from culture to culture since each have their own social structure and
preference for both genders. For example, from Psychologies.co.uk, Andrew Mallett of training
company Present Action points out, In many Asian cultures, extrovert behaviour is seen as
crude. It is much more usual to be introverted. While in the Western world, there is more of a
big business based society so extroverts are wanted because they are charismatic and stand out
more, like the old saying goes, man of action vs. man of contemplation. It is human nature to
follow the charismatic person, it is in our genes and there is nothing wrong with that. But

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something that needs to be known is that introverts can be just successful and valuable as
extroverts.
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Academics
Psychotherapist Martia Olsen Laney mentions in her book, The Introvert Advantage:
How to Thrive in an Extrovert World, research into the workings of the brain that suggests that
the signal to an introverts brain follows a much longer path than it does with an extroverts.
Research done on the human brain suggests that while introverts take longer to react to a given
question, their brains are sparking and instantly making many connections, while the extroverted
brain does not spark as much and he or she will give an answer right away. Extroverts have to
make an effort to think as deeply as introverts do naturally. Introverts are left to wander their
minds. That is the only place where introverts are comfortable, in their minds with their
thoughts. Due to this, when given a situation where they have to make a decision introverts will
naturally think about many things simultaneously to come to a consensus. However, according to
Psychology Today, Scientists now know that, while introverts have no special advantage in
intelligence, they do seem to process more information than others in any given situation.
There was a small quiz conducted on 14 members of Student Council at Denver Center
for International Studies (DCIS) and most of the introverted members described themselves as
being either an average or above average academic student. What a shocker, introverts are just
like every other child. To say one personality type is more intelligent than the other is a hard
thing to say because intelligent people come in all shades of personalities. Even if the research
shown above and below show something on the contrary.

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Our society today favors extroverts. Most facilities, such as schools and workplaces, are
designed for extroverts, which in a way is understandable being that two-thirds of the worlds
population is described as being extroverted, while only one-third of people describe themselves
as being introverts. As said by Susan Cain in her Ted Talk, adults in most workplaces work in
open offices with desks arranged to socialize, instead of what they had in the past with walls
between each employee's desk. She also says that kids in schools have to face each other in table
pods. Students have to do a ludicrous amount of group projects each school year, even in
subjects that were supposed to be building individual skills like math and creative writing.
Extroverts are said to be the students that teachers prefer because of their collaboration and
participation in class, said by Susan Cain in her Ted Talk presentation. There are is not even a
place for introverts is academics because something that was supposed to be about independent
thinking and work has become something about collaborative thinking and sharing. Not what
school was originally for.
But why are we making introverts feel so guilty about not wanting to be involved in those
class discussions or about going off by themselves? When research done by The Gifted and
Creative Services of Australia shows that 75 percent of all the people that have an IQ over 160
are introverts and that majority of the gifted people are formed by introverts. On average,
introverts are shown to be more knowledgeable than extroverts. This could be because when in
solitude you are free to roam the wanderlands inside the mind which leads to creativity and
intelligence. Albert Einstein said, "The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the
creative mind.
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Business and Profession

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In a leadership position, we as a universal society will usually prefer the person who is
the most charismatic out of the whole room according to Changing Minds, in their article,
Charismatic Leadership. Its the most obvious choice because as an extrovert, they are the most
social and make friends the easiest. A national study compiled over the course of two-and-a-half
years of introverted professionals, found that four out of the five professionals said that
extroverts are more likely to get ahead in their workplace, as stated by Jennifer Kahnweiler in
her book, The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength. This once again is because
of extroverts excellent charisma and their way with others that makes people want to be lead by
someone as charismatic as an extrovert. However, introverted leaders have also been shown to be
great leaders as well.
When Susan Cain was presenting her Ted Talk she mentioned introverts being more
likely to be better in leadership positions because they are less likely to take huge risks, are more
careful, will let employees run with their ideas, and make the employees feel like they have a
voice in the company. An extroverted leader will also listen to the ideas of his or her employees,
but most of the time they will usually stamp their own opinion on it and the ideas of others will
be dismissed.
Introverts can make better leaders than extroverts because they Think first, talk later,
focus in depth, exude calm, let their fingers do the talking, and embrace solitude, according to
Jennifer Kahnweiler in her book, The Introverted Leader: Building on Your Quiet Strength.
Introverts have great listening and comprehension skills. They will likely not make a decision
without carefully analyzing it and seeing all the possible outcomes. In this day and society it
could be better because we have to be more careful, otherwise, we can lose profit opportunities.
Whereas extroverts will usually not think thoroughly about decisions and likely make the

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decision based on what they feel at that that moment. Introverts mostly prefer to listen and come
to an agreement that everyone feels is okay, introverts will come to a consensus instead of
running with their own ideas. Introverts actually can be better leaders than extraverts, especially
when their employees are naturally proactive, according to Harvard Business School professor
Francesca Gino. We usually expect CEOs to hold up to their name: C for charismatic, E for
effusive, and O for outgoing. But then there are the introverted CEOs: C for calm, E for eremitic,
and O for observant also said by Francesca Gino.
Not everyone can be a CEO, what jobs are a better fit for introverts? Since introverts
need less simulation to feel energized they need a job that will require less to no social time. This
can include jobs such as an Installer, Repairer, Financial Analyst, Biochemist, Biophysicist,
Materials Engineer, Marine Engineer And Naval Architect, Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists,
Geographers, Actuary, Mathematician, Political Scientist, Physicist, or Astronomer as given by
The Richest Newsletter. These jobs are a good fit for introverts who have an interest in any of
these career fields. These jobs are all a like in that they all require a lot of research. Research can
be done will little to no social simulation which is a good aspect as to why introverts are a good
match for these jobs. But not only do these jobs require little to no simulation they require
intense amount of thinking and strategizing, something introverts naturally do well.
There has been much talk about what the outside world is like for the grown extroverts
and introverts, but what is it like for the young, local introverts and extroverts? Here, at Denver
Center for International Studies (DCIS), there has been a recent study and based off the results,
that were kindly, and most gratefully, done by 14 members of Student Council, shows that 64
percent consider themselves extroverted and only 36 percent consider themselves introverted and
that 57 percent considered themselves a good leader by being able to build consensus and the

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ones who chose the research based jobs, such as, mathematics, engineering, science, technology
and law enforcement were mostly the ones who described themselves as being an introvert.
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Legacy
Rosa Parks identified herself as being an introvert, but put herself out there into the world
for her cause. Gandhi, also identified himself as being an introvert, but was driven on making a
change and put himself in the public eye. Albert Einstein was also an introvert, but when
discovering new things he couldnt just keep it to himself, he shared his findings with the world.
J.K Rowling is also an introvert, but decided on putting her work out in the public. Susan Cain
mention Dr. Seuss as being an introvert on her Ted Talks presentation, but said he was afraid of
meeting the little children who read his books because he didnt want to disappoint them into
thinking that he was a jolly, talkative, or outgoing character, but then again he couldnt speak at
all. These individuals pushed themselves into being more outgoing, to fight for what they believe
in or to fight for what they wanted to achieve, even when every bone in their body told them not
to.
Imagine if they hadnt done it. Imagine if they had decided not to stand up for what they
believed to be just or if they chose to stay comfortable in their own mind and never leave it, even
if for a little bit. These people are only a handful of introverts that have changed history as we
know it. Listing them all would be more than exciting, but would take up much too many space
and kill a whole rainforest just for the necessary amount of paper. But, just as extroverts have a
legacy of all their accomplishments and benefits towards society, introverts have that too.
Everyone has a legacy, even if other people cannot see it, it is there.

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These people who were listed above along with so many others changed our history.
Though introverts are not seen as strong or brave they will definitely stand up for what is right,
just like many extroverts will. Of course, each personality type has their differences, but at the
end of the day, everyone is same. Everyone feels the same emotions and everyone feels the same
physical pain (unless you are wrapped in bubble wrap, which is very cool). At the end of the day
all personality types are the same, even if there are two or three different categories.
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Conclusion
Extroverts are seen as more powerful and more valuable than introverts. It is
understandable, but introverts are just as successful and valuable to our society as extroverts are.
Introverts get pushed to the side and ignored because they prefer to watch and listen to others.
We as a universal society need to remember that we are all human and go through similar
feelings. There is no need for the name calling and labels that are put on introverts. This society
values the qualities of an extrovert and when you value something you make it a priority.
Now, the world is becoming a place that is catering to extroverts: classrooms,
workplaces, the construction of more malls, the construction of more plazas, etc. Since the world
is catering more to extroverts, people treat introverts differently for wanting to go off and be by
themselves. Always telling introverts to come and join the rest of the class, to be more social
with coworkers and peers, to go to parties, to go eat with a crowd of people, being forced to
speak with others, being forced to present and speak in front of the class. Introverts hear these
things all the time and after a while it starts to stick with you and wonder of something is
actually wrong with you. It is like wanting to go off by yourself is a disease.

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This way of thinking has to stop. Everyone is an individual and being an individual
makes one unique. So why do we want to make individuals be the same as everyone else and out
them for being that way? Change is a hard thing, especially with the masses, but small changes,
even from one individual makes a whole of a difference. Some small things that can be done are
physical things: in a classroom, having desks and chairs where people sit in a circle and face
each other is uncomfortable for introverts, having individual desks helps with introverted
learning and when forcing students to talk or present in front of everyone, that is also very
uncomfortable for introverts. Dont base introverts knowledge on how well they speak or give a
presentation. Schools and teachers have ones best interest in heart when preparing them for the
real world, but there are countless jobs that dont require given speeches or even talk to anyone
during working hours. Something that could help the working introvert be more productive is
have walled desks or working areas.
Extroverts are successful in many things and introverts are also successful in many
things. This world is too biased towards extroverts. There has to be a middle ground where both
introverts and extroverts can have places where they feel comfortable and can be productive.
Introverts are seen as the underdogs, as the underachievers, but if they can be given the proper
resources and environment they can excel just as much as extroverts, if not more. Introverts are
people too. They need to start being treated like one.
We need both extroverts and introverts. One is not better than the other. Through the
research accumulated throughout the paper there is a biased introverted viewpoint, but in many
articles, and even books there is a bias, whether it be extroverted or introverted, but that was
wrong and a mistake. Many do not stand up for the introverts of the world and originally that
was what this research paper was supposed to do, but after much thought, hopefully you will

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have a change a heart and treat introverts a little differently. We need the charisma and speaking
skills of the extroverts and the knowledge and comprehension of the introverts to succeed.
Society needs to find a way where one personality type does not over shine another. Introverts
and extroverts compliment each other, what extroverts are lacking, introverts are overflowing
with them and with what introverts are lacking, extroverts are overflowing with them, too. If the
big and small heroes joined forces and stood by each other we could make a brighter world, for
everyone.

Works Cited:
"Quiet: The Power of Introverts ." Writ. Susan Cain. To the Best of Our Knowledge. PRI. WPR,
24 June 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.

Cain, Susan. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. United States:
Crown Publishing Group, 2012. 1-333. Print

Tucker, Ian. "Susan Cain: 'Society has a cultural bias towards extroverts'." The Observer (2012):
12 pars. Web. 16 Oct. 2014

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Elmhirst, Sophie. "The Books Interview: Susan Cain." New Statesman 3 May 2012: 7 pars. Web.
16 Oct. 2014.

Kahnweiler, Jennifer. The Introverted Leader:Building on Your Quiet Strength. San Francisco,
California: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2009. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.

"The revenge of the introvert." Psychologies 7 Sept. 2010: 1-2. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.
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Phillips, Betty W. Who Rules the World? Introverts or Extroverts?. Ed. Betty W. Phillips. Forest
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Schocker, Laura. "16 Outrageously Successful Introverts." Huffington Post Healthy Living. Ed.
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Collins English Dictionary. Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition ed. 2012. N. pag.
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<http://www.quotery.com/the-monotony-and-solitude-of-a-quiet-life-stimulates-the/>.

Gino, Francesca. "Introverts: The Best Leaders for Proactive Employees." Harvard Business
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Laney, Martia O. The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World. Workman
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