Heed the warnings of the HSPs

[Introverts] are living evidence that this rich and varied world with its overflowing and intoxicating life is not purely external, but also exists within... Their life teaches more than their words.... Their lives teach the other possibility, the interior life which is so painfully wanting in our civilization.  --Jung, quoted by Elaine Aron


E.A. discusses introversion a lot and how it can be confused with what she termed the "Highly Sensitive Person" or "Sensory-Processing Sensitivity" trait.  In many Western cultures, introversion and sensitivity are often equated with weak characteristics needing to be overcome.  Ambition, aggression, and people with power (whether by fame or money) are idolized.

Introverts, shy-identified, and highly sensitive people must learn to disabuse themselves of these negative connotations of these traits.  As I see it, these characteristics allow people to be aware of the internal experiences in their myriad subtleties.  The inner is then reflected to the outer.  Everyone is compelled to act by deep feelings.  By being oblivious to those feelings, we do not have the ability to understand life in its complexity.  For example, most people have been told about the need to differentiate frustrating feelings experienced at work from the feelings experienced at home.  Typically told, the man goes to work and has a terrible day.  He comes home to his family with boiling emotions and the smallest upset at home causes him to lash out at his family, blaming them for the emotional turmoil.  To be aware of those feelings, recognizing their source and their complexity, allows for a more intelligent response.  This process requires a sensitivity to and awareness of one's own emotions.  It's not about repression, it's about understanding.

Introverts and highly sensitive people need to be understood as having valuable insight into this inner world.  To use those insights can lead to greater harmony and awareness in the "external world."

To make the distinction a little more gross, it's helpful to compare those with pain receptors and those without.  Of course, the occurrence of the latter is extremely rare in the population, and there's good reason for that.  People who do not have the capacity to feel pain do tremendous damage to their bodies.  This inability makes them more susceptible to injury and death.  In the same way, devaluing introverts and HSPs, leads to greater suffering and possibly to a society's death.  We would be smart to recognize this sooner rather than later.