As I read the book this time, I realized that I think I was over-exaggerating my introversion when I read it a few months ago. I am definitely not a true-blue introvert, but I am definitely more introverted than I thought before I read this book. That's why it was such a revelation to me to think about being an introvert at ALL. I realized as I read it that a lot of the elements she described do apply to me, but there are lots of other elements that don't--I do look forward to parties and socializing, most of the time; I don't feel nervous about speaking in front of groups, usually. But I am perfectly content a lot of the time to just hang out with Tommy every evening. In one of the later chapters of the book, Cain talks about the debate over situation vs. personality--that psychologists are divided over whether people have core personalities that hold true all the time, or whether the situation decides what how people act and feel. (The answer, of course, is a combination of both, I would imagine.) But I think that's a good indicator of how I feel about whether I am introverted or extroverted--some nights I am dying to get out of the house and go have a girls' night out, and other nights there's nothing I would rather do than take a bath. It changes from day to day.
Some things I want to talk about with the book club when we meet tomorrow:
-how Cain says our culture has morphed from a Culture of Character to the Culture of Personality--100 years ago people were more focused on inner accomplishments like being an honest person and now it's all about having a "good personality," being outgoing and friendly
-her discussion of extroversion in evangelical Christianity and how that relates to Mormonism
-the "person-situation" debate
-relationships between extroverts and introverts--any experiences?
-creativity and collaboration
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