Many introverts and people who just prefer the comforts of their home over a busy and stressful office environment would want to find stable employment in an industry that permits them to work home-based. But which industries exactly can you find work-from-home positions? Below are common professions and trades you can focus on.
In 2012 I completed my Honors thesis research on mindfulness, authenticity, well-being, and introversion. The study worked within self-determination theory, which sees authenticity and mindfulness as intrinsic to well-being. My research supported this for both introverts and extraverts, but there was also one facet that was particularly vital for introverts and authenticity. A very brief summary is presented here. But firstly, I must say a big thank you to all the participants who gave their time to complete the questionnaires for the study. The research would have been nothing without you!
I asked: “Does being mindful help introverts to act and feel more true to themselves?” Does this then lead to increased well-being? This query stemmed from a premise that introverts may feel more pressured than extroverts to act inauthentically. Many of us know that extraverted behavior is often more valued in our society. In other words, introverts may consciously or unconsciously feel pressure to “act like an extravert” in order to achieve well-being.
The results showed that authenticity was a mediating influence on the “mindfulness and well-being” pathway for both introverts and extraverts. In addition, it was found that the self-alienation facet (reversed) was the only unique mediator of the Authenticity facets for introverts. None of the three Authenticity facets was unique for extraverts. This facet included such questions as: I feel out of touch with the ‘real me’, and I feel as if I don’t know myself very well. This result suggests that, compared with extraverts, feeling in touch with one’s true self is particularly important for introverts.
These results provide alternative avenues of exploration to other studies (e.g., Fleeson, Malanos & Achille., 2002) that have focused on “acting like extraverts” to increase well-being for introverts. Hopefully future research will continue to elucidate the experiences and motivations of introverted individuals!
So how can mindfulness help introverts? My research suggests the importance of experiencing and acknowledging our total internal experience – physiological states, emotions, and thoughts. This acceptance of our internal experience, especially of negative internal experiences, is vital to honoring our authentic selves.
For more information, research, discussion, and resources, I would love for you to visit my blog. You can find me at mindfulness. authenticity. introversion.
Julie
Photo courtesy of Icrontic.com on flickr
Reference:
Fleeson, W., Malanos, A. B., & Achille, N. M. (2002). An intraindividual process approach to the relationship between extraversion and positive affect: Is acting extraverted as “good” as being extraverted? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1409-1422.
One of the things I have noticed over the years is how the media, and society in general, like to pigeonhole people. We seem to love sticking people into boxes and putting a label on them. This is definitely the case with introverts. Now I know when you talk about introverts there will be a certain amount of generalisation. You have to generalise if you are talking about a group of people. But not only does society tend to pigeonhole introverts, it also seems to misunderstand them as well.
Being an introvert in an extroverted world is a topic close to my heart as I’m currently doing my Honours Psychology thesis on that subject.
The study aims to assess the association between well-being and extraversion / introversion. Research has shown correlations between extraversion and well-being but these have focused in the main on Subjective Well-Being (SWB) which is concerned with assessments of feeling good and life satisfaction. Psychological Well-Being (PWB) is less researched and focuses more on indicators of self-realisation such as the content of your life, and the processes involved in living well. I aim to compare a SWB and a PWB test for well-being on extraverts and introverts, and hypothesise that well-being increases for introverts more on a PWB test than a SWB test.
The main focus of the study looks at whether mindfulness increases well-being for introverts and extraverts. In particular, whether being mindful helps introverts to act/feel more true to themselves (i.e. be more authentic), leading to increased well-being.
If you are interested in the study then participants are always welcome! My online survey is hosted through the University of New England (in Australia). It takes about 30 minutes (but mostly less than that) for the survey to be done online and it is all completely anonymous.
The survey link is:
http://unebcss.us2.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_cSGcGQus0aTJpjK
Thank you if you do decide to participate! I will also post results on here, probably around November this year.
Julie Cutten
Photo: © iStockPhoto.com / caracterdesign
Update – August 7, 2012
A huge thank you to everyone who has participated in my survey. The response has been excellent!
I now need to analyse the stats and write up the results so I am closing the survey.
I will come back and post the results later in the year.