The enitre world is taking personality quizzes on the new-found study on extroverts and introverts. Are you an extrovert, an outgoing and talkative person, or an introvert, a quiet and reserved person who enjoys solitude? Extroverts love to be in the spotlight. They enjoy large groups of people and have no problem speaking up and sharing ideas. These are the people you notice at a party who socialize with everyone, whether they know them personally or not. Introverts shy away from large groups of people. They prefer to only associate only with very few people that are close to them. An introvert does not like to speak in public and, the majority of the time, chooses to remain quiet during discussion times, even if they have ideas to share. While extroverts prefer to speak their ideas, introverts prefer to write them down. These are the people you may not notice at a party because they are spending their time trying to avoid socializing by any means necessary. They stand alone by the bar and simply observe their surroundings or frequently move from one secluded corner to another. Many people find they do not identify with just one category but simply carry more traits of one over the other. Those who fall directly in the middle are called ambiverts. Ambiverts are those who are quiet and like their alone time, but they also like to be around many people and to be social.  Ambiverts are not talked about as much because most people usually lean one way or the other.
   However, once you take a moment to study the characteristics of the three, it seems clear extroverts are the outgoing and preferred category. The outgoing, social butterfly is the ideal personality in the world we live in today.  Introverts are seen as people with social problems. From a broad perspective, extroverts seem to be the “right” while introverts are the “wrong.” Have you ever heard the saying, “Closed mouths don’t get fed?” This is seen to be the downfall of introverts. Extroverts are seen as the stronger and introverts the weaker because they do not show as much aggression, but are rather passive.    
  Susan Cain, a lawyer turned writer, addresses this problem in her book titled, “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.” In this book, she speaks on how the world tries to convert introverts into extroverts by forcing socialization upon them, such as increased group work in school and open offices in jobs, disregarding that the world needs introverts and their creative ideas that can only come from their solitude.
   I, myself, am an introvert. I like being alone and prefer to keep my circle very small and secure — I don’t socialize much outside of it. This does not mean I am not friendly when strangers speak to me, nor does it mean I can’t speak up when I feel I should. I interact with the rest of the world just fine. What need is there to turn me into an outspoken and talkative person? Introverts are known to be deep thinkers. They create some of the world’s best psychological works and findings. As Cain said, we are important to the world, yet so many things are designed to take us out of our comfort zone. Even ambiverts are expected to be more outgoing. Solitude is just as important as socialization. It is great for self-reflection, which is good for everyone, so why is this not stressed? Why do schools not have “alone time” as well as group work. The importance of independent work is only highlighted when taking tests. How do you expect students, especially the younger generation, to work on their own if they have been exposed to mostly group work? How do jobs expect to get new, innovative ideas if everyone is always expected to brainstorm together? It is important for introverts to come out of their comfort zone once in a while and interact with the world around them, just as it is important for extroverts to step out of the spotlight and discover the benefits of alone time. Independence is just as important as socialization. Introverts and extroverts create a balance for society. Why disturb that?