March 19, 2014

Dear Evolving World,
As you are undoubtedly aware, I have been doing a lot of thinking of late about how rapidly you are changing, and how this is impacting all of us on a personal level. In a society that is increasingly being run by business and industry, we humans who rely on you are entering an age where you measure us based on how socially intermingled and successful we are. You are not content anymore if we just keep to ourselves. Your focus seems to have shifted dramatically in recent years from the “culture of character” you once prided yourself on to what is becoming a “culture of personality.” Individuals are preoccupied with classifying themselves as either “introverted” or “extroverted,” with no “in-between,” and this frame of mind seems to me to be unrealistic and concerning.

I personally do not believe that any individual is exclusively either an introvert or an extrovert. The aspects of their personality that are reflected on any given day are dependent upon so many factors. Speaking from my own experience, my moods are multi-faceted. My personality and the degree of extroversion that I reveal at any given time is impacted by myriads of things, such as how close I am with the people I am interacting with, how successful I have been at other recent ventures which have impacted my confidence level, how fatigued I am, how important the particular situation is to my life, and the list goes on. These varying influences demonstrate that one’s social level is unpredictable, and essentially no trend can be accurately deduced from it.

Furthermore, many individuals that we all associate as extroverts may truly be introverts who have willed themselves to develop those traits, because extroverted personalities seem to be the most rewarded in today’s society. If you are wondering why, this is very attributable to your fast-paced nature and the pressure we all feel from you to either succeed or get left behind.

World, I do realize that some hard facts are necessary in order to convince you that you are incorrect in your presumptions regarding the characterization of an individual’s personality. Therefore, I have done some investigative research to provide you with just that. To be precise, I was inspired to conduct a survey after reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. I decided to question a group consisting of friends and family with varying traits regarding whether they are more comforted by being alone or by being surrounded by other people. In asking my peers this essential question, I sought out to analyze the distinctions that society has placed between the qualities of introversion and extroversion. With that in mind, you probably anticipate the results to be relatively to the point. I certainly did, but the deductions that I made from this social experiment pointed to the conclusion that possibly the majority of us humans are neither exclusively “introverts” nor “extroverts” at all.

Most of my survey responders insisted that they did not classify themselves as definitively on either side of the spectrum. In other words, introverts are occasionally extroverted, while extroverts are occasionally introverted. “You have to have it both ways,” one person stated. He and multiple other repliers suggested that there are moments in which they feel most comforted in solitary by their own presence, usually when they are upset, need to think about something without distractions, or simply desire not to feel as though they need to impress anyone. On the other hand, each of them additionally recognized the therapeutic effect that socializing with friends and family often has. They continued to note that surrounding yourself with people can bring you clarity and comfort, just in an alternate form from being on your own.

When evaluating the replies to my question, I was also surprised to find that certain peers of mine that I have deemed to be very socially active and filled with personality classified themselves as having a more rich inner life. Likewise, those who I have believed to be somewhat quiet and shy stressed an importance on spending time with others. This goes to show that our interiors and exteriors are entirely different worlds, and we shouldn’t be judged based solely on either.

World, I know you are evolving, and we humans are working hard to keep pace with you. However, there is value in understanding that there is fundamentally no such thing as a definitive introvert or extrovert, and we are all sometimes socially and emotionally fragile. As human beings, our souls are much too complex to identify with one or the other, and we shouldn’t be assessed based on that criterion.

Yours truly,
Melissa