Every weekday I have the pleasure of sitting in my various classes, simply listening to discussions. These conversations range from philosophy to political science to trivial gossip.
Nonetheless, peruse most collegiate syllabi and you’ll quickly find that “class participation” is at least a minor portion of one’s grade. Within these parameters, one could feasibly pay attention in class, engage with the material being presented and still fail to be checked for “class participation.”
I find this understandable—vexing all the same—as it is proof that our society, particularly our centers of education, is inhospitable to introverts.
Don’t get me wrong, I understand the obvious question professors (and those vocal students) will ask: Well, how else am I to know a student is really involved in the class?
In a 2012 Technology, Entertainment, Design Talk, author Susan Cain—who recently wrote a book on the subject called “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking”—generally explains that introverts are people who draw their energy from being alone. This is in stark contrast to extroverts, who tend to feel revitalized from being in the company of others.
Cain observes that the notion of “class participation” is a perfect example (one easily found at Eastern Michigan University) of the power of introversion being ignored, or even oppressed. After all, though class participation is a way of increasing grades, Cain claims introverts are generally higher achievers in the classroom.
According to Business Insider of March 28, one of the reasons introversion is so looked down upon in American society is because our culture is pervaded by “the extroverted ideal.” To succeed in the U.S., one must aspire to be gregarious, dominant and comfortable in the spotlight.
If one chooses to stay out of the limelight, she risks being perceived as weak, lonesome and reserved. In the context of the “extroverted ideal,” these qualities are stigmatized.
I find this attitude toward introverts overwhelmingly disappointing. It’s not hard to imagine a world in which the ideas brewing inside the minds of the introverted are drowned out by the need to participate in the hustle and bustle of life, and abandon introspective ventures for truth.
In perhaps the most poignant segment of her TED Talk, Cain reminds her audience that Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Buddha and Charles Darwin are all revered figures who pursued solitary journeys that have continuing global influence.
Obviously, I am not advocating we all leave the social world entirely and live alone, cut off from humanity. Rather, we should appreciate the varying dispositions toward life found in society, and in doing so, foster a higher level of happiness and the production of beautiful ideas.
