Introvert Power
Why Your Inner Life Is Your Hidden Strength
2nd Edition
Published on 1. February 2013
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-4022-8088-7 (ISBN)
Description
Learn to embrace the power inside you in a world geared towards extroverts in this introvert book written by psychologist and fellow introvert, Laurie Helgoe.
Introverts gain energy and power through reflection and solitude. Our culture, however, tends to celebrate extroversion. The pressure to get out there and get happier can lead people to think that an inward orientation is a problem instead of an opportunity.
Helgoe shows that the exact opposite is true: introverts can capitalize on this inner source of power. If you're looking for books on self-confidence and introversion, Introvert Power is a blueprint for how introverts can take full advantage of this hidden strength in daily life and move more confidently in the world.
Revolutionary and invaluable, Introvert Power includes ideas for how introverts can learn to:
Claim private space Bring a slower tempo into daily life Deal effectively with parties, interruptions, and crowdsQuiet is might. Solitude is strength. Introversion is power.
"Vivid and engaging."-Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
"A modern-day Thoreau."-Stephen Bertman, author of The Eight Pillars of Greek Wisdom
Introverts gain energy and power through reflection and solitude. Our culture, however, tends to celebrate extroversion. The pressure to get out there and get happier can lead people to think that an inward orientation is a problem instead of an opportunity.
Helgoe shows that the exact opposite is true: introverts can capitalize on this inner source of power. If you're looking for books on self-confidence and introversion, Introvert Power is a blueprint for how introverts can take full advantage of this hidden strength in daily life and move more confidently in the world.
Revolutionary and invaluable, Introvert Power includes ideas for how introverts can learn to:
Claim private space Bring a slower tempo into daily life Deal effectively with parties, interruptions, and crowdsQuiet is might. Solitude is strength. Introversion is power.
"Vivid and engaging."-Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
"A modern-day Thoreau."-Stephen Bertman, author of The Eight Pillars of Greek Wisdom
Reviews / Votes
"It changed my life. No kidding. Dr. Helgoe's book opened the door to discovery that has helped free me be myself." - Sophia Dembling, author of The Introvert's Way: Living a Quiet Life in a Noisy World "Like a modern-day Thoreau, psychologist Laurie Helgoe leads us to a tranquil Walden Pond within our soul, and shows us the blessings of solitude we can find there." - Stephen Bertman, author of The Eight Pillars of Greek Wisdom "I love Laurie Helgoe's book. I just wish I'd had it when I was growing up; it would have reduced the number of decades it took me to treasure my own introversion. Now as I read each page I'm saying "Yes!"" - Josephine Humphreys, novelist and winner of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature "Extroverts have to read this remarkable book too. It's not just that we'll better understand the other 50 percent of the population but that they have so much to teach us. The party always ends, after all. Being alone is unavoidable. Helgoe and the introverts among us know a secret: It's after all the music and dancing stops that we often become our most graceful selves." - Ethan Watters, author of Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche "Laurie Helgoe's Introvert Power is The Bhagavad Gita for introverts....Laurie fans the embers of wisdom in each of us to honor yearnings that serve as both compass and anchor. I'm now giving myself permission to get a lock for my office door and replace my reading chair with something that would delight my younger self. I owe it to her." - Mary Hershey, author for children & young adults, co-creater of Shrinking Violets, Marketing for Introverts ""Most Americans, whether introverted or extroverted, have learned to look like extroverts," writes psychologist (and introvert) Heilgoe in this well-written and well-reasoned analysis that challenges the perception of introverts as a silent, problematic minority... Readers will find much insight, as well as a comforting sense of being understood and validated." - Publishers Weekly, STARRED reviewMore details
Edition
2nd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
451 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4022-8088-7 (9781402280887)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Laurie Helgoe, PhD, is a writer, psychologist, part-time actor, and model-and introvert. This is her fifth book.
Content
CONTENTS
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction
America the Extroverted
Introversion for All-or None
The Big Lie
Reviving Your Introversion
What's Inside
Introvert Voices
Part I: Antisocial, Weird, or Displaced?
Chapter 1: The Mistaken Identity
The Opposite of Social Is Not Antisocial
The Opposite of Social Is Not Introverted
We Are Not Snobs
Introversion Is Not a Diagnosis
The Abandonment of the Internal
We Are Introverts
Chapter 2: Alone Is Not a Four-Letter Word
The Culture of More
The Threat of Solitude
Introversion Interrupted
The Fear of Solitude
The Courage to Be Alone
Chapter 3: Becoming an Alien
Alien Society or Alien Self?
Shadow Dwellers: Goths, Geeks, and Fantasy Freaks
No Place to Hide: The Accessible Introvert
The Setup
The Third Option
Chapter 4: "Anyone Else IN?"
The Extroversion Assumption
Finding Introverts
A New Assumption
Where the (Inner) Action Is
My Space in Cyberspace
Chapter 5: The Get-Happier Mandate
Put on a Happy Face
Unhappy Pursuit
The Right to Pursue Answers
Happy to Fit In
The "S" Word
Inventing Depression, Prescribing Happiness
The Downside of Up
I'll Have What I'm Having
Part II: The Introvert's Wish List
Chapter 6: Meditating with the Majority:
The Introverted Society
Norden: Private and Proud
Japan: Manners over Mouth
Introvertia
Chapter 7: A Room of Your Own
Your Dream Room
From Dream to Real
Room Outside
Office Space
Chapter 8: The Time to Think
Time Poverty
The Ticking Bomb Model
From Deadline to Birth Time
Nature's Rhythm, Society's Rhythm
The Rhythm of Introversion
Chapter 9: The Right to Retreat
What Is a Retreat?
How Do I Know When to Go?
A Society in Search of Introversion
Overruling the Objections
Retreat Dreams
Mini-Retreats
Chapter 10: The Freedom of a Flaneur
The Artist's Eye
Among, Yet Alone
Flaneurie 101
Your Invisibility Cloak
Chapter 11: Inroads to Intimacy
Intimacy through Ideas
Sticking It Out
Going Deep
Part III: Standing Still in a Loud World
Chapter 12: The Conversation Conundrum
The Risk of Playing
Slowing It Down
Conversation Preparation
Music to Our Ears
Chapter 13: The Anti-Party Guide
"No" Is an Option
Pros and Cons
Establishing Your Terms
Introverting at the Party
Chapter 14: Why Did I Want to Work with People?
Doing Versus Thinking
What is Work?
A Culture of Interruption
Introvert Exploitation
Changing Your Mind
Idea Inc
Leading, Introvert-Style
Chapter 15: The Downside to Self-Containment
The Lonely Hearth
A Limited View
Self-Reproach
Stale Air
Loss of Community
Chapter 16: Showing Up for Relationships
The Problem of Family
Introversion and Intimacy
Loving Our Extroverts
Relationship Assessment
Part IV: Outing the Introvert
Chapter 17: From Apology to Acceptance-and Beyond
Apologies, Explanations, and Excuses
The Place for Apology
Introvert Integrity
Chapter 18: Celebrating Introversion
Life in the Dark
Introverts Are Cool
Wide Receivers
The Yin Celebration
Chapter 19: Expressing What's In There
Writing It Out
Beyond Words
Having the Stage
Introversion Diversions
Chapter 20: Moshing on Your Own Terms
Meeting Your Opposite
Learning from Our Extroverts
Organic Expansion
Extroverting for Energy
The Paradox of the Pit
Chapter 21: Introvert Power
Tribute to an Introvert
Meditating in Your Mosh Pit
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Preface to the Second Edition
Introduction
America the Extroverted
Introversion for All-or None
The Big Lie
Reviving Your Introversion
What's Inside
Introvert Voices
Part I: Antisocial, Weird, or Displaced?
Chapter 1: The Mistaken Identity
The Opposite of Social Is Not Antisocial
The Opposite of Social Is Not Introverted
We Are Not Snobs
Introversion Is Not a Diagnosis
The Abandonment of the Internal
We Are Introverts
Chapter 2: Alone Is Not a Four-Letter Word
The Culture of More
The Threat of Solitude
Introversion Interrupted
The Fear of Solitude
The Courage to Be Alone
Chapter 3: Becoming an Alien
Alien Society or Alien Self?
Shadow Dwellers: Goths, Geeks, and Fantasy Freaks
No Place to Hide: The Accessible Introvert
The Setup
The Third Option
Chapter 4: "Anyone Else IN?"
The Extroversion Assumption
Finding Introverts
A New Assumption
Where the (Inner) Action Is
My Space in Cyberspace
Chapter 5: The Get-Happier Mandate
Put on a Happy Face
Unhappy Pursuit
The Right to Pursue Answers
Happy to Fit In
The "S" Word
Inventing Depression, Prescribing Happiness
The Downside of Up
I'll Have What I'm Having
Part II: The Introvert's Wish List
Chapter 6: Meditating with the Majority:
The Introverted Society
Norden: Private and Proud
Japan: Manners over Mouth
Introvertia
Chapter 7: A Room of Your Own
Your Dream Room
From Dream to Real
Room Outside
Office Space
Chapter 8: The Time to Think
Time Poverty
The Ticking Bomb Model
From Deadline to Birth Time
Nature's Rhythm, Society's Rhythm
The Rhythm of Introversion
Chapter 9: The Right to Retreat
What Is a Retreat?
How Do I Know When to Go?
A Society in Search of Introversion
Overruling the Objections
Retreat Dreams
Mini-Retreats
Chapter 10: The Freedom of a Flaneur
The Artist's Eye
Among, Yet Alone
Flaneurie 101
Your Invisibility Cloak
Chapter 11: Inroads to Intimacy
Intimacy through Ideas
Sticking It Out
Going Deep
Part III: Standing Still in a Loud World
Chapter 12: The Conversation Conundrum
The Risk of Playing
Slowing It Down
Conversation Preparation
Music to Our Ears
Chapter 13: The Anti-Party Guide
"No" Is an Option
Pros and Cons
Establishing Your Terms
Introverting at the Party
Chapter 14: Why Did I Want to Work with People?
Doing Versus Thinking
What is Work?
A Culture of Interruption
Introvert Exploitation
Changing Your Mind
Idea Inc
Leading, Introvert-Style
Chapter 15: The Downside to Self-Containment
The Lonely Hearth
A Limited View
Self-Reproach
Stale Air
Loss of Community
Chapter 16: Showing Up for Relationships
The Problem of Family
Introversion and Intimacy
Loving Our Extroverts
Relationship Assessment
Part IV: Outing the Introvert
Chapter 17: From Apology to Acceptance-and Beyond
Apologies, Explanations, and Excuses
The Place for Apology
Introvert Integrity
Chapter 18: Celebrating Introversion
Life in the Dark
Introverts Are Cool
Wide Receivers
The Yin Celebration
Chapter 19: Expressing What's In There
Writing It Out
Beyond Words
Having the Stage
Introversion Diversions
Chapter 20: Moshing on Your Own Terms
Meeting Your Opposite
Learning from Our Extroverts
Organic Expansion
Extroverting for Energy
The Paradox of the Pit
Chapter 21: Introvert Power
Tribute to an Introvert
Meditating in Your Mosh Pit
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
About the Author