TED Talk: “The Power of Introverts” On April 6, I watched the TED Talk of “The Power of Introverts” by Susan Cain, an American writer and lecturer. She argues that for introverts, solitude is highly important. Specifically she claims that introverted leaders usually deliver better outcomes than extroverts do. As she said, “The more freedom that we give to introverts, the more likely that they are to come up with their own unique solutions to problems.” Although some people believe that social skills are way more important, Cain insists that it shouldn't just be about that and that introverts are not any lesser important as extroverts. She states, “.... there’s zero correlation between being the best talker and having the best ideas..,” to support
the fact that extroverts are not superior. In addition, she explains that it is better for people to have some alone time to create ideas and then come as a whole to share what they created on their own. In sum, having alone time is not only helpful for introverts but it is also for everyone else who is having troubles coming up with ideas. I agree with what Cain had to say about teacher’s stopping the madness for constant group work. In my view, some students work better alone than in groups. In addition, it is better for students to learn to think on their own. Some might object to having individual class work all the time, of course, on the grounds that students need to learn how to work together with their classmates for later success in life which is why group work is necessary. Yet I would argue that yes, it is extremely helpful, but it is not something that needs to be done so often. As much as students need to learn to be social, it is also essential that they learn to do things on their own. Overall, I believe that “we need to get inside of our heads a little often,” in order to be able to get into your deepest thoughts, whether it is to solve problems or do other things -- an important point given that solitude matters.
In the Ted Talk, “My stroke of insight”, the speaker Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist had undergone a stroke affecting her left hemisphere. During this process she was able to experience her brain deteriorating slowly and she was able to study it. She explains how she wanted to become a brain researcher because of her brother’s brain condition, schizophrenia. During the TedTalk she also explained her whole experience, including what it felt like, her emotions, and the world around her while having a stroke as well as the difficulties that she had encountered. Jill explains this experience as a tremendous gift.
The book Quiet by Susan Cain explains that extroverts are the type of people who are talkative and sociable, therefore, they could easily get others' attention during various conversations with the topics that they are discussing. Introverts, on the other hand, are the more quiet type. The ideas from introverts are usually drowned because they do not talk as much as the extroverts do. Introverts don’t expect themselves to handle leadership positions, but it doesn’t mean they cannot be successful leaders at their jobs. We often assume that talker as smarter than the quiet type and perceive talkers as leaders. However, introverts actually make the best leaders by carefully listen to what their followers have to say; not only because introverts gain knowledge by listening, but also their abilities to demonstrate modesty and they are extremely
The opening scene introduces Greg Gaines, the film’s depressed protagonist, which the audience can see through the use of restricted narration. Greg is an introverted high school senior who floats through life by trying to stay unnoticed. He does not belong only to one group, but to all of the groups and none of them at the same time. His survival plan is to be low-key good terms with every separate group in his high school in order to avoid any conflict. We also see Earl, with whom Greg shoots short, animated parody films. These two short movie clips are very central to the narrative, being the clips motifs they tell the audience that they should expect the movies to be a significant symbol in the rest of the film. Later Greg is told by his parents that his old childhood friend, Rachel, is diagnosed with leukemia.
Certainly, the “introverted” versus “extroverted” label is an accurate description of my personality. I prefer peace and quiet as opposed to the hustle and bustle of typical work day. Moments of solitude are also cherished and in this setting I am the most productive. I typically stay at work a few hours past my normal shift to complete the tasks I could not beforehand. This is typically due to the constant interruptions (whether superiors or subordinates) in my office. At times, I may send my personnel home a bit early, so I can begin my tasks and not stay later into the evening. As Kroeger, et al. describes, this “alone time” is essential to “sift” through the information and make “good, clear decisions” (2002, p.
Psychologists have shown that there exist two major social behaviors that are widely associated with a person as they mature into young adulthood: extraversion or introversion. Carl Yung, a swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, coined the term “introversion” versus “extroversion”. His idea was further elaborated upon by Hens Eysenck, a British psychologist, who defined extroverts and introverts by their baseline arousal. As Jerome Kagan, Professor of psychology at Harvard says, ““Introverts” and “extroverts” are not definitive diagnoses like blood types”, a person displays more or less of one of these two traits; extroverts generally has a more advantage over introverts but each of these personality traits has its own strengths and building on these strengths is what one ought
If you are an introvert, you probably know how it feels like to be routinely passed over for leadership roles in school, in an organization or in college. The daring boy who always speaks his mind and raises his hands in class is always recognized as a better student representative than the introverts in the room. The frustration and disappointment that introverts have to go through because of the common misunderstanding that they are shy or anti-social has probably left a negative impact in your life. For centuries, people have preferred extroverted leaders rather than introverted leaders because great leaders are always characterized as gregarious and charismatic (McHugh,
For example, when asked a question at work I often answer with “give me just one second”, or “ill get back to you”. Most introverts need time for internal reflection. A chance to process the question and think about my response. Introverts make great listeners, are studious, and are okay with solitary activities (The Personality Page, n.d.). However, most introverts have a hard time with external communication and are sometimes perceived as being non-social (The Personality Page,
Have you ever stopped and wondered why some people seem to have traits that make them come out ahead of others? These people have characteristics that complement each other, these people are neat introverts. The character traits of neat people are defined in the article “Neat People vs. Sloppy People,” by Suzanne Britt, and the characteristics of an introvert are explained in the article “Caring for Your Introvert,” by Jonathan Rauch. Neat introverts are advantageous at life because their characteristics support one another and bring out the best in them. It is similar to how a runner would condition and train before a big race, if it wasn’t for the training that person probably wouldn’t do as well in the race. The same can be said about their
He says, “"extroversion," in contrast to more introverted people.” Extroversion describes people that are outgoing and love meeting and befriending people. Brian tells the audience in his TED talk that there are the three natures of people and extroverts help us understand them, “ First, our biogenic nature -- our neurophysiology. Second, our sociogenic or second nature, which has to do with the cultural and social aspects of our lives. And third, what makes you individually you -- idiosyncratic -- what I call your "idiogenic" nature.” Brian describes how he finds it intriguing how extroverts need stimulation all the time. Brian had mentioned introverts who are people who prefer their own company and are very shy. He explains which category he fits into, “I am an introvert, but I have a core project, which is to profess. I am a professor. And I adore my students, and I adore my field. And I cannot wait to tell them about what 's new, what 's exciting, what I cannot wait to tell them about. And so I act in an extroverted way, because at eight in the morning, the students need a little bit of humor, a little bit of engagement to keep them going in arduous days of study.” Brian brings about the idea that people can switch their personalities temporarily because of certain
Introverts are just as capable as extroverts when it comes to becoming a great leader. It is believed that hard problems in the workforce or any leadership situation need to be given a lot of thought and consideration before making a drastic descision; this is a skill that introverts tend to possess (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). Unlike introverts, extroverts have more of a tendency to form solutions to problems without thinking much about the outcome, and they do not spend a lot of time getting other opinions on the matter (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). An introvert by nature asks more questions and listens closely to others which are great leadership skills (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). Unlike that of extroverts, introverts tend to be more capable at controlling negative emotions (Murphy, 2013, p. 60). By doing this, solutions are not determined by emotion, but by other’s input and serious
Introverts tend to be more quiet and reserved and prefer interaction only with close friends. On the
On the other hand, introverts are people who are concerned with and interested in their own mental life and often perceived as more reserved and less outspoken in groups. Unlike extroverts who are feeling energized when they are around a large group of people, introverts have energy drained from them through human interaction. Hence, it is essential for them to spend some alone time to “recharge”. Al...
Being an introvert should be seen as someone who simply finds pleasure, relaxation, calmness, satisfaction, and tranquility with being by him/herself, a person who feels that loneliness, on the most literal and non harmful level,
There are two distinct personality types: introverts and extroverts. Introverts like to keep their thoughts to themselves and prefer to be alone; however, introverts are not always shy. On the other hand, extroverts are comfortable with sharing their ideas and opening up to others quickly. According to Anthony Hilling in “Extrovert and Introvert—what is the difference?, “It is wrong to think of introverts as being antisocial.” Furthermore, introverts and extroverts choose to socialize differently. Carl Jung defines “introversion as an attitude-type characterised by orientation in life through subjective psychic contents (focus on one's inner psychic activity).” Introverts are known for articulating their thoughts clearly in writing because they “tend to stop, reflect and absorb information before speaking, they reflect this kind of deliberate thought in their writing.” There is an apparent difference between the two personality types, explaining why many people believe that introverts and ex...
Interaction with people helps us know about them and we can comprehend their behavior in different situation and circumstances without getting surprised by their action. The candid conversation is helpful in expressing one’s thought but it can be fatal sometime. I believe that there has be a balance between being too extrovert and being too introvert. It is a common belief that introvert people are shy, they cannot speak in the presence of other. But the truth is that introverts are not shy, they prefer to be alone by choice. They feel energized and more productive when they are alone rather than surrounded by people. We can say that energy is drained in the presence of other. While extroverts are the outgoing people and feel energized in the presence of other. They think best when they are speaking. I am a person who is neither too introvert and nor too extrovert. I think I am more productive, thoughtful and can take better decisions when I am alone. At the same time I like hanging out with people and talking to them, but there is a limit to it. I think it is a good quality for a manager that he is neither too introvert nor too extrovert. If a manger is introvert he cannot perform his job properly as his job involves speaking to his co-workers and delegating the responsibilities to individuals commensurate to the individual’s experience and capabilities. The manager can know about the strength and weakness of his team by speaking to them. He cannot just sit in the office and know about the individual by looking at the profile of the person. On the other hand if the manager is extrovert and spends too much time among the team members, then there is a possibility th...