Special Report

Quiet

· Written by Susan Cain
· Genre: Self-improvement
· Published in June 2012
· 476 pages


What word do you associated with these words sociable, active, talkative, and leadership? What about these words reflective, delicate, calm, and shy? The former would be extrovert and the latter would be introvert. Then, which is the better personality? There is no correct answer. However if you are an introvert, have you ever tried to be an extrovert? If you have, that may be because society prefers extroverts, and they are more welcomed than introverts. If so, then is introversion negative? There is a book regarding introverts’ quiet power called Quiet.

Susan Cain, the author of this book, was a shy girl. She became a lawyer, but she thought her personality was an obstacle to her job. She was curious about a few things: why introverts always feel guilty and hide their personality and why some people are talkative, while other people save their breath. Susan Cain wrote this book to help people who have the same concern as and to show that introversion is also a positive personality.

What are the strengths of introverts and how do they get along with extroverts?

Introverts may feel they are underestimated because they try to look like extroverts.

However, these people feel their energy is boundless when they focus on the work that they think important. They have patience, the ability to solve difficult problems, and observant eyes so they are not easily fooled. These people are relatively free of the temptation of superficial things such as money and status. Therefore, they need to be faithful to their nature. Susan Cain also said that if you like to move slowly, you don’t have to feel that you have to race with people because of someone else’s pace and if you like to focus on only one thing instead of multitasking, stick to your guns.

Introverts and extroverts are totally opposite, but surprisingly they are also good partners in business or love. In order for these two personalities to communicate, introverts should sometimes express their anger. Also they try to read only intention in extroverts’ speaking, for example just focusing on the words and not the way they are expressed. On the other hand, the extroverts should express their opinion with neutral words rather than aggressive words, for example, “why not think about this another way?” not “you are really negative.” These two personalities are opposite but they can create a synergy if they understand each others’ tendencies.

When you see Mahatma Gandhi, George Orwell, Steven Spielberg, Warren Buffett, and J. K. Rowling, you know that they are famous people. They were all introverts. Stop worrying because of your introversion. Why don’t you just accept your personality and consider it your own positive quality? If you do, introversion is no more trouble. If you want to change, this book will help you.