Most people think of introversion in a child as a personality disorder, the precursor to a miserable or even violent adult life. Shyness, on the other hand, is thought of as delightful or cute in a girl, but maybe less positively so in a young boy. Nonetheless, shyness is considered a short-term type of mild social anxiety which can normally be coaxed out of a child.

By definition, an introvert is one who is concerned with their own thoughts or feelings. A thinker. A feeler. A creator. They are more “in touch” with their inner selves than the average person. There is no implication of fear of social contact or even social awkwardness.

A person who is shy IS fearful. They are wary, scared of negative comments, unsure of themselves, and not confident in their ability to compete on a social level.

Determining whether you are an introvert, shy, both, or neither takes thought on your part, and probably input from those around you. How you see yourself is not necessarily how the world sees you. Do you enjoy interacting with others and are you comfortable doing so? Do you enjoy “alone time”? Are you concerned that others might not think you are good enough, or do you even care? Are you confident in your abilities? Do you need the company of others to feel complete? All of these questions can help you determine your level of introversion and/or shyness. There are numerous quizzes and personality tests on the internet that can also help you find where you are on the social interaction spectrum.

A person may be an introvert who is also shy, but most introverts are not shy at all. They are confident in their abilities, their talents, and capable of sharing them if they feel the need to do so. Many famous, talented people are introverts who show not a hint of shyness – Albert Einstein, President Eisenhower, Queen Elizabeth, Warren Buffett, Michael Jordan, Woody Allen. These people all had incredible talents, beliefs, or gifts which they shared bountifully with the world – they may have developed in solitude, but were shared with us all.

Photo Credit: Remuz [Jack The Ripper]

Like missionaries looking to recruit new disciples, extroverts seek out introverts to convert.  They proclaim the advantages of their way of life – friends, activities, a busy life – and hope to entice introverts to join their team. To an introvert, this is not a good sales pitch!

As an introvert, if you remember only one thing, that is to be yourself. Being an introvert is not an illness, not a disorder, not an inferior way of living. Being an introvert is the way you live your life, and some would argue that it is in fact hard-wired into your brain. Psychologists now believe that differences between introverts and extroverts can be identified in brain function even before birth. By measuring the arousal of a fetus, it is believed the future personality traits of a child can be discovered.

In the early and mid-20^th century, many doctors believed introverts were malfunctioning humans, incapable of social interaction, and subjects to be treated. They believed introverts developed because of dysfunctional homes or early trauma in their lives. This is no longer the case, and it is now the extroverts who are being treated for being something other than normal – ADD, ADHD, hyperactivity, for example.

So, enjoy who you are and what makes you special. Your introverted personality brings with it creativity, focus, depth of thought, and time to learn and create and be who you really are. Embrace your introvert personality!

Photo Credit: Open Threads

I’ll answer the first one first, this blog was born out of a desire of mine to change the perception of introverts.  A big challenge I know…I love a good challenge.

I wrote about it in a bit more detail on my other blog.

Do we really need another blog?

Not really, every body and there grandma has a blog…except mine.  Actually I see that as a good thing because it raises the bar on all of us.  I’m really gonna have to step up my game to rise above the rest.

Stay tuned…

This thing was just born yesterday so don’t expect it to be all pretty just yet.