In all societies throughout history, including today’s, certain groups have faced discrimination. These groups’ access to social and community institutions is limited by various factors such as religion, gender, or ethnicity. Such discrimination was sometimes official and overt (through laws and regulations) but was usually more subtle.
These days, most societies aim to eliminate all obvious forms of discrimination, but is it possible that there is discrimination against certain kinds of personality? New research suggests that this is indeed the case. The personality trait in question is a person’s degree of extraversion or introversion. In particular, in the United States, introverts seem to be the victims of bias when applying for jobs or admission to universities.
First of all, however, it is necessary to clarify some misconceptions regarding what it means to be extroverted or introverted. Many people assume that extroverts are confident and outgoing, while introverts are shy and perhaps a little bit timid. In fact, many introverts can be very friendly and talkative, as well as willing to take risks. Perhaps a better way of looking at the difference is to think about energy. Simply put, extroverts gain energy by interacting with other people, whereas introverts recover their energy by having time alone or with a few close companions.
When it comes to behavior, introverts generally prefer to work or study alone rather than in groups. In a group environment, they are probably among the last to speak up and voice their opinions. This is not because introverts lack confidence but because they tend to weigh their words more carefully before speaking. For introverts, personal satisfaction in a job well done is more important than the recognition of others.
Unfortunately, it is just these kinds of attributes that may end up hurting introverts in their academic and professional careers. Elite schools and top companies are very direct about what kind of people they are looking for. They are seeking people who stand out from a crowd and who like to lead by being the public face of the team or organization. They want people who are outgoing and who enjoy being the centre of attention. In short, they are looking for extroverts.
When it comes to interviews, it is easy to see why introverts may be overlooked. When asked a question in an interview, introverts tend to think more carefully before answering. They also tend to give answers that are shorter and more precise because they focus on relevant information. As a result, strongly-introverted candidates often come across as shy, low-energy, or lacking in confidence. In addition, interview questions themselves are often biased towards more extroverted personalities. For instance, a common open-ended interview question such as “Tell me about yourself” is a gift for an extrovert but can be challenging for introverts because it lacks specificity. Consequently, despite being qualified candidates, introverts are often overshadowed by their extroverted competitors.
This perception that extroverts make better leaders or employees is one that is shared by many people. But is this view, in fact, justified? As employees, introverts do not require constant motivation from superiors and work well on their own. Moreover, since introverts tend to derive energy from self-reflection and their own inner world, they excel at creating and articulating ideas and strategies for the companies that they work for. Perhaps more telling is research that was conducted by the management school at the University of Pennsylvania. According to the study, when measured by performance, introverts tend to be more successful business leaders than their extrovert counterparts. The researchers speculate that this is in large part due to introverts’ ability to listen.