An Age old dilemma in a modern world.

By Rasaq Oladapo



Imagine, right now, as you read this document or contemplate a major decision at home or work or school, being cut off from your power source? No, not the power grid, not your GPS, not your Smartphone or web-browser, not your broad-band or Wi-Fi, but your own mind, the very thing you depend on to fuel the unique person you were created to be by God or nature, the very thing you need to be successful and happy and productive in life.

Here’s a real twist. What if you were cut-off from that source, not by an electrical storm or a natural disaster or a technical glitch, but by society itself for simply having a type of personality that is often at odds with society norms, a society which as a whole imposes its own personality as if it had the right to do so in the first place?

Rightly or wrongly, this collective personality has even become the status quo, both in professional and personal life; whether at an office meeting or a social gathering, with co-workers or friends. You may not subscribe to it or support it yourself, but you will certainly recognize its timeless paradigm or pattern, like yin and yang, or Mars and Venus, or city-mouse and country-mouse. It has its roots in Jungian psychology, but reaches beyond that original, limiting source. It’s commonly referred to as introversion and extroversion, or introverts and extroverts, and you see it and live it every day of your life.

People who are introverts have the common traits of withdrawing into themselves and their mind. And for them, this is quite natural. But they have been typecast, or labeled, as shy and even mentally ill by some. They are often "personality" outcasts in a society seemingly dominated by their personality opposites, extroverts, who are outer directed and more focused on the physical external world. And even though these terms are not always accurate and not everyone fits perfectly into these two groups, they persist, and there are clear distinctions on the how introverts and extroverts do things.

While it’s true that most people recognize these two personality types almost instinctively, not everyone realizes that introverts literally expend energy just to be "normal" and fit into society, which to introverts, is not just dominated by extroverts, but is even hostile to the introverted way of thinking and doing.

Let’s first start with some basic understanding. A person is of course, more than just a living body. From the philosophic perspective for instance, it is self-conscious and rational. From the sociologic perspective, it has relationships and behavior patterns, some of which can be conditioned by society, which is itself some type of organization of people for some purpose such as religious or cultural and meeting some standard, such as normal and abnormal. We know that part of being a person is having a personality, which is a collection of various abstract qualities such as kind, funny, compassionate and the like, and that these qualities seemingly take on visible aspects in a real, tangible form, so that a person develops a distinct personal identity and requires many things such as personal space and personal liberty to support it. Personality is even measured in personality tests. We know also, that energy is the capacity of matter to perform work as the result of its motion or position in relation to forces acting on it.

Just as there are many forces that work against all people, such as time, weather, disease, there are many forces that work against the introvert. But not everybody realizes this, least of all extroverts who contribute to these forces.

Back to the opening idea of this article of the individual’s power source. Thinking is itself an activity. And although not every thought is a big one, thinking leads to happiness. But try to imagine how a certain type of person actually thinks and the various contexts in which a person thinks at home and work. Could you ever imagine that a person could actually be defeated in thinking by societal forces? Just remember, everyone requires some stimulation to get their creative brain juices flowing. Thinking is energy.

Society demands social interactions, but introverts demand quiet time and personal space in order to contemplate those social interactions. It’s not that introverts are incapable of social interaction or that they don’t seek interaction in the first place, they just socialize and interact differently in a way that requires quiet consideration, something this often denied them. Perhaps unfairly? It’s a good question.

In a hectic, fast-paced world, introverts are often bombarded by external events and even simple "noise" both of which are beyond their ability to control. It’s not that they can’t handle the events, it’s that they easily become over-whelmed by too much stimulation. This can easily drain and exhaust them physically and emotionally. But extroverts actually thrive on the external stimulation, and are, perhaps unaware of this or unsympathetic to it. For the extrovert, louder is better, louder is stimulation; and in a culture that encourages quick, on-your-feet decision making, the television sound-bite, and traits such as talkativeness, assertiveness, and enthusiasm, the extrovert usually gets more of this. Society accommodates them almost as the accepted position.

But what does society do for the introverts? It often stigmatizes them as being neurotics. As a result, introverts carry this emotional burden often to the point of dysfunction and often have to seek psychotherapy disproportionately or unequally in society. Yet, there’s an unfortunate irony here: introverts many not even need the external stimuli and all the energy behind it (think of a corporate presentation or company meeting) in the first place to be mentally engaged. What they merely need is the opportunity to reflect and ponder without all the noise. Imagine a company meeting with a little extra "mental space" thrown in? Some "minds" not room to breathe. Not every decisions needs to be made on the spur of the moment. Analysis does not necessarily lead to paralysis. Not every "mind" gets bogged down on the details. If only extroverts could understand this. Just think of the productivity that could follow from mutual understanding.

More to the point: what if deep, considered introversion saves times and energy in the long run by being correct in decisions or simply be seeing more in comparison? And just for the sake of efficiency and effectiveness, isn’t it beneficial to see things from multiple points of view? Why not the introvert’s way, at least once.

Then again, all of this begs the question. What is it that introverts are withdrawing from in the first place but noise, lots of loud, distracting noise? Not such a bad idea, really. Just think of all the potential in that tranquil, quiet mind where so many wonderful, productive thoughts could flourish when given the chance. If only society would take the time to tune-in and really listen.