I Look Back On My

Introversion - Along With Its Cousins Sensitivity, Seriousness, And Shyness - Is Now A Second-class Personality Trait, Somewhere Between A Disappointment And A Pathology.

We're Told That To Be Great Is To Be Bold, To Be Happy Is To Be Sociable. We See Ourselves As A Nation Of Extroverts - Which Means That We've Lost Sight Of Who We Really Are. Depending On Which Study You Consult, One Third To One Half Of Americans Are Introverts - In Other Words, One Out Of Every Two Or Three People You Know.

Every American Was To Become A Performing Self.

Many Introverts Are Also "highly Sensitive," Which Sounds Poetic, But Is Actually A Technical Term In Psychology. If You Are A Sensitive Sort, Then You're More Apt Than The Average Person To Feel Pleasantly Overwhelmed By Beethoven's "moonlight Sonata" Or A Well-turned Phrase Or An Act Of Extraordinary Kindness. You May Be Quicker Than Others To Feel Sickened By Violence And Ugliness, And You Likely Have A Very Strong Conscience.

Introverts Living Under The Extroversion Ideal Are Like Women In A Man's World, Discounted Because Of A Trait That Goes To The Core Of Who They Are.