Quote:
Originally posted by Erik
Yes! Introverts and people who are not the best in social situations obviously have a mental illness! How could they be "normal"?
What annoys me is how the media has conditioned society into thinking you have to be extroverted to be successful, desirable and, as demonstrated above, "normal" in life.
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Um, introversion is not the same thing as social awkwardness or shyness. You can be the biggest introvert in the world and still have plenty of social finesse, and conversely, you can be a socially awkward extrovert. The two are completely unrelated.
That said people who are socially awkward don't have a "mental illness." That's quite extreme.
And you're right on the last part, too. There's this weird false perception that's especially pervasive in Western culture that extroverts are "normal" and desirable and that introverts are somehow lesser and in need of fixing, that they need to break free from "their shell." They're just different personality types. Now, if social situations make you anxious or uncomfortable (like they do for me), then yeah, you should probably seek help, but simply preferring solitude or being quiet does not mean there's something wrong with you.