INTROVERTS AND EXTROVERTS….Ann Althouse informs us that the most emailed article at The Atlantic’s website this week was Jonathan Rauch’s “Caring for Your Introvert,” written two years ago. The title is a bit of a misnomer, though, since Rauch’s advice, basically, is “Don’t.” His conclusion makes this pretty clear:
How can I let the introvert in my life know that I support him and respect his choice? First, recognize that it’s not a choice. It’s not a lifestyle. It’s an orientation.
Second, when you see an introvert lost in thought, don’t say “What’s the matter?” or “Are you all right?”
Third, don’t say anything else, either.
The comments at Ann’s place mostly seem to be about the Meyers-Briggs typology (is it junk science?), aging (do you get more introverted as you get older?), and Arkansas (friendlier than you think!).
I would guess that the blog community tends toward introversion, since my experience is that extroverts tend to have limited patience with reading and even less with writing. On the other hand, perhaps blogs, which specialize in tiny chunks of polemic, are actually the perfect medium for extroverts. It’s not quite as good as an actual conversation, but it’s pretty close for something that uses the printed word.
