The extrovert ideal (the ideal personality)

Susan Cain's theory of the "Extrovert Ideal" discusses how in today's society the more preferred person, and seemingly more successful, typically is an extrovert. However, nowadays, introverts are becoming more and more extroverted within their jobs and schooling in order to fit into this stereotype and present themselves as successful.

The difference between the "ideal" personality varies a lot from culture to culture. Especially when comparing Asian culture to the culture in Europe. In Asian countries, academics are weighted highly. Asian parents tend to be proud if their kids stay home the entire summer and study to do well in school, whereas European parents will be more likely to tell their kids to go outside, be with friends, and socialize.

The difference between the "ideal" personality in different cultures can be very big. Here are two examples of quotes. One from the west, one from the east (Cain 188)

"Speech is civilization itself. The word, even the most contradictory word, preserves contact - it is silence which isolates."

- Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain

"Those who know do not speak. Those who speak do not know."

- Lao Zi, The Way of Lao Zi

It is obvious to see, what is valued higher.

Here are another two quotes from Quiet concerning the same:

"Asia is introverted, Europe extroverted" (Cain 186)

"Americans are some of the most extroverted people on earth..." (Cain 186)

*It is important to mention, that this is stereotypes, and there, of course, are many introverts in the US and Europe, and many extroverts in Asia

A comic generalization of the difference between an introverts and an extroverts brain

Harvard and Yale

Colleges like Harvard and Yale stated back in the 1940's and 50's that they would rather take a student with a lower intellect that identifies and comes off as an extrovert rather than the 'brilliant introvert' because they would fit better into college and later into the work field.

Even though Harvard may not officially be accepting people due to personality any more, the Quiet still states that Harvard has been called "the Spiritual Capital of Extroversion" (Cain 44). According to an article from college factual, a study from 2015 "delivered some great news for intuitive, analytic, structured extroverts". In general, "good things seem to go to the extroverts" (especially career wise). For example, the people with ESTJ and ENTJ personalities claimed the highest income (read more about those personality types in the Myers-briggs personality type indicator chapter).