While doing research for this article, I noticed that the question: “is being an introvert a weakness?” has a bit of search volume, which means that there are people interested in this topic while the question: “is being an extrovert a weakness?” doesn’t have. That, on its own, says a few things about how people see being an introvert.
It’s a bit sad to consider that being an introvert is actually a weakness it is almost like saying that the sea is more beautiful than the mountain without context. What about the sea during the winter when you can’t enjoy the sun?
Is being an introvert a weakness?
No, being an introvert is not a weakness by any means. Both introverts and extroverts have strengths and weaknesses. Who is weak or strong between those two depends on the circumstances since their qualities differ quite a lot.
However, we are used to seeing more extroverts glorified compared to introverts, but it also depends on the circumstances, that is why some people consider being an introvert a weakness.
I don’t want to complain a lot about society and what is appreciated and what is not since those things and trends tend to change. But, I must admit that at the moment, extroverts will probably have an easier time finding a place where they can shine compared to introverts. But it is not as bad as other people might make it look like.
Also, this thing is not binary, it is more like a scale, almost no one is 100% extrovert or 100% introverted, and we can work on our weaknesses if we know what they are.
So don’t feel bad if you know you are an introvert, you should find places where your qualities are more appreciated or improve the weakness you think you have.
I’m more of an extrovert, while my wife is more introverted, but we learned a lot from each other, and we know that there are circumstances where her qualities are much more appreciated than mine and vice-versa.
She learned to be much more sociable since she met me, and I learned to listen more and to be more emphatic. Of course, we learned way more things from each other, but those are a few important ones that are usually associated with being an introvert or extrovert.
So, being an introvert is not a weakness on its own. If you are in some circumstances that require the qualities of an extrovert, it might feel this way, but you have to think that the opposite is true for an extrovert.
Read Also: How To Stop Copying Others
Strengths of an introvert
I will list here a few strengths of an introvert, there are way more, but that would be a long article on its own. There are even entire books about the strengths and weaknesses of an introvert. So I can’t talk about all of them in this article but the idea is to show that introverts have their strengths and weaknesses.
-They are perecetionist
This might be considered a weakness at the same time in certain situations but imagine a surgeon that is not a perfectionist and will say that they are doing a “good enough” job. Would you trust them with your life?
I bet that being an extrovert in this field is considered a weakness more often than being an introvert.
-Attention to details
An introvert pays more attention to details than an extrovert, in some cases,” the devil is in the details”, so when an extrovert might not bother to read a contract, an introvert will, and they might avoid a serious problem. Also, in different circumstances or when they know a person, they will pay attention to the details and might notice something an extrovert will not.
-They think before they speak
They might tend to overthink in some situations, but certainly, they will not say the first thing that comes to their mouth, which might avoid ending up in some awkward situations. I’m an extrovert, and I know that I said some things that should not have been said without thinking about them.
-Able to work or spend time alone
An introvert will not have difficulties in enjoying the time they spend alone or working on their own. In some situations, this is very important since having someone to talk with or spend time with might not be productive for certain jobs.
Being a writer is one of them, luckily for me, I like the topic I write about, and I can spend talking with my wife when I take a break, otherwise it would have been a hard job for me. Also, we have a lot of friends and a pretty active social life to compensate for the time I spend alone writing. However, my wife doesn’t feel the need to compensate for this as much as I do. So I can be a writer, but I need a lot of circumstances for this to work, while she doesn’t need most of those things, it is more natural to her.
-Emphatic and good listener
This is one of the best quality an introvert have, at least in my opinion. Everybody is the most important character in their story(life) and would like to have someone that understands them and listen to them, but those people are actually pretty rare.
We all know those people that listen to us just to say, “Yea, me too” or” I would have done this and that,” and continue with their story without asking more about you or how you see things.
Empathy is a very underrated quality. I mean, real empathy is when you really put yourself in the other person’s shoes and try to understand them without thinking of what you have done in that situation or why they have acted wrongly.
Read Also: Is Being Shy Attractive?
Weaknesses of an introvert
-Don’t like teamwork
Introverts tend to work better alone, and since they are perfectionists, they will have a hard time working on a team because it is not likely that everybody will do their part to perfection.
Also, introverts will feel more tired after being in a crowd compared to extroverts.
-Not so sociable
In some situations, this is not a problem. However, having connections and knowing more people help us to get more opportunities in life.
Also, you have to talk to people to learn more about a job, about them, or things like that, which will help you get promoted or become part of a group you would like to be part of. Check out this article about introverts hating parties.
-Overthinking
This might be a problem, especially because it can go in some irrational directions. They tend to think too much about everything and sometimes complicate their lives by doing it. Introverts are trying to find meaning in everything they do even when there is not, that’s why they hate small talk so much.
Read Also: Why Do Introverts Hate Phone Calls?
Conclusion
Being an introvert is a weakness only if you are in situations where the qualities of an extrovert are needed, but other than that, it is not a weakness at all.
We need introverts as well as we need extroverts, everybody has their own place in this society, you just have to understand what your strengths are and use them properly.
