Caring for Your Introvert

Caring for Your Introvert: "Extroverts are seen as bighearted, vibrant, warm, empathic. 'People person' is a compliment. Introverts are described with words like 'guarded,' 'loner,' 'reserved,' 'taciturn,' 'self-contained,' 'private'—narrow, ungenerous words, words that suggest emotional parsimony and smallness of personality."

Interesting thought: perhaps most of the words used to describe introverts are negative because words are generally coined by extroverts.

I'm an odd mix of introvert and extrovert. In one-on-one interactions I tend to shrink before dominant personalities. I'm turned off by people who talk-n-talk-n-talk-n-talk and I find that afterward I just need to get away for a few hours to wind down.

However, when interacting within groups of people, where no single person dominates the conversation, I thrive. In fact, I probably tend towards dominating the conversation in those cases (I often joke that I'm an amateur loudmouth). Interactions like that get my juices flowing and, generally, make me feel better about what's happening in the world.