Article archive / December 1, 2013
Originally published: . Volume 5, No. 4. Source pages: 13.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
This engaging book tells how our lives are shaped profoundly by the personality traits with which we are born. She begins with an exploration of how extroversion and introversion have been defined by psychologists and researchers. The heart of the book explains the types of environments and conditions in which introverts and extroverts work best and why. She tells how those with extroverted personalities tend to be valued more in our modern societies than introverts, even though introverted people—by their very nature— make enormous contributions to society. Fascinating stories from the real lives of both famous and everyday people illustrate the research that she cites.
In chapters that build on each other, Cain describes how education, business, and even parenting styles today are increasingly geared to encourage extroversion and discourage introversion. The theme throughout the book is that introverts offer a great deal to our world, and our culture could be making a serious error by not accommodating and encouraging the introverted personality type. Teachers, counselors, psychologists, parents, business people—anyone who works with people or who wants to understand themselves better—would benefit from reading this best-selling, well-written book that explains much about the value and potential of the introverted person.
My introverted friends, family members, and I resonated with and enjoyed the encouraging message found in this book’s pages!
This article is part of a historical newspaper archive. Read the original issue for its original layout, photographs and graphics.