We all face some difficulties and confidence problems when we have to go the place or stay in the environment which is not familiar to us. One of the examples is going to University as a newbie. Most of the newcomers (coming from segregated educational system) lack confidence in the co-educational system. They don’t take part in any curricular or co-curricular activities. The question is, Is this Introversion? To answer this question we need to understand, What does introversion mean?
What does Introversion mean and Who are the Introverts?
An introvert is a thoughtful individual, reserved and quiet. They don’t seek any special attention or social engagements. They remain in their selves. They often want to stay in solitude. They feel overstimulated in the social gatherings. One study source(Trusted) shows that introverts are more likely to be diagnosed with depression. They don’t feel such levels of happiness as enjoyed by extroverts. It is going to be difficult to identify, how introverts identify happiness. Introverts prefer better quality and emotional relationships every-time. It is very difficult to achieve that level of satisfaction constantly.
Most Common Difficulties Faced By Introverts
- Asking Questions
Asking questions is very important in every aspect of life. They clear our doubts. Specially during a lecture in a class, all of us come up with different questions. At that moment, introverts often stay quiet and don’t ask questions, thinking that other students will laugh at their question. This lead them to less understanding of the lecture. In the last several years, educational techniques have moved from being lecture based into more seminar and discussion-based formats where a significant portion of the grade a student receives may be based on participation (Rocca, 2010). This format with an emphasis on participation privileges the most extroverted and outgoing students and disadvantages the quieter students who may be less comfortable with answering a question in front of the whole class or interjecting their viewpoint into the discussion.
- Class Presentation
Class presentation is one of the most difficult things for most of the newbies in the university. Newbies often try to avoid class presentation. It doesn’t mean they don’t have knowledge on that topic. Often times they have more knowledge than most of the students in the class, the only thing which stop them is shyness, they feel shy and uncomfortable while standing in front of the whole class.
- Group Discussions
Unlike schools and colleges, in university class most of the tasks, assignments and projects are assigned in groups of 4-5 students each. These different tasks are done after a lot of discussion and work in groups. Introverts even feel shy to take part in these group discussions. They do complete their work but they don’t take part in discussion because they don’t have courage to express their viewpoint. They feel fear that others will make fun of their argument or viewpoint.
- Seminars
University is meant to be a time of new beginnings and experiences. We’re told to get out there and find out who we are, to meet new people, to try new things. For this purpose different seminars and meetings are held in universities. But Introverts often miss those seminars. In a discussion with some new students, I found out the reason of why Introverts miss or why they don’t want to go those seminars. The most common reason of that is they don’t want to express their selves in front of a seminar audience or in a meeting.
Introversion is something which is not eternal. It can be eradicated with some effort and with a passage of time. If you think you are an introvert, my message for you is you should keep an eye on all the difficulties mentioned above. And time to time try to find out to what extent you are improving. This will help you to overcome your introversion.