The Unconscious Favouring of Extroversion in our Society


Youtube Video: "Susan Cain: The power of introverts"

Influence, impact and reach. These traits that are synonymous with extroversion are valued greatly in our ever-connected modern society. As a result, alpha-like behaviors typically draw the most attention and appreciation, whereas those quieter, more contemplative behaviors are seen as inefficient, indecisive and unattractive. Hence people that encompass such reserved traits are often overlooked and do not have their opinions heard. This is a result of our values in society and our natural tendencies to gravitate towards those that share traits with what we as a society have assimilated to power and dominance. However, this is not a result of introverts providing less meaningful answers or solutions, nor is it the fault of extroverts suppressing the voices of the introverted. Rather, this is due in part to our innate psychological needs for confirmation and as a result of a society that has built structures more readily adaptable to the extroverted.


Extroverts and introverts are imbalanced within society, with introverts being in the minority, with the Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, in 2012, finding that introverts accounted for 35.7% of those surveyed and extroverts accounting for 64.3%. Although it may be simple to argue that the reason as to why introverts find it harder to be heard, as just a case of an oppressive majority changing society so as to best fit the majority it is more factual of a belief that this a result of a societal value system that favors what is more important in the modern day society and devalues what it sees as less important or less contributive - a result of our primal and innate biological instincts to survive and thrive. This may in itself be reasoning as to an increase in anxiety within society (Farah, et. Al., 2002) as a result of increasing psychological pressure to integrate with the majority.

Whilst neither introverts nor extroverts are absolutely favoured within society, there is compelling evidence that extroverts, generally, receive better treatment in society. Research argues that introverts learn better through punishment-based approaches whereas extroverts were incentivised through reward-based approaches (Soufi, 2012). With a cultural shift towards more self-esteem and positive learning practices, introvert-preferred learning methods are not as favored in society – showing a distinct favouring of extroverts over introverts. Methods of teaching and learning heavily affect the development of personality and may be a descriptor for the reason as to why there is a greater prevalence of extroverted individuals in society compared to introverted individuals (Perugini et. Al., 2016). Early childhood development plays a significant role in early personality development and behavioral development, specifically in regards to temperament – a core component of difference between introverted and extroverted personality traits (Caspi, et. Al., 2005). With a majority of society classified as having extroverted tendencies, this is evidence of teaching systems and learning methods that are directly biased towards extroverted traits, favouring one over the other and making it harder for introverts to have their input within society (Cain, 2012).  

This is not just limited to teaching methods but extends also to work structures and organisational structures.  Different people with their personalities and accompanying behaviors may provide different contributions to society, with introverted traits playing less of a role in modern day society. Introverted personalities come with their own subset of unique skills and attitudes that are used to solve particular issues and provide solutions that otherwise extroverts and ambiverts cannot (Soufi, 2012). With an increase in employment that relies heavily on group contributions and regular group work (Cain, 2012), with increases in open-plan offices, those introverted traits of solitude and individual contemplation are not as necessary as they once were, nor are they as favoured in the modern workplace. In both Freud and Jung personality theories, it is seen that there may be evolutionary links to the proportion of the population experiencing traits that are classified as either introverted or extroverted (Ikin, 1923).  Going to the basics of evolutionary theory, all life evolves so as to best fit within its environment. This is not just limited to physical traits however, but also extends to personality and behavioral traits (Perugini et. Al., 2016). Both an individual’s judgment of oneself’s personality traits and behaviours as well as others, can significantly change the way that we behave and hence subsequently change our personality, not significantly, but enough so as to present ourselves differently to society (Farah, et. Al., 2002). With a move towards workplaces where extroverted individuals can thrive, these theories suggest that individuals will best try to adapt themselves to this changing environment, making it significantly harder for those that still encompass introverted traits. In addition, employers favor strong lower-order personality traits such as leadership, sociability and teamwork, all of which effect the higher order traits of introversion and extroversion, with this favouring further causing personality bias within our society (Caspi, et. Al., 2005)

Despite that evidences suggest that we are naturally inclined to introverted tendencies (Ikin, 1923). However, it was also found that despite these inclinations those with extroverted tendencies were still favored in society, using both Jung and Freud psychological theories, as in part due to our innate altruistic needs and our appreciation with the ego (Ikin, 1923). Introverts can thus be said to be in part more inclined to allow others to dominate conversations as they are more willing to share the attention, as well as other forms of external stimulation. We are naturally more inclined to the dominant, rather than the submissive, and we are more inclined to those with adamant ideas rather than those that may be considerable to reflecting on their own opinions.

It is not the conclusion that extroversion is better than introversion or vice versa, nor is it a belief that managers and management theory should take the stance that one method of management should fit all. However, it is essential to the understanding of personality and hence management theory, that such a societal trend of preference being given to extroverts is understood. It is true that introverts will find it more difficult to be heard in a world dominated with extroverted structures yet to stricture blame on either introverted personality types or extroverted personality types is not recognizing that it is neither either but both – society in general and as a whole values external stimulation, the outside world and the benefits of teamwork and this is no more a result of groupthink but a result of our own habitual and evolutionary instincts.

References: 

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