With society favouring extroverted people who exude positivity and enthusiasm, an introvert child is generally shunned for shy and socially awkward behaviour. But contemporary research indicates that the reflective traits of introverts helps them develop into good communicators and leaders – Aruna Raghuram Eight-year-old Anupriya Mathur, a class III student of a top-ranked Delhi school, has few friends. She spends long hours by herself reading or dabbling in art. Although an above average student, she rarely participates in the school’s cultural activities. In social gatherings too, she is reticent. However when her grandparents visited recently, Anupriya was forthcoming and cheerfully interacted with them. Anupriya’s mother is worried that her daughter lacks the social skills to succeed in the workplace and life. It’s not unusual for parents to fret and worry about introverted children. With society favouring extroverts who exude positivity and enthusiasm, introverts are generally shunned for their shy and socially awkward social behaviour. But contemporary science and research indicates that the reflective traits of introverts enables them to develop into better communicators and leaders. For instance a recent study conducted by researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Chicago universities reveals that companies managed by introvert CEOs outperformed their peers. Susan Cain, author of the best-selling Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking (2012), cites research in biology, psychology, neuroscience and evolution to demonstrate that introversion is common and normal, highlighting that many of humankind’s most creative individuals and distinguished leaders (e.g, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Gandhi, Charles Darwin among others) were introverts. “A widely held, but rarely articulated, belief in our society is that the ideal self is bold, alpha, gregarious. Introversion is viewed somewhere between disappointment and pathology,” writes Cain. In her deeply researched book, Cain calls for changes at the workplace, in schools, and in parenting to help introverts realise their full potential. Definition The terms ‘introvert’ and ‘extrovert’ were first made popular by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung in the 1920s. Jung defined introverts as individuals who are drawn into their internal worlds of sentiment, thoughts, and emotions, while extroverts are eager participants in external life of people and activities. Introverts get their energy from lonely reflection unlike extroverts who draw energy from involvement with people and group activities. Introverts are typically introspective, quiet (but not necessarily shy), and observant. Susan Cain explains that introverts differ from shy individuals. “Shyness is much more about the fear of being judged. It’s a kind of self-consciousness and not wanting people to look at you and feeling easily embarrassed or easily shamed… Many introverted children are also shy, but many are not. You can also have children that are quite extroverted but who are shy.” A 2015 study titled Childhood Experiences of Introversion: An Exploration of Navigating Social and Academic Spaces and Ways of Coping by Leah S. Schwartz contributed two significant observations about introversion. First, introverts have spaces of discomfort, particularly social settings where they feel different and unseen. Therefore, they create spaces of comfort, such as…
