June 21 is the start of summer, the longest day of the year.  In a year defined by a dry pattern, sun shines most days.  However, it’s been uncharacteristically cool.  If the sun is shining, why is there no warmth?  I always say that I prefer cold weather to warm, because I can put more layers on, but only take so many layers off.  As I consider the conversation about Introverts and Extroverts I had with a colleague recently, this preference seems to be directly connected to the layers I put on to keep me protected from social, not physical, interaction.

Summer. Sunlight.  Spotlight.  What does it mean to shine?  What does it look and feel like when all your senses tell you the light is too bright?  What does this mean for moving our conversation started in the Spring 2023 blog post about how to increase youths’ vocabulary to express what kinds of support they need and want from adults.  

I engage adults often in conversations that attempt to expand their own perceptions of participation.  This relies very much on the paradigm shift Cain suggests in her book, Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts.  She asks us to not use ‘participation’ and ‘engagement’ as synonyms.

The reason the introvert conversation is so interesting to me is because the standard we are holding ourselves to, for example to act like an extrovert, directly affects the kinds of support for which we ask, and our right to ask for it.  By practicing the ideas you brainstorm in the activities above, either to positively impact yourself or a group you lead, we can support all youth more effectively and increase their sense of belonging.

The list below are a few of the prompts listed as part of Cain’s self-identification on the introvert-extrovert spectrum pg. 8-9)  For each prompt:  1) make your selection ‘true’ or ‘false’, 2) if you marked ‘true’, think about what advice you would give someone to create an opportunity for engagement that would feel comfortable to you, 3) if you marked ‘false’, think about how you could change an activity you love for someone who would mark ‘true’.

• I’d rather express my ideas in writing.
• I usually like asking questions more than I like answering them.
• I don’t like showing people my work until it’s perfect.

Cain summarizes, “I hope that through this book you learn to accept and treasure yourself–just as you are.  The world needs you, and there are so many ways to make your quiet style speak volumes” (14).

Resources:

For this post, instead of providing many resources, I am leaning into the introvert preference for processing by including two resources.  Read the book that was written for you (youth or adult).  Read in conversation with someone else (youth and adults).  Then DO-REFLECT-APPLY.

Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts by Susan Cain

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain