Introverts and extroverts

[ThisHereMamaBear]

Do you think you are born one way or another? I'm definitely an introvert. I'm less shy than I used to be but I still find it hard socialising. My dh is the same. We had a zoom chat today for our ds's class, reception age. It seemed like most of the children were excitable and chatty but my ds just wanted to hide behind me. Do you think I can do anything to encourage him to be more confident? Or are we the way we are?

StCharlotte introversion is not being shy though.

Many introverts- as this thread shows- have good communication skills and are confident.

OutwiththeOutCrowd

I had a mother like that too. I winced every time she told strangers that I was shy- I was- but having it announced at every social situation made it much worse.
I was also an introvert.
Nowadays I am not shy at all- but still an introvert.

It's excruciating speakout, isn't it!

A degree of shyness in children actually makes sense. They are more vulnerable than adults. It's a survival mechanism.

Most people are not particularly introverted or extroverted, but feel energised by spending some time with others and some time alone.

I agree that introverts get spoken about as having some kind of problem, when in reality it’s probably far less difficult to accommodate introverts than extroverts.

I think confidence has a lot to do with self-acceptance and understanding your place in relation to other people, so either an introvert or an extrovert could be confident. I know quite a few people who would describe themselves as introverts but are self-assured, communicative and (when they choose to be) sociable.

I'm neither one or the other. I'm a mix of both, probably stems from having parents on extreme opposite ends of the scale. I would say that after my extroverted side has been out, even if its just for the afternoon, I feel really drained and need 'quiet time' to myself.

speakout

introversion is not being shy though.

I agree. But I think OP's son sounds shy.

I was shy and introverted when I was younger - dreaded speaking in front of the class, would go bright red and overthink what I said afterwards..this eased off as I got older and more confident. My job actually involves standing up and speaking in front of lots of people, however, I will always be an introvert, albeit a chatty one.