Introversion Doesn't Kill Confidence, Society Does

In a world where extroversion is favored above all else, it is hard for an introvert to find his or her niche. It is hard for an introvert to feel accepted and valued as the person they are, because the world is so focused on emphasizing the value of the person they could become with a simple change of personality. But is it really that simple? And is it really that right to tell a person that they need to change who they are? I do not think so.

Everyone has seen it. From the very beginnings of childhood, children are made to see introversion as a quality that needs to be changed. From the humble beginnings of elementary school, extroversion is praised and introversion is seen as something that needs to be "helped" or "fixed." Nearly everything that a teacher does is to bring out the extrovert in a child and engrave in the child's mind that being reserved and quiet is a bad quality. Now, I am not saying that it is the fault of school teachers that creates this monstrosity among the minds of children, but I am saying that society has done a disservice to downplay the importance of introverts, which inevitably causes teachers to do the same.

Instead of teachers, employers, parents, and friends being so focused on getting their students, employees, children, or friends to bury their introverted tendencies, they should be encouraging the development of these qualities. Introverts are great assets to society, but it seems as though only a very small amount of people are able to recognize it.

One of the most widespread misconceptions of introversion is the idea that it needs to be fixed in order to combat insecurity and boost confidence. However, contrary to popular belief, not all introverts are completely insecure, and not all extroverts are completely free from it. There are many extroverts as well as introverts who struggle with painful insecurities, but it isn't their personalities that make them insecure, it is society. The assumption that insecurity comes from being introverted is wrong, and that must be addressed.

Modern media is the worst offender when it comes to creating insecure people, introvert and extrovert alike. Television and magazines are crammed full of artificial people promoting, among other things, the fact that you are not good enough, no matter your social tendencies. And sadly, they know that there are millions of moldable minds right within their reach that they can, and will, happily feed on. The media has successfully painted a picture in the collective mind of the society that women must have the exact body of every Victoria's Secret model to be feminine enough, and that men must all have an interest in sports, cars, and in an alarming number of cases, misogyny, to be considered masculine enough.

You see? The expectations that society has set for everyone is what murders our confidence, not the question of if you are more comfortable in big groups, or one on one conversation. Being introverted has nothing to do with confidence levels; being introverted is just what some people are. The world needs to stop undervaluing the significance of introverts in the world and stop trying to "cure" it. Introversion isn't a disease, it's a gift. So I urge you to stop making assumptions and really take a look at how the world would be without introverts.

Because introversion isn't the problem with the world, society is.