The Stigma of Introversion infographic description

The infographic is titled, Thinking Critically About: The Stigma of Introversion. The learning objective question 14-14 reads, what are some common misunderstandings about introversion? The left section of the infographic is titled, western cultures are hard on introverts, and is divided into two parts. The text in the first part reads, “Superheroes tend to be extraverted. Black Panther unites five tribes of people with his engaging strength of character. Take-charge Elastigirl saves the day in The Incredibles.” A pie chart illustrates, 87 percent of Westerners want to be more extraverted (Hudson & Roberts, 2014). A textbox reads, being introverted seems to imply that we don’t have the right stuff (Cain, 2012).

The text in the second part reads, “What do job interviewers want in their employees? Extraversion outranks most other personality traits (Kluemper et al., 2015; Salgado & Moscoso, 2002). Attractive, successful people are presumed to be extraverts (Wilmot et al., 2019).

The right section of the infographic is divided into two parts. The text under the title, what is introversion? reads, Introverts tend to gain energy from time alone, and may find social interactions exhausting. Extraverts, by contrast, tend to draw energy from time spent with others. Introverts are not "shy." (Shy people remain quiet because they fear others will evaluate them negatively.)

Introverted people seek low levels of stimulation from their environment because they have more sensitive nervous systems. For example, when given lemon juice, introverted people salivated more than extraverted people (Corcoran, 1964).

The text under the title, Introversion has many benefits, reads, introverted leaders outperform extraverted leaders in some contexts, such as when their employees voice new ideas and challenge existing norms (Grant et al., 2011). Introverts handle conflict well. In response, they seek solitude rather than revenge (Ren et al., 2016). Many introverts have flourished, including Bill Gates, Mother Teresa, and Oprah Winfrey. "A true extravert," Winfrey explains, "gets energy, feeds off people, and I get sucked dry (OWN, 2018.)."