Cain starts off by telling us that as a whole, society, our neighbors, our colleagues, and our communities are at a loss because we aren't allowing introverts to do what they do best. She mentions that when it comes to creativity and leadership, we need introverts to do what they do best. She furthers her point by saying that many places such as classrooms and/or workplaces are mostly designed for people who require a lot of stimulation (AKA extroverts). When you need stimulation, you need to see something or do something physically to fully comprehend a topic. The difference between an extrovert and an introvert is that extroverts are most energized around people; they crave attention. An introvert is quite the opposite. Introverts generally keep to themselves and shyness is often associated with them. Cain mentions that culturally, we need a balance between introverts and extroverts. She also says that it’s especially important when it comes to creativity and productivity. I think the most interesting thing she says is that social skills are important and that we shouldn't abolish teamwork. She continues on and says, “the more freedom we give introverts to be themselves, the more likely that they are to come up with their own unique solutions to these problems.”
However, I think the most important part of her talk was when she tells us the three calls for action for those who share her vision of change on the attitudes towards introversion. The three calls were one: Stop the madness for constant group work. Two: Go to the wilderness. Not in a sense of going off into the wild and never having human interaction again, but rather having your own revelations and to just get inside our own heads. Three: Take a good luck at what’s inside your own suitcase and why you put it there. Cain’s third call was somewhat confusing, but I took it in a metaphorical sense (but it could be taken literally, too.) Relating to her third call, she says to open up your suitcases for others to see because the world needs you and it needs the things you carry. What I took from that was that that we need to open ourselves (introverts) up more to people and let them see our potential and what we can offer to the world.
Susan Cain’s talk was really somewhat empowering to me in a way. It was like that little boost I needed to hear to know that we (introverts) do matter, and we have so much to offer. I agreed with every aspect of her talk from schools and workplaces being centered around extroverts to having a balance between introversion and extroversion. Did this talk influence my answer to the question “What Matters To Me?” I’m still trying to figure that out. I’m not exactly sure if it caused this giant revelation of what matters to me, but it has definitely made me more interested in societal problems and psychology.