What if we no longer had an extrovert-centered society? What do you think our society would be like if introversion and extroversion were valued equally? I would envision a restructuring to our governmental, communal, and educational institutions which form the very foundation to our principles, values, and beliefs. There would be a shift in those who do hold positions of power within these institutions as more introverted people attain these positions, affecting representative opinions that ultimately shape the social contexts which we live in. Introversion would be acknowledged and appreciated as a social identity. It would no longer carry the stigmatizations often associated nor would it be attributed as a mental deficiency. The public education system and institutions of higher education would cultivate both forms of social identities without primarily excluding one in favor of the other, socially and academically. No longer would an introvert feel discriminated against, amongst family, amongst peers, and amongst community members. No longer would an introvert feel that they must compromise their own identity to conform to what is considered as “normal.”
Despite the complexities that come with changing this current system, I think that we as a community can take a positive step forward by acknowledging and appreciating introversion as its own social identity, without connoting inferiority in comparison to extroversion. If we fail to do this, and the introverted people fail to realize how their identity relates to their extrovert-centered society, these individuals may go through life rejecting themselves for who they are and yearning for what they should be rather than embracing themselves for who they are and developing strategies that center around this in order to succeed. One may argue that it is the introverted people who set themselves into these “inferior” situations due to their demeanor, essentially placing the blame entirely on them. However, it is the failure to recognize how society devalues those who identify themselves as introverted and the failure to take responsibility for how we each play a role through our individual actions are what ultimately perpetuates this system of inequality and the inherent privileges that comes with extroversion.
I identify myself as someone who lies on the extreme end of introversion, as someone with shyness and as someone who has been battling social anxiety/phobia for nearly a decade. As a side note, I do acknowledge the fact that neither is causative to the other, although I do believe that there is certainly correlation involved when it comes to introversion and social anxiety/phobia. I have personally seen my share of teasing, ostracizing, and discrimination, both from my peers and of those in the professional field over the years, even in college now. It is incredibly hard for me to identify myself with anyone because being introverted has played a significant role in my life, even among those who claim themselves to be introverted as well. As a woman, this really has quite the enhancing effect because there is that inherent expectation to be “the socialite.” For me, being able to critically analyze how my social context has affected how I perceive my identity gave me the capacity to finally embrace myself completely for who I am and develop life strategies that work with this, rather than against it.
