The Influence of Introverted Minds

Nikola Tesla

As I conclude my research for now, I feel that I have definitely gained some new insight on the subject and have change some of my original opinions. I found that using social media to communicate has helped introverts be more outspoken and expressive. I've also learned that introverted leaders can be just as effective as extroverted leaders given the appropriate crews. That is something that I had never really given much thought to before. In fact, I found many things that I had never linked to introversion before, but once I read a few articles and research findings it seemed to make sense.

Prince

When I first started to research introverts and extroverts, I had assumptions that introverts just intentionally avoid certain lines of work and steer themselves to jobs that fit them better. I'm sure this is true in some cases, but I've discovered that it is also true that some introverts have the same desires and goals as some extroverts. Reaching those goals is just more difficult for introverts because of the steps involved with getting there. 

Michael Jackson

I am not exactly sure which area I plan on using as the main thesis for my final project. I still want to do more research on the use of social media and internet communication in regards to different personality types. I also did not find the kinds of statical information I was looking for. I plan to do more research in these areas for my final project.

Kurt Cobain

I think my question was answered about society being geared towards extroverts. I found the explanations given about the education styles having an impact on introverts to be very compelling.
In addition, it is easy to see outspoken behavior being rewarded in society everyday.

 Salvador Dali

I am still wondering how society could do more to accommodate introverts, or if it should make accommodations? My personal belief is yes, of course it should accommodate. As an introvert you just learn your limits and live within them, but if you want to exceed the bounds of those limits it can be a brutal process. I'm sure that this is somewhat true with all personality types, but I feel that introverts are naturally dealt an inferior hand.

Introverted minds have been influencing society since the beginning of time, and sadly, a persons true genius is sometimes not fully recognized until that person has passed away. Often times they spend much of their lives being ridiculed and viewed as outcasts.

Are there things that can be changed in society to make it more accepting and accommodating? Can society become more appreciative and respectful of introverted behavior? These questions still linger in my head.

Images Cited:

Tesla, Nikola. Google Images

Prince. Google Images

Jackson, Michael. Google Images

Cobain, Kurt. Google Images

Dali, Salvador. Google Images



"Fair" is a fictional character who just happens to be an extrovert

It seems that the more I research introverts and extroverts, the more my suspicions are being confirmed that this culture is set up for extroverts. Society, schools and the workplace are all better designed for extroverts to succeed, and it looks as though introverts are being pressured to conform or fail.

Nearly all of my internet exploration takes me back to Susan Cain, the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. In her Ted Talks video, Cain tells a story about herself at camp when she was a child. The theme of the camp was to be social and "rowdie" as she was told to misspell it in a cheer. Cain said that she had packed books to read, but after the first night she pulled them out and other kids and camp leaders criticized her antisocial behavior, she put them under the bed for the rest of the summer out of shame. Cain felt that they were trying to force her into being outspoken, and that being quiet was unacceptable. Later in the video, Cain describes how some schools are now set up with clusters of desks with multiple kids facing each other, and that they are expected to act like council members collaborating as a group, and when someone wants to go off and work by themselves they are viewed as outliers.

An article in Education Week written by Sarah D. Sparks also points out the struggles of  introverts in schools, because of design and methodology. Sparks starts out the article by saying this: "Educators often look for ways to bring quiet children out of their shells, but emerging research suggests schools can improve academic outcomes for introverted students by reducing the pressure to be outgoing and giving all students a little more time to reflect."


Research has shown that introverts tend to be more studious and are often better test takers, although more extroverts graduate from college and masters programs. I found differing opinions between Cain and the Education Week article. Cain says, during her video, that introverts have been shown to get better grades while the Education Week article says that introverts are usually better test takers, but they don't necessarily achieve higher grades overall. I was unable to find a study that could verify either opinion, but if I have to give more credibility to one source over the other, I would chose Susan Cain. Just for the simple fact that most of the articles that I have researched cite her works and contain a quote or two from her book. Cain certainly appears to be very knowledgeable on the subject of introverts as well as a credible source.

Throughout the articles that I have researched, it seems that most of the authors tend to agree on how the teaching methods are inappropriate, unhelpful or even damaging for introverts. At every level of education, and predominantly in college, introverts endure teaching methods in which students are called upon to answer questions randomly and unprovoked. To an introvert this could be a counter productive teaching method, not only due to the stress of anticipating the professor throwing them into the spotlight, but even after the spotlight has moved on it can significantly effect that students focus.

I found a great article on the website of The Chronicle of Higher Education written by William Pannapacker called Screening Out the Introverts. This article helped confirm my own personal beliefs on this topic. Pannapacker talks about this teaching approach where "introverts are forced into discussions, unprompted, and expected to hold the spotlight regardless of whether they have anything to add to the conversation or not." In another quote that I found interesting, Pannapacker says that "this approach can be so intimidating and potentially humiliating that some introverts who once proved their capabilities through papers and test scores, and raised their hands to answer questions, can be pushed further into introversion and silence where they could eventually withdraw from school all together."

Image:

Salvador Dali: Sleep. 1937. Google Images

For those introverts that do move on to the working world it doesn't get any easier. They go from the many hours of solitude spent studying and testing to the dreadful process of the job interview where introverts are at a huge disadvantage. Having to essentially brag about themselves to a group of strangers and convince them that they are better than the other candidates is not an introverts strongest trait. What can be changed to make this process easier?  This is a question that I have no good answer for. Perhaps a direct question and answer format where the candidates are not expected to just keep talking about themselves?

I've found statements throughout my research that say introverts are paid less than extroverts because they are not considered promotable. If this is evenly remotely true, which I would venture to guess that it probably does exist is some corporations, how is this fair? If this was a case of a man and a woman getting paid differently this would be a problem (unfortunately this scenario is probably true as well in some cases). If an employee is treated differently because of their ethnicity this is certainly an unfair practice, but no attention is ever paid to the equality of the introvert.

Image:

''Subway'' George Tooker (Whitney Museum of American art)

google images

Should introverts be a protected class? Should society make accommodations to make life more manageable for introverts, much like it does for persons with disabilities? You would be hard pressed to find a group of people that need someone to speak out for them more than introverts. They will never come together in droves to make a stand or form a protest demanding change or equality. An assembly of introverts is an oxymoron.

Is introversion a disability, or is extroversion an addiction? Most extroverts do have an uncontrollable need for attention and they just can't stop talking. Is extroversion a phobia? Perhaps the fear of being by themselves and not having anyone admiring them visibly or audibly? Do extroverts try to impress themselves if no one else is around?

I definitely feel that society is geared towards the extrovert, although I do think that there have been some improvements made that help make life easier for introverts. New technologies like the self check-out lanes at the grocery store,  the ATM and the credit card reader at the fuel pump have certainly decreased the amount of face-to-face communication for those types of transactions.

These changes have helped, although I would guess that neither the self check-out nor the ATM where created to accommodate introverts. They were most likely created to eliminate the need for humans working those jobs. On the other hand, the credit card reader at the gas pump does not seem to benefit the company, but certainly benefits the introvert. Was this intentionally created as an accommodation for introverts? Perhaps by an introvert? Some may argue that it too eliminates jobs, but most states have not had a gas pump attendant for decades now, so I would see that as a moot point.

One other area that has evolved to benefit the introvert is on-line shopping. It has certainly taken some burden off of introverts, being able to study and purchase products without being hassled or needing to negotiate for the best price. However, some shopping experiences are almost unavoidable, take for instance the car buying experience. For an introvert, this could be one of the worst experiences on the planet. Salesman come out of the woodwork to convince you that they know exactly what you need. And the price haggling is nothing if not an extroverts game. An introvert would much rather have the lowest price listed and that is what everybody pays. Negotiating price is not appealing to most introverts. This is just one more area that introverts dread and where extroverts have a distinct advantage. This is the same kind of discrimination that a person faces if they happen not to speak the same language as the person in charge of whatever the transaction may be. If a person can't negotiate, regardless of the reason, they will pay the highest price, get the worst service, or be pushed to the back of the line depending on the circumstance.

Image:

Salvador Dali: The Giraffe of Avignon. 1975. Google Images

So why do extroverts seem get the best service, prices and treatment? Is this because society is actually rewarding extroverted behavior? Is extroverted behavior prevalent and on the rise as a result of society rewarding it?

I guess there may be some meaning behind the phrase "the squeaky wheel gets the grease".

Works Cited:

Cain, Susan "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Cant's Stop Talking" Random House, Jan. 24 2012
Cain, Susan "The Power of Introverts" Ted Talks, Mar. 2012. Video
Sparks, Sarah D. "Studies Highlight Classroom Plight of Quiet Students" Education Week, May 22, 2012. Web. 16 June 2012

Pannapacker, William "Screening Out the Introverts" The Chronicle of Higher Education, April 15, 2012. Web. 15 June 2012

 Images Cited:

Dali, Salvador: Sleep. 1937. Google Images

Tooker, George Subway Google Images 

Dali, Salvador: The Giraffe of Avignon. 1975. Google Images

Killing to prove a point that you know is wrong

After swimming through the endless pop-up ads, colons and backslashes, I found myself fixated on one particular well documented battle between an extrovert and an introvert: Thomas Edison versus Nikola Tesla.

Thomas Edison is the inventor that is probably most famous for invention the light bulb, or at least he gets credit for it in most history books. Nikola Tesla actually worked with Edison for a time in his early years, and improved upon Edison's D/C electricity concept. Tesla also went on to invent many of the technologies that we use today, A/C electricity, radio waves, x-ray, fluorescent light bulbs, the list goes on and on. Some of these technologies he doesn't officially get credit for, for one reason or another.

All the statements that I have read list Edison as an extreme extrovert and Tesla as an extreme introvert. Edison gets the credit, riches and glory and Tesla gets labeled a lunatic. It's been shown that a number of Edison's inventions were stolen ideas or patents that were bought from someone else (including the light bulb). So was it simply his extroverted nature that allowed him to sell himself and his products to the public? Was Tesla not given credit for his brilliance because we wasn't a successful salesman?

                             Nikola Tesla documentary on the History Channel. Modern Marvels.


I have to admit that I felt increasingly disturbed the more that I researched Thomas Edison's behavior. I couldn't help but to start thinking, did the extrovert dedicate much of his life trying to discredit the introvert? Edison made several attempts to prove that the A/C voltage concepts of Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse were dangerous. He held public electrocutions of dogs, cats, horses and, most notably, an elephant. (There is video of this event on youtube filmed by Edison himself. I chose not to post the link because I found it rather enraging to watch.) The following photo is from an article that I found on the Wired Science website.

Image: wired.com/Edison Elephant Electrocution

Topsy the elephant was electrocuted at Luna Park Zoo on Coney Island in 1903. Captured on film by Thomas Edison, the event was one of a string of animal electrocutions Edison staged to discredit a new form of electricity: alternating current.


Even though Edison admitted later in life that he had thought A/C electricity was better than his D/C electricity all along, he still performed these electrocutions solely to prove a point and to discredit someone else. Did he do this out of spite, jealously, self preservation or because he felt threatened? Or all of the above? As a side note, these insane public spectacles eventually lead to the invention of the electric chair, for those of you who were wondering.  Obviously this personality clash seems pretty extreme and certainly times were different in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Public electrocutions of animals would certainly be unacceptable today, but the intent behind the behavior doesn't seem that far from the tongue lashings in the political world of today. People spending all their energy trying to publicly destroy the credibility of someone else. Unfortunately, in most cases, the more outspoken and dominant person wins, regardless of what is morally or ethically right or wrong.

This brings me to my next question. Is internet communication leveling the playing field by allowing introverts and extroverts the same chance at communicating to the public? According to a study done by The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, it is leveling the field. Introverts are now able to communicate with their world while being by themselves at the same time. They are able to control the amount of social interaction that they are subjected too and they have an easier time expressing themselves.

This research states that the two different personality types may use the internet for different reasons. Extroverts may view the internet as an extension of their social interaction and introverts may see it as a substitute or alternative to face-to-face interaction. Regardless of their motives for using internet communication, the research shows that both introverts and extroverts will sometimes reinvent their identities online.

When explaining the use of Social Networking Sites by both personality types, the article gives this explanation: "Social Networking Sites are seen as the middle ground between introverted and extroverted activities, because it provides introverts an opportunity to network with others, on a business or personal level, while remaining in their own comfortable world, while, simultaneously allowing extroverts the ability to stay connected with the outside world at times when they would other wise be alone"

It is starting to appear that non face-to-face communication could possibly be smoothing out the competitive advantage that extroverts once held in public communication, but how does this help with offline, real world situations and the workplace?

Works Cited:

Harbaugh, Erin. The Effect of Personality Styles (Level of Introversion - Extroversion) on Social Media. The Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Commuications. Vol. 1, No. 2. Fall 2010

Video Cited:

History Channel. Nikola Tesla documentary. Modern Marvels. Uploaded Oct. 30, 2011. July 14, 2012

Compatibility

     As I begin to research my questions, I begin to realize that I am not the only person who is curious about these topics. At least that is how I feel at this stage of the research.

     One article that I discovered was on the National Public Radio website where they had interviewed an author named Susan Cain about her new book titled Quiet: the Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.


Cain talks about the shift in the culture when we went from admiring character to admiring personality. In the interview she gives this explanation of the culture shift. "During the culture of character, what was important was the good deeds that you did when nobody was looking. Abraham Lincoln is the embodiment of the culture of character, and people celebrated him back then for being a man who did not offend by superiority. But at the turn of the century, when we moved into this culture of personality, suddenly what was admired was to be magnetic and charismatic." Susan Cain, NPR interview, January 30, 2012


     This started me thinking about who the masses consider to be role models in today's society. Certainly the more extroverted people are getting more publicity and attention. People like movie stars, athletes and reality t.v. stars. Some of them are just rich kids who have done nothing to earn their fortunes aside from simply being born.Yet for some reason, countless numbers of people enjoy tuning in to the camera's following these people around, performing mundane day to day tasks while they scream at each other acting like spoiled children. I find it baffling that people enjoy watching this.

     Why do these people get more recognition and in some cases more admiration than a behind the scenes scientist working on things that matter? Is it just a simple case of only knowing what we are exposed to in the media? Are some people drawn to obnoxious behavior? Do people really enjoy watching it, or is it just the trendy thing to do that allows you have have the water cooler conversations with your coworkers? Are brilliant men and women being ignored in society because they are viewed as silent outcasts who prefer to keep to themselves? Is admiration and appreciation being given to outspoken dominant figures regardless of their intelligence or morals?

     These thoughts took me a bit off track from where I was originally headed, but her interview does later lead me back to the work place and how introverts seem to have the cards stacked against them. A few reasons that she gives to support this claim that office spaces have gotten smaller and less private, and that there is more group interaction now than in previous decades.

During this segment of the interview she cites a research study that was performed at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.



     I found the results of their studies to be very thought provoking. They found that introverted leaders can be just as effective as extroverted leaders given the right type of employees. They went on to explain how the different personality types seem to fit better with different leadership personalities.

     This article has helped to confirm what I've always felt, that introverted leaders can be just as productive as extroverted leaders if given a chance. My question now is, are they given less chances due to the standard practices of seeking employment?

     These findings have raised new questions for me, but have not touched on several of them. One being social media's effect on communication in society. Has it made it easier, harder, better or worse?

     This is where I plan to go next.........

Works Cited:

Cain, Susan. Quiet, Please: Unleashing The Power of Introverts. NPR interview. January 30, 2012

Grant, Adam. Analyzing Effective Leaders: Why Extroverts Are Not Always the Most Successful       Bosses. Knowledge@Wharton November 23, 2010

For Better or For Worse

What is a blog? And why is it a four letter word? If used inappropriately can a blog get you into trouble? Or can your blog offend someone? I would assume that the answer to these questions is yes.

Has this type of semi-anonymous media format harmed or helped society? Maybe it has made it better for some, and worse for others. Do introverts have a disadvantage in society which hinders success, if so does faceless formats like email and phone conferences level the playing field in the business world? Are extroverts more likely to misuse the sounding board known as the Internet than introverts? Or does and introvert's lack of experience in expressing their thoughts and opinions put them in position to misuse a faceless communication format.

It seems to be a growing trend that people just blurt things out and broadcast whatever they are thinking. Then when they realize that thousands of people have viewed their post, they have to recant their statement or make a public apology. It seems like celebrities are doing this more frequently now. Is the behavior changing, or are comments just more available now? Do people feel a sense of anonymity and don't think about consequences when they are posting their opinions?

I would like to research how the differences in personality types gets translated into social media. And what kind of effect social media and faceless communication has had on society and people's behavior. I would also like to dig deeper into the disadvantages and advantages of introverts and extroverts, and look into the perspectives of each.

In this stage of my research I feel that faceless communication is benefiting introverts in the business world. Making it easier to communicate and become a productive part of multi person projects.
This subject interests me because I definitely fall into the introvert category and just the thought of "schmoozing" or public speaking makes me nauseous. I also feel like much of the business world is far better suited for extroverts. Everything from the job interview process to the supervisory role. Is this fair? Can it or should it be changed? Or should introverts just stick to the jobs that they are more comfortable with and leave the high profile positions to the outspoken extroverts? Do some introverts even desire high profile positions?

I expect to find numerous articles on the Internet that relate to these questions. Everything from psychological based research to articles about business practices and success.  I hope to be surprised by my findings and expect that new questions will surface that I will want answered.

stay tuned..................

Blog is a four letter word

Welcome to my blog, where I am obviously still contemplating what I want to research. I have never been at a loss for questions, but I am just trying to sift through them and decide which one(s) I would most like to dig in to.

Be sure to check back. I will come up with something very soon.

Enjoy