Since I was a baby I have been quiet by nature, meaning I was unexpectedly quiet.

As I grew up

the silence grew with me, making me go through life in a manner that put me in a difficult

position. Along with being quiet came the painfully shy trait, meaning- for me- I had very

limited friends and did not speak up very often when needed. This aspect of myself worried my

parents as they were both very loud and active kids, the opposites of me. I would prefer to sit

with my parents being left with my thoughts and distance myself from the other children. Going

into my middle school years I became painfully shy, and introverted to the point where a stutter

formed. I could not answer questions without difficulty. As I grew up as an only child, limiting

my interactions with other kids, I spent most of my time with adults. Which formed a mindset of

being more mature than the kids my age.

I believe this is a strong trait within other introverts. The author of ‘​Childhood experiences of

introversion: An exploration of navigating social and academic and ways of coping’​ Leah S.

Schwarts asks, how does being an introvert affect your childhood? I reply that it makes your

childhood very difficult, but not just in terms of making friends, or speaking up. As well as your

view on the world and others. As I am quiet I've also developed a trait for noticing/hearing things

going on around me, I have learned how to read situations/people better than I believe extroverts

can. Being an introvert I do not include myself. Meaning I can watch and recognize patterns in

people. This said I believe there are different types of introverts.

I believe there are introverts by nature, and introverts by force. While I do associate myself with

introverts by nature, I also believe I am one by force, due to in my younger years. Not spending
very much time with children, and home factors. Homelife is a very important aspect of growing

up, the type of household you grow up in determines- I believe- how you will turn out when

older. While both my parents had very strong outgoing personalities I was taught to be quieter in

terms of social settings, but enclosed family set settings I was taught you can be more of

yourself. Which brings me to another type of introverts, the social setting introvert, and the

all-over introvert.

As Lena M. Faitz states in ‘​In Defense of Introversion: An Argument For The Other Half’​ , “Carl

Gustav Jung...states,” every individual possesses both the mechanism of introversion and that of

extraversion…” I agree with the statement, as I believe I am one. Social settings such as schools,

malls, and parties I am a very introverted person. However around family- more specifically

those in my household- I was very extroverted. Being able to joke, talk, and be me. Because I'm

older now this is the common topic I find myself thinking about always leading to my childhood.

My quiet nature is something I truly embrace about myself.

Sources

Lena M. Faitz

Leah S. Schwwarts