Introverts Struggling to Fit into an Extrovert World

Is your child an introvert or an extrovert? According to Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, a third to a half of the population are introverts. However, schools and other places children gather are often designed for extroverts.

In her TED Talk, she explains,

"Shyness is about fear of social judgment. Introversion is more about, how do you respond to stimulation, including social stimulation. So extroverts really crave large amounts of stimulation, whereas introverts feel at their most alive and their most switched-on and their most capable when they're in quieter, more low-key environments. Not all the time -- these things aren't absolute -- but a lot of the time. So the key then to maximizing our talents is for us all to put ourselves in the zone of stimulation that is right for us.

But now here's where the bias comes in. Our most important institutions, our schools and our workplaces, they are designed mostly for extroverts and for extroverts' need for lots of stimulation. And also we have this belief system right now that I call the new groupthink, which holds that all creativity and all productivity comes from a very oddly gregarious place."

If your child is an introvert, listening to this talk will give you more insight into the challenges your child may be facing.