Written by an introvert mainly for introverts, this is a good mix of
research, reflection, anecdotes and advice that's also obviously quite a
personal work for the author. It's well written, definitely thoroughly
researched though at times feels like she's trying to justify the
introvert's way of being rather than overtly celebrate it - perhaps just
a reflection of the subtext of the book!
As someone who's
clearly been a life-long introvert and also an experiences personality
and psychometric profiler I was curious to see what the author's take
would be on the introvert vs. extrovert debate. My impression is that
she's writing from the point of view of an introvert who found herself
vying for a place in an extrovert's world who then discovered more and
more people like her. She refers to the 'Extrovert Ideal' a lot which
seems to be a reflection of the fact she's US-based and statistically
this is a more extrovert nation and culture with around 65% of the
population measuring as extroverts, casting introverts into the
minority. However, for the UK reader it might be a little trickier to
identify so intensely with her experience as in the UK the population is
split almost evenly.
My guess is that this book is more likely
to be read by more introverted souls seeking to understand themselves
and their power better - and I'll be recommending it to some of my
friends! It would be a shame for the extroverts of the world to miss out
on getting to grips with what's actually happening beneath the calmer,
quieter, more placid surfaces of some of their family, friends and
colleagues, and I'll be recommending that those friends then pass it on
to the extroverts in their lives!
What I liked about 'Quiet' was:
- it's not a psychology text book and is more deeply personal, sharing people's experiences
-
for those who are unfamiliar with what introversion is and the reality
of the 'inner world' experience, it serves as a great introduction,
whether you are an introvert or work with or live with one or more
- there's plenty of good research quoted to back up the author's reflections, ideas and recommendations
- it's written in an engaging and approachable style with no hyperbole or self-aggrandisement, unlike some self-help literature
- although she could rage against the glorification of the extrovert ideal, she doesn't
My criticisms (if you can call them that) are:
-
it is definitely written from the 'introverts are the minority' point
of view which in the UK isn't true in general, though certainly is true
of some professions
- she has a very wide definition of the
behaviours and preferences linked to introversion, some of which I don't
wholly agree with and isn't used by the psychological community at
large
All in all I found it to be a solid, informative and well-written exposition of the true, if quiet, power of introverts.
