It's true; I'm an introvert.

Every so often I come across a comforting reminder that many of my seeming social incompetencies are simply artifacts of being an introvert. Throughout my childhood I was regularly accused of being quiet. It perplexed me why people would be so offended by my silence. (And yes, they were often accusations and not simply inquiries or descriptors.)

With age, I have learned how to step out of my instinctual ways and engage in small talk (gulp) when the occasion calls for such, and I have learned to make myself speak even when I have not organized my thoughts (although this is still difficult). Even so, I have been surprised by accusations of quietness even in relationships where I know I have purposefully spoken more than usual. Thankfully, these accusations come less often now that I am older; I like to think it is because my peers have matured and recognize that it is okay for people to be quiet and that this does not always indicate arrogance or fear. But maybe they have just learned to keep their judgments to themselves. I'm not sure.

I could write more on this subject, but I should get back to work. But here is an interesting article on the matter. I agree with and relate to a lot of what the author says, but not everything. Actually, I was quite frustrated with the way he ended the report. Perhaps some introverts feel this way, and I suppose there are times when I would agree with his request. However, I think a better approach would simply be to ask, "What are you thinking about?" Then be prepared for a reply indicating they'd rather not talk about it and keep in mind that a decline is not an insult to you. Sometimes we just want to think to ourselves, and sometimes we aren't even able to verbalize our thoughts yet. And as this article suggests, this concept is perplexing to many extroverts, but it's true, nonetheless. Thinking before you speak isn't always just a choice to make--for introverts, often there's no way of getting around it.

Edit: 9/18/07
I decided to delete the cute picture I had of a girl making the universal "shh" hand-to-mouth gesture from this post because I was getting a ridiculous amount of visitors simply for that picture which isn't even mine. It was making me nervous. Heh.