There are many locations in the United States today that pander to the gregarious and outgoing, but few that cater to the sensitive and thoughtful. Consider the typical office setting of today; let's use Google as an illustration. All of Google's offices are large, open areas designed to support and promote collaboration and contact. Only a tiny portion of their offices are designated as locations where one can go to be by themselves and reflect. The majority of public schools today still hold loyal to this. The collaborative environment and group tasks that characterize classrooms tend to promote social interaction. Gone are the days of the symmetrical classroom of rows of desks with the teacher centered at the front of the classroom. Therefore, it is apparent that society encourages the extrovert while it suppresses the introvert. Even though extroversion is not necessarily a bad thing, society today tends to favor the extrovert while quietly suppressing the introvert because sensitivity and contemplation are not valued as much as gregariousness and the structure of our society encourages a more outgoing lifestyle over one of quiet contemplation.
Ever since the late nineteenth to early twentieth century era, the United States, and arguably the rest of the world, has embraced the industrial age and the age of the extrovert. Susan Cain explained in a 2012 TED talk entitled “The Power of Introverts”, that “we had evolved from an agricultural economy to a world of big business” and in doing so we, as a society, started to embrace qualities like “magnetism and charisma” (Cain) which were absolutely necessary in this new society where “instead of working alongside people they've known all their lives, now they are having to prove themselves in a crowd of strangers” (Cain). Times were changing and, in order to fit in, people were being made to adapt to this new way of life.
Today, introverts, and “highly sensitive persons” (HSP) (Aron 184) are getting lost in the ground clutter of a highly-extroverted world. Before proceeding, it must be noted that introverts and highly sensitive persons are not one and the same. An introvert by definition is a person who “generally prefers solitary activities to interacting with large groups of people” (“Introvert”) while an HSP may be either an introvert or extrovert. An introvert is usually formed by childhood experiences which tend to make them timider or unwilling to be outgoing like growing up in an abusive environment or in a big family where they got lost in the crowd. Contrary to introversion, the character of an HSP is an innate quality that someone has from birth. It can, and often is affected by outside stimuli but that is not one of its basic building blocks. HSP’s are “people who process sensory data more deeply and thoroughly due to a biological difference in their nervous systems” (Christ) and are thereby noted to be more sensitive than their contemporary counterparts. They tend to be more sensitive to loud noises, the atmosphere of a crowded area like a subway train or busy urban street and because of these sensitivities may “withdraw or be emotionally drained” (Christ) by such events.
Now, having said all this, you may find yourself thinking, “Why does this all matter?” There is a very important reason to point out the significance of sensitive persons to society and to learn why society does not cater more to this class of people. HSP’s throughout history, people like Ghandi, Rosa Parks, and Abraham Lincoln, have quietly made their significant contributions to society without needing to seek the spotlight or to be noticed. In fact, it is notable to point out “these leaders were at the helm not because they enjoyed directing others and not out of the pleasure of being looked at; they were there because they had no choice, because they were driven to do what they thought was right” (Cain) and that is what they are most remembered for. In fact, most of these people would remark of themselves that they were shy, soft-spoken, and quiet and that “they all took the spotlight, even though every bone in their bodies was telling them not to” (Cain). This is what makes HSP’s good leaders because they are not in the position to self-aggrandize or make a name for themselves or their organization, they are there because the feel it is their duty, both morally and because it is the right thing to be there.
As noted in the preceding essay, being an extrovert is a prized position in our society and many times extroverts, people who naturally step up and take charge, are very good leaders. However, it is equally correct to say that some of the greatest leaders of the modern era have been introverts and HSP’s. HSP’s take the mantle of leadership very seriously and more often than not, take time to contemplate the consequences of their actions prior to putting them into practice whereas extroverts will, by nature sometimes plow headlong into a problem before they take the time to consider all the options. To conclude simply, our society needs to encourage both its extroverts to keep putting themselves out there and to allow its introverts the space they need to make their way of functioning fit in with the rest of society. Learning to do this will help our society function more cooperatively and with greater success.
Works Cited
Aron, Elaine N., et al. “Adult Shyness: The Interaction of Temperamental Sensitivity and an Adverse Childhood Environment.” Psychology Today. http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/attachments/36190/pspbaronetal05shynesssensitivity.pdf. Accessed May 8, 2017.
Cain, Susan. “The Power of Introverts.” TED.com. https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts. Accessed May 8, 2017.
Christ, Scott. “Society Doesn't Enable Introverts to Thrive. Here's Why That Should Change.” Greatist.com. https://greatist.com/happiness/why-society-should-support-introverts-highly-sensitive-people. Accessed May 8, 2017.
“Introvert.” Vocabulary.com. https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/introvert. Accessed May 8, 2017.
