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Jonathan Rauch has a great article in the archives of The Atlantic called “Caring For Your Introvert”.
Do you need lots of time alone? Are you bored at parties? It doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re shy—you could very well be an introvert.
Rauch sums it up in one sentence: “Introverts are people who find other people tiring.”
He goes on to reassure extroverts, “This isn’t antisocial. It isn’t a sign of depression. It does not call for medication. For introverts, to be alone with our thoughts is as restorative as sleeping, as nourishing as eating. Our motto: ‘I’m okay, you’re okay—in small doses.’”
Exactly.
There have been many articles written about the differences between introversion and extroversion before, but I haven’t seen any that tell extroverts how to be sensitive to the needs of the introverts in their lives.
Maybe it’s because extroverts not only don’t get it, they don’t even know that there’s anything to get.
As Rauch says, “Extroverts have little or no grasp of introversion. They assume that company, especially their own, is always welcome. They cannot imagine why someone would need to be alone; indeed, they often take umbrage at the suggestion.”
Rauch goes on to give humourous (but oh-so-true) advice to the extroverts of the world. If you’re an extrovert and you’re reading this, please go read the article. Then please try to follow the advice. The introverts in your life will thank you.
An indication of the need for introverts to be understood can be found in the facts that Rauch received more mail about this article than anything else he’s ever written and that this article has drawn more people to The Atlantic’s website than any other.
In February 2006 The Atlantic did a follow-up interview with Jonathan Rauch (“Introverts of the World, Unite!”) to talk about the unprecedented popularity of his first article.
Via idiolect.
Posted by Amy as Psychology at 5:29 AM EDT