Did you know that introversion came *this close* to being labeled a contributing factor in diagnosing certain personality disorders?
And that’s not something The Onion put forward as a satire. This was the real deal, seriously discussed for inclusion in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
According to their website, the DSM “is the standard classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the United States and contains a listing of diagnostic criteria for every psychiatric disorder recognized by the U.S. healthcare system.”
In a win for introverts everywhere, that close call is now history, as the most recent draft of the DSM-5 is devoid of the harmful language that would have cast introversion in an inaccurate light.
Almost two years ago, Nancy Ancowitz (author of “Self-Promotion for Introverts“) and Laurie Helgoe (author of “Introvert Power“) teamed up to call attention to the language in the DSM-5 that would have reinforced the stereotype that introversion is a symptom of a greater pathology. They wrote in their first post, A Giant Step Backward for Introverts, “According to Naomi Quenk, Ph.D. a clinical psychologist who for years has studied healthy introversion as an aspect of personality types, the proposed DSM descriptions of introversion refer to an ‘absence or deficit of extraversion.’”
Using extroversion as a measuring stick for a healthy personality is not new. In fact, my quick review of the various models of personality typing revealed that one’s sociability is described in terms of “Extrovert,” “Confident Self-Expression,” “Ambition and Sociability,” and “Outgoing, Social Leadership,” among others. This means that, in this context, people are either more or less extroverted, more or less social, more or less outgoing. The benchmark defaults to extroverted traits, and we are placed on a continuum from there.
I’m sure I’m taking an overly simplistic view of these models; it’s a complicated topic that requires – and deserves – in-depth study and analysis. The surface impression remains, however, that personality assessments and models continue to use language that shows a bias towards extroversion.
Nancy and Laurie do a wonderful job of deconstructing how the DSM-5 situation unfolded and how the conversation must shift if we’re to continue to make progress in the quest to clarify (and normalize) what it means to be an introvert.
Here’s the complete post for your reading pleasure: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/self-promotion-introverts/201206/apa-gains-sanity-introverts-not-nuts
What do you think? Do you feel like there’s an extrovert bias in society? Do you think that we’re moving closer to introverts being valued for their contributions, energy and presence?
34 comments
That means that the men here are very likely to give a lot of unwanted attention to any woman, especially a foreign one, who wanders around alone or likes to drink a cup of coffee alone.
That means that the men here are very likely to give a lot of unwanted attention to any woman, especially a foreign one, who wanders around alone or likes to drink a cup of coffee alone.
That means that the men here are very likely to give a lot of unwanted attention to any woman, especially a foreign one, who wanders around alone or likes to drink a cup of coffee alone.
I know a lot of people who have this and for me, there is nothing wrong with them.. Well for sure a lot of people have misinformed about this introversion..
2 Like
I'm an introverted Caucasian (non-Hispanic) living in Latin American countries. I have found this very challenging on many fronts. Many of these countries are very family and group oriented, very outgoing and very chauvinistic. That means that the men here are very likely to give a lot of unwanted attention to any woman, especially a foreign one, who wanders around alone or likes to drink a cup of coffee alone. If you are female, you are obviously not Latino and you are alone in any public spot, you are fair game for the men to hit on you. It's very frustrating for an introvert. Even a daily walk -- which is like a meditation time for me -- can become stressful if the guys are all over you. I heard France is a quiet place with lots of introverted people. Maybe I should go there :-)
I'm an introverted Caucasian (non-Hispanic) living in Latin American countries. I have found this very challenging on many fronts. Many of these countries are very family and group oriented, very outgoing and very chauvinistic. That means that the men here are very likely to give a lot of unwanted attention to any woman, especially a foreign one, who wanders around alone or likes to drink a cup of coffee alone. If you are female, you are obviously not Latino and you are alone in any public spot, you are fair game for the men to hit on you. It's very frustrating for an introvert. Even a daily walk -- which is like a meditation time for me -- can become stressful if the guys are all over you. I heard France is a quiet place with lots of introverted people. Maybe I should go there :-)
You can be extroverted or *on* as an introvert ... as long as you have had ample downtime by yourself to relax and hear yourself think. What stresses an introvert is trying to converse with someone who loves to be in the center of attention and wants to drag you there with them. Like to be in the center of attention all the time, go for it. But leave me out of it unless I agreed to do some kind of performance, like a workshop or speech.
You can be extroverted or *on* as an introvert ... as long as you have had ample downtime by yourself to relax and hear yourself think. What stresses an introvert is trying to converse with someone who loves to be in the center of attention and wants to drag you there with them. Like to be in the center of attention all the time, go for it. But leave me out of it unless I agreed to do some kind of performance, like a workshop or speech.
2 Like
Thank goodness introversion was not diagnosed as a disorder. We introverts have enough struggles feeling like we are enough in an extroverted culture.
I agree with Asia, that in many other countries - like most of Asia - introversion is preferred over extroversion. In fact, Americans are seen as too talkative and moving too fast.
The world needs introverts. No one would listen if the world were all extroverts.
Latest blog post: Help, which bread plate do I use?
Thank goodness introversion was not diagnosed as a disorder. We introverts have enough struggles feeling like we are enough in an extroverted culture. I agree with Asia, that in many other countries - like most of Asia - introversion is preferred over extroversion. In fact, Americans are seen as too talkative and moving too fast. The world needs introverts. No one would listen if the world were all extroverts.
As a pharmacist I still see docs diagnosing introverts as having social anxiety, I don't like that diagnosis, too many people get stuck with it and they are actually just very normal introverts.
As a pharmacist I still see docs diagnosing introverts as having social anxiety, I don't like that diagnosis, too many people get stuck with it and they are actually just very normal introverts.
If you look at other cultures or even other times in American history, introversion is/was considered more acceptable. So, yes, it is unbelievable that something that was considered "normal" in earlier times or other parts of the world would now be considered a disorder here.
If you look at other cultures or even other times in American history, introversion is/was considered more acceptable. So, yes, it is unbelievable that something that was considered "normal" in earlier times or other parts of the world would now be considered a disorder here.
Carrie, I felt more like that when I was younger. I actually used to see commercials that made me think, "hmm, I'm not very social. Maybe that means I'm depressed. I should take that medicine and become more social and then I'd become happy like that little egg in the commercial." But, I wasn't depressed. I've since learned to just go with it. Play to your strengths and develop them. Everybody has natural gifts. We just need to discover them and learn how to best use them.
Carrie, I felt more like that when I was younger. I actually used to see commercials that made me think, "hmm, I'm not very social. Maybe that means I'm depressed. I should take that medicine and become more social and then I'd become happy like that little egg in the commercial." But, I wasn't depressed. I've since learned to just go with it. Play to your strengths and develop them. Everybody has natural gifts. We just need to discover them and learn how to best use them.
To be honest, I wouldnt mind drugs/medication to treat my introversion. It would be nice to be more outgoing and social, but I now know that there is nothing wrong with me, even though most extroverts thinks that there is and make me feel bad and uncomfortable (part of the reason I hate meeting new groups of people), TOUGH, THIS IS ME!
To be honest, I wouldnt mind drugs/medication to treat my introversion. It would be nice to be more outgoing and social, but I now know that there is nothing wrong with me, even though most extroverts thinks that there is and make me feel bad and uncomfortable (part of the reason I hate meeting new groups of people), TOUGH, THIS IS ME!
One thing I've noticed in society is that extroverts tend to dominate. They are so outgoing that the quiet people are often overlooked. I'm not complaining about it, but it does happen a lot. in my head, since extroverts are so outgoing, they gather and run things, take charge. The quiet ones, or introverts, get pushed behind unless they speak up. I just think that the out going peeps should take a step back once in a while and look at the whole picture. Not everyone is outgoing :D
One thing I've noticed in society is that extroverts tend to dominate. They are so outgoing that the quiet people are often overlooked. I'm not complaining about it, but it does happen a lot. in my head, since extroverts are so outgoing, they gather and run things, take charge. The quiet ones, or introverts, get pushed behind unless they speak up. I just think that the out going peeps should take a step back once in a while and look at the whole picture. Not everyone is outgoing :D
Ooh scary thought: drugs to treat introversion 0.0 thank you for not doing that, seriously
Ooh scary thought: drugs to treat introversion 0.0 thank you for not doing that, seriously
Trackbacks
[...] the side: Founder of The Introvert Entrepreneur Beth Buelow wrote an article announcing introversion is not a disorder, although it barely sidestepped the label. Share [...]