Quiet

A while ago I had a Myers-Briggs Personality Type Assessment test – not for any specific reason, more for personal interest and out of curiosity to see what emerged. I was assessed, by a qualified assessor, to be an IFNP personality type.

A brief explanation of what this means will be helpful here:

 I = people who prefer Introversion tend to focus on the inner world of ideas and impressions; 

N = preferring Intuition, these people tend to focus on the future, looking for patterns and possibilities; 

F = people who prefer Feeling tend to base decisions mainly on subjective evaluation of person-centred concerns;

 P = Perceivers tend to like a flexible and spontaneous approach to life, preferring to keep their options open.

This seemed to fit pretty well with what I already know about myself from and using astrological psychology for the past 34 years, and I was able to relate much of what had been covered in the test, and the final result, to my own chart. It’s strongly I-sided, with triangular aspect figures, has an overall Mutable motivation, has a perceptive Ear/Eye figure, the Jupiter/Neptune conjunction offers intuitive leaps and the Moon sits close to the DC welcoming all-comers.

Cut now to a few weeks later, when I came across a book entitled “Quiet – The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking” by Susan Cain. The “I” in my INFP personality assessment, standing for Introvert, aroused my interest in what this book had to say. It begins with a brief overview of the Myers-Briggs Assessment, and goes on to explore the realities of Introversion in considerable depth. It’s an intriguing, good read, easy to digest and follow with plenty of illustrative examples taken from real life.

Having been told by someone who knows me that I couldn’t possibly be an Introvert because I’m generally outgoing and find it relatively easy to talk to people, I begged to differ. Only I am aware of how I need to get away from people in order to have some quiet, down time on my own so I can recharge my batteries. I do have a very I-sided chart, with all planets there apart from the Moon, which sits alone on the doorstep of my chart, in full frontal access to the You. This can be useful when working with or meeting others, but it can also be exhausting; I need time on my own to recalibrate and recharge.

19.09.1945, 02.30, Tadcaster UK

 

 

As I read this book I became increasingly comforted by the fact that I'm an Introvert. I don't like to shoot my mouth off without a bit of reflection first; I prefer working alone and in silence and although I have worked in a team in an open plan office, I really found it distracting and not conducive to creative thought or productivity. Various social situations which Introverts would prefer to avoid are discussed, such as being at a noisy party. Introverts find being sociable and outgoing quite a strain and a drain, and long to go home, be quiet and read a book. 

Susan Cain's input on these very issues resonated strongly with me. Not that long ago I found myself in a social situation where a game of indoor skittles was declared to be happening. I don’t like competitive games. Hiding at the back of the group I was press-ganged into taking part, my stated preference of not wanting to play ignored, and was assigned to a team. Flinging the ball down the temporarily laid out bowling alley with little interest in the game and little regard for skill, to my horror I found myself in the final three players. What I really wanted to do was go back home and read my Kindle. At that point I made a deliberately bad throw to make sure I was out of the game.

Cain, herself an Introvert, claims that at least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the good listeners who prefer to listen rather than speak. They create and innovate but dislike self-promotion; they are not great at selling themselves and their ideas but are most comfortable working creatively in isolation. They are not team workers, yet many of them have made great contributions to society. Here Cain covers the actions and contributions of such people as Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss (author of The Cat in the Hat) and Steve Wozniak.

Cain asserts that society dramatically undervalues introverts, to its own detriment. The ideal of the outgoing, confident Extrovert is embedded in our culture. These people are supposed to be the winners, the leaders, those who can assert themselves by making a big noise (now why does Boris Johnson come to mind here, I wonder?) but many of them may lack the richness of a creative inner world and the insights which come with it.

Of course, both Introverts and Extroverts are needed in our society, and Cain explores how Introverts can, in fact, develop an Extrovert persona – rather like a sub-personality. In this mode the Introvert can be successful in a world which expects outgoing confidence if they can, when required, assume the role of Extrovert. It all started to sound rather like Assagioli’s Psychosynthesis technique of acting “as if” in challenging situations, and this resonated strongly with my experience and understanding of both Astrological Psychology and Psychosynthesis.

Cain relates the experience of a witty, high octane public speaker who can fill lecture halls to capacity, yet needs to retreat to a stall in the gent’s lavatory afterwards for some space to recharge, nurture and soothe his Introverted personality. It’s not that Introverts can’t be “out there”, it’s more that they have to balance their energies and respect their own needs to be quiet in order to do what they are good at. 

Astrological psychology has seemingly limitless boundaries and what can be seen and used in the natal chart can be considered alongside contemporary research into psychological behaviours and conditions, many of which bring us deeper understanding of what being human is about. Little did I know, at the time, where my assessment as an IFNP personality type would lead me!

Susan Cain – http://www.quietrev.com/author/susan-cain/

Susan Cain’s TED talk:

https://www.ted.com/talks/susan_cain_the_power_of_introverts