Social Camouflage for Introverts

“The more open you are, the more you can hide.” 

While I'm using this quote from media expert Juliette Powell out of context—as she was not referring to personality traits—it started me thinking in terms of introversion (of course). I believe that I’ve adopted this philosophy in my own way. My need for privacy is huge…and so I have learned the art of talking all day without really saying anything. No, not in a mindless, small-talk blather, but instead, I have a range of topics that I feel perfectly OK to openly share with anyone.

 

I’ve learned to take control of the conversation with this technique to avoid personal questions that I am uncomfortable fielding. Most people are happy just to have the air waves filled with words, and I have found that when I talk a lot no one seems to notice my inherent need for privacy. So in the words of Juliette Powell, yes, I can seem to be very open without alerting others that I am really giving nothing away.

It’s one of the social camouflages I use, which is probably why I hear “you don’t seem like an introvert to me” so often. The benefit of this strategy is that I appear fairly ‘extroverted’ in social gatherings, but downside is it takes so much energy to chatter away happily…it depletes me even faster than usual.

What do you think introverts…how often do you wear your camo?…and is it a good idea to ‘hide’ in the open once in a while?

(Juliette Powell, and her expertise, can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/juliettepowell)