Closely reflecting on my own actions and preferences, I have come to the determination that I am an outspoken introvert. While I thought that this initially sounded contradictory, I realized that while I have introverted qualities, I am not shy or afraid to speak my mind on most social platforms. As an introvert, however, I am slow to speak because I will put a lot of thought into what I want to say. Both my outspokenness and the heavy reflections I put into my own words before speaking have, in the best inevitably, led me to get mad at others if they do not agree with me. However, after doing much self-reflection, I am now more aware of other temperaments. I will not become so quick to anger when people do not agree with me, and I will be more understanding of people’s points of views.
In regards to my family, in particular, I will be slower to anger. I used to get angry when my sister would say certain things in an argument but after reading Quiet, I realized extroverted personalities tend to speak without thinking first, and in many cases, do not generally realize what they are saying. As an introvert, I will in most cases reflect on my words before speaking. I would assume that my sister was doing the same yet after reading Quiet, I realized that everyone has very different processes of communication.
I will use my new understanding of my introverted temperament to build better relationships in the classroom. I was always very confused about myself, and since I have introverted qualities, I could not understand why I always had the urge to speak up in class. After reading Quiet, I realized that introversion is not an equivocal term for shyness. Thus, as an outspoken individual, I also tend to be very hard-headed with my beliefs. When I did speak, because I spent so much time formulating my opinion, I would come off very hard-headed and angry. It is clearer to me now that I have to take other people’s opinions into account. For example, in my sophomore year of history, I was usually very quiet in class, but during debates, I was a powerhouse. This would throw people off guard as I was always perceived as the quiet one. After realizing what exact temperament I have, I am able to better understand my qualities and know how to manage them for my benefit.
I used to think that while everyone had a different personality, everyone thought fairly similarity; but after reading Quiet, I realized how different the perceptions of each individual can be due to their personality and past experience. Becoming more understanding of my temperament has inevitably led me to become more accepting of myself and others. With this new acceptance, I will more easily be able to understand other’s points of view, rather than seeing things so one-sidedly.
