Sunday, October 24, 2010

Mag Moment #1...From the magazine Psychology Today October 2010...Article: Revenge of the Introverts by Laurie Helgoe, Ph.D.

For my first Mag Moment entry, I'd like to present to you an article from the magazine Psychology Today. Online this article may be found at http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201008/revenge-the-introvert. Considering how magazines are published, writing about the October 2010 issue is extremely late right now lol but I wanted to blog about this article since I didn't have this blog when I first read it. Hurry to the store though! It's only supposed to display until November 1st.


To start, simply put, introverts are those who are satisfied with internal stimulation (reflection and solitude) while extraverts thrive on external stimulation (social life and activities that boost the mood). Based on society today, you would think that there are more extraverts than introverts since they hog the spotlight so to speak. However, there are plenty of introverts around. In fact, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test shows that 50% of the U.S. population are introverts. Many people think being introverted just means your extremely shy. This article helped me to see that it's not that at all. In fact, shy people find it difficult to socialize period while introverts tend to become overwhelmed with too much social engagement; they are not against it totally. Also, extraverts and introverts get a boost in mood from the company of others.

One thing that makes being an introvert seem so taboo here in the U.S. is something called a personality-culture clash. Basically, individualism and being talkative is dominant here and in Germany, whereas in other places such as Finland and East Asia, silence and privacy are values. As brought out in the article, remaining silent in verbal cultures presents a sort of problem. Many introverts feel the need to apologize and feel guilty about what works best for them because of this problem.

At the end of the article is a section entitled What Not to Say to An Introvert. Here are the things you want to avoid:
  • "Why don't you like parties? Don't you like people?"
  • "Surprise, we've decided to bring the family and stay with you for the weekend."
  • Don't demand immediate feedback from an introvert.
  • Don't ask introverts why they're not contributing in meetings.
  • Don't interrupt if an introvert does get to talking.
  • Above all, they hate people telling them how they can be more extraverted.
There were many other articles of course in this issue of the magazine but that was the main article. Unless you're able to catch it on the newsstand, visit http://www.psychologytoday.com/ to see the other contents. They include 5 body language giveaways, 7 rules of great bosses, the bilingual advantage, and many others.

Well this ends the first ever Breezy's Books Mag Moment. I hope you found it to be brief and to the point. Also, in case some people reading this aren't avid readers, hopefully these short intermissions between my book posts will encourage you to read. Reading helps to increase vocabulary you know. :-)

P.S. The author Laurie Helgoe, Ph.D., is an author and assistant clinical professor at the West Virginia University School of Medicine. Her most recent book is Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength.

~BB~