All By Myself

Introversion, thanks mainly to Susan Cain’s 2012 best seller Quiet, is having something of a cultural moment. 

Once a mostly misunderstood personality trait – and often considered a behavioral defect when it was considered at all – it is now considered cool to be an introvert. I believe so anyway. 

I’m not sure if you know it or not but the ordinary person’s definition of introversion is not the same as how scientific literature looks at it. 

In the bulk of the research on personality psychology, introversion is usually defined by what it is not: extroversion. If extroverts are assertive and enthusiastic individuals who thrive in highly stimulative social environments, then introverts are the opposite. End of list. What introverts think about it doesn’t really factor in. 

This is actually a problem that was identified at least as early as 1980, when one study found that the “scientific” and “common-sense” definitions of introversion didn’t quite match up. 

And then along comes psychology professor, Jonathan Cheek (right) who argued that there’s not just one way to be an introvert. Based on his research, he found four types of introversion: social, thinking, anxious, and restrained. 

Taken together, the first letter of the four types spells out STAR, which is what Cheek named his model. 

And many introverts are said to be a mix of all four types – rather than demonstrating one type over the others. 

Anyway, I have no intention of delving into all of the above – but suffice to say, in the main, I’m what is referred to as a Thinking Introvert. 

A person with a high level of thinking introversion doesn’t share the aversion to social events people usually associate with introversion. Instead, they’re introspective, thoughtful, and self-reflective. 

“You’re capable of getting lost in an internal fantasy world”, Cheek had said. “But it’s not in a neurotic way; it’s in an imaginative and creative way”. Think the dreamily imaginative Luna Lovegood, not the socially awkward Neville Longbottom, Cheek said, putting it into Harry Potter terms, if you’re familiar with JK Rowling’s characters, that is. 

Irrespective of what 'STAR'-type you are, all introverts naturally prefer time alone and that’s cool. In fact, I read somewhere that introverts make up about half of the population, though sometimes it doesn’t seem like it. Meaning they get the most value in life out of time spent on their own. 

Being alone can offer rich psychological experiences, for example, it allows one’s brain to recharge, it boosts creativity and it enhances productivity. 

But take note that too much isolation can have a negative impact on both one’s physical and mental health. 

Therefore, during this mandatory period of prolonged self-quarantine, many of us may find the experience invigorating as much as it is alienating. And there are those who even go through alternating moods. 

I guess it’s up to the individual how you manage your own coronavirus-made circumstance. It is advised to indulge in preoccupations – as opposed to distractions – because the latter are just that. 

Preoccupations can take many forms such as reading, writing, blogging/vlogging, simple daily exercises, watching documentaries and/or whatever it is that catches your fancy. 

I am into all of the above – but I’ve also started working on promo ads for WSD 2021 and even giving thought to a new project, The Speakers’ Club of Kuala Lumpur. 

Anyway, in the clip below that I'm sharing, we have a band of self-isolating musicians who have ‘come together’ to serve us Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself” – watch and enjoy!

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Like it or not, Covid-19 is going to stay with us for some time yet – so I suggest you try to make the best of the situation.

I don't know about you, but, so far, my self-isolation life is remarkably similarly to my normal life, LOL.