Susan Cain and her “suitcase of introversion“ Susan Cain, a well known and appreciated writer from America in the field of psychology, recently held a speech on one of the famous TED talks and entirely captured me by trying to give the audience an understanding of introversion. She has a scientific and above very empathic approach to the topic as she claims to be an introvert herself which I find fascinating and admiring as well. The story begins with an unremarkable suitcase full of books. What’s it all about I will reveal you now. Introversion: „For some people the air they breathe. “ Susan Cain tells us her story on a TED talk, which stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design and is a global set of conferences run by the private non-profit Sapling Foundation, under the slogan "Ideas Worth Spreading“. Now ask yourself: What do books represent for you? Could they be the “air you breathe“? By asking yourself these questions you are a little bit closer to comprehend an introvert and his frequent tendency to “silent activities” such as reading. A different way of being social …show more content…
At the very first day she would pack out her suitcase which was full of books and this seemed very normal to her, as in her family, reading was a “different way of being social“. Very quickly she got confronted with some adjectives often used in relation to introversion: mellow, shy and not very outgoing. At this point she felt guilty leaving her books in her suitcase but she begun thinking more deeply about why extroversion is being so prized in contrast to introversion, that is considered to be something negative. She affirms that this is partly a consequence of our education system and also of our cultural
She calls for a change in society to allow introverts to be more free to be themselves so they can strive and accomplish in the way extroverts do. She uses rhetorical devices such pathos, logos, and compare and contrast to support and persuade the audience of this bias and why it is harmful. The piece was inspiring, factual, and brought awareness to an issue that was not discussed much before this
Susan Cain’s “Power of Introverts” talk was all about the importance of people who are considered introvertly inclined in our society. In her talk, she described first how her family influenced her in being an introvert. Reading is her family’s social activity and that one can roam around through his or her own imagination. She also discussed about her memorable summer camp story where she has discovered the way extrovert people live and tried to shift in this kind of life. With all these changes in her life she never left her introverted life and espoused the ideas that when it comes to creativity and leadership, the society needs introverts and the things where they excel most. She explained that introversion is how one responds to stimulation including social stimulation which is different from a person being shy – the fear of social judgment.
In Susan Cain’s book Quiet, The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, she writes about extroverts and introverts and their roles in our society. She gives real world stories of how introverted and extroverted individuals become successful. In Chapter one, “How Extroversion Became the Cultural Ideal”, Cain states how being an extrovert increased throughout the 20th century. For example, extroversion started showing up in schools, such as extracurricular activities, which favor kids who are extroverts. While writing this chapter, she did well adding emotional appeal through the story stories she told. Cain also did well using logical appeal, ethical appeal, stakeholders, and her values. Susan Cain
Susan Cain author of the book “Quiet” gives off a very interesting quote in the front cover of the book, and gives the reader a good focus on what “Quiet” is mainly about “Quiet, The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop talking.” Cain wants to show just from a title that extroverts are the ideal that people from the western culture idolized, she speaks highly in the book “Quiet” how introverts are seen as a “second class personality trait”, and the extrovert ideal is praised more ad seen as people who are go getters; who are smarter, better looking people, and fun.. Cain uses herself as an example in the book “Quiet” to show that introverts are not just shy people, who are unattractive. She argues and proves there is more than an extrovert ideal, introverts ! Proving her arguments and facts she parts the book into four.
Introversion is usually associated with being shy, however this association is false. Susan Cain, author of “QUIET: The Power of Introverts” explains in a Ted Talk video how introversion is the response to stimulation while shyness is the fear of social judgment. In our culture both qualities according to Susan can be shameful and discouraged, on the other hand extraversion is valued. Therefore, Susan argues that introversion should be encouraged since they bring extraordinary talents that are often kept hidden from the world. The examples provided by Susan allowed the audience insight of how introversion is discouraged in multiple settings.
While most businesses look for an extroverted leader, Susan Cain has a very different perspective. She presented her speech, “The Power of Introverts”, where she explained how introverts are often underestimated. She talked about students who prefer to be alone are seen as an outlier or a problem and that surveys found that teachers feel the ideal student is an extrovert. She does not understand why teachers prefer extroverts since introverts often get better grades, and explains why introverts should not be looked over. Susan Cain’s goal is to inform the audience of the power of introverts, through her personal experiences, humor, emotion and statistics on the subject, and hopefully change the way society thinks of introverts. Cain is an
Quiet is a book written by Susan Cain on introversion. She examines the facets of introversion, and explores how introverts fit into the world, America mainly. As an introvert herself, she is biased, but her extensive research and artful viewpoints give clear insights into both introversion and extroversion. The book covers history, psychology, and present day, real-life situations that dictate and are dictated by the polar temperaments. Cain arranges her information into four parts: how introverts’ place in America morphed into what it is, the science behind introverts, introverts in other cultures, and how introverts should apply all of it. By dusting off the ignored and abused book of introversion, Cain reveals the realities of a temperament
According to Susan Cain, the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking a, “colossal waste of talent, energy, and happiness” is wasted when the abilities of introverts are devalued. Her book argues that modern Western Culture has transformed in a culture of personality in which the “extrovert ideal” overshadows introversion. The latter is commonly viewed as inferior; an ideal Cain completely shatters in her well-researched analysis of both temperaments.
The talk by Susan Cain is really fascinating and thought provoking. She has explicitly explored and exposed the inherent best qualities of an introvert in this video highlighting how the qualities possessed by an introvert could be a good leadership asset. A perspective that was totally unknown to many of us. She emphasized that “Introverts by their nature tend to have a few key passions in their lives and ascend into leadership positions out of a commitment to what they’re doing. They become leaders almost in spite of themselves.” (The Quiet Leadership Institute Newsletter). A good example is the current President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Mahammadu Buhari whom close associates describe as a typical introvert.
Susan Cain’s (2012) non-fiction book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, investigates and studies the misconceived values and traits of introverts. Cain delves further in exploring the extroverts and the ones who disguise themselves as extroverts, hiding their true introvert selves. Her initiative is to take a look at how the Western culture and life has designed everything around extroverts, ignoring and dismissing some of the introverts to psychological discomfort and some to pretending to be extroverts. Cain provides an informative, inspirational, but, yet, a questioning tone that could allow one to apply this book to their own life. Cain is an American writer, author, and lecturer.
Cain ends the subsection of the novel with this excerpt. She claims that introverts have other ways to express themselves besides converting to a “closet introvert.” I agree with the authors statement, however, we should take into consideration that our world is based on the extroverted ideal. The more you communicate, engage in conversations and become comfortable with conflict reflects an ideal self. Therefore, introverts don’t feel the need to find other ways to succeed but rather accept the fact that extroversion is the best way of life. Recently, I’ve been overwhelmed with schoolwork and responsibilities that my anxiety has been affecting my daily life more than usual, both academically and socially. I often lose myself during these circumstances
(E) In this last page of the book, Cain addresses one of the main themes once more. “Looks can be deceiving.” The author, throughout the book, emphasizes that appearances are not reality. An introvert acting like an extrovert burdens themselves in self-confidence, reliability, and physical and mental health. Although this is the case in most people, other individuals seem self-reserved and quiet, but their inner mind is full with overflowing thoughts and drama. In the excerpt, Cain highlights the tendency for introverts to have a deeper creativity in their mind. Bill Gates, J.K. Rowling, Albert Einstein, and Rosa Parks are one of the many successful individuals who are introverts. Cain addresses Rosa Park as bold and dominant seeing as though
The publication Quiet - The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain, a New York Times bestseller – is a well-thought out book with seven years of superb research. It takes into account historical facts, neuroscientific researches and case studies to describe how over a hundred years, extroversion was held in the highest esteem which has been established to be unfavorable to innovation and productivity.
She also states that introverts biggest challenge is to not feel like outsiders in their own culture. I think By this she means introverts in today's society have it rough. More than likely the majority feel like they don't fit in because they are soft spoken or outgoing when really they take up half of the population as extroverts so they fit in just as equally if not more, not looking at numbers of course. Introverts are the ones in a crowd who often look aggravated, sad, mad, etc. only because they feel as if they don't belong practically wherever they may be but for all they know and others around them know they could be as powerful or more powerful than the others surrounding
According to many psychologists and other social experts, there exist two major social behaviors that are widely adopted globally by a person as they mature into young adulthood: extraversion or introversion. Extroverts are expressive individuals who appear to be energized and enjoy seeking activities that involve socialization with others where as a reserved individual (introvert) prefers solitary pursuits where he or she often partakes in a favorite pastime. In her novel Introvert Power: Why Your Inner Life is Your Hidden Strength, Laurie Helgoe statistically explores the fact that more than one half of the American populace claims to be reticent and encourages those folks to embrace their natural selves (“Book Details” 1). Introverts