Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D., M.F.T., is an author, researcher, speaker, educator, psychotherapist and an authority on introversion.
On her site: MartiLaney.com she lists :
Top 10 Advantages Introverts Possess:
10) Work Well With Others, Especially In One-to-One Relationships
9) Maintain Long-Term Friendships
8) Flexible
7) Independent
6) Strong Ability To Concentrate
5) Self-Reflective
4) Responsible
3) Creative, Out-of-the-Box thinking
2) Analytical Skills That Integrate Complexity
1) Studious and Smart
Top 10 Misconceptions About Introverts:
10) Party Poopers
9) Unfriendly
8) Nerds
7) Lacking Social Skills
6) Won’t Talk
5) Don’t Like People
4) Withdrawn
3) Loner
2) Shy
1) Hermit
She also provides a Self Assessment for Introverts [PDF]
In an interview with Dr. John Sheehan for the Mensa Education and Research Foundation: “Understanding and Appreciating Introverted Advantages” Dr. Laney talks about the trait, and also shyness. The page notes, “While the general population is made up of approximately 75 percent extroverts and 25 percent introverts, the membership of Mensa is the nearly the reverse: approximately 65 percent introverts and 35 percent extroverts.”
You can download the full interview from the above page – here is a brief excerpt :
Laney’s site also has a list of Famous Innies which includes:
Joan Allen, actress
Candice Bergen, actress, writer, photographer
Ingrid Bergman, actress
Ellen Burstyn, actress
Glenn Close, actress
Audrey Hepburn, actress
Helen Hunt, actress
Diane Keaton, actress
Grace Kelly, actress
Jessica Lange, actress
Laura Linney, actress
Gwyneth Paltrow, actress
Michelle Pfeiffer, actress
Julia Roberts, actress
Meg Ryan, actress
Meryl Streep, actress
Actors
Clint Eastwood, actor/director
Harrison Ford, actor
Tom Hanks, actor
Sir Alfred Hitchcock, film director
Jack Lemmon, late actor
Bill Macy, actor
Steve Martin, all around talented guy
Noah Wiley, actor
Singers
Christina Aguilera, singer
Enya, Irish pop singer and musician
Innie Writers & Artists
Emily Dickinson, poet
Katharine Graham, late owner of the Washington Post, author and DC hostess
Bill Keane, cartoonist
Gary Larson, cartoonist
Lois Lowery, author
Monet, impressionist painter
Norman Rockwell, painter
Will Rogers, humorist
SARK, writer and vigorous napper
… and many others
“I think I’m a weird combination of deeply introverted and very daring.
“I can feel both those things working.”
Actor, director, writer Helen Hunt
From post: The Creative Personality: Both Extroverted and Introverted.
“I think I’m a weird combination of deeply introverted and very daring.Dr. Laney has written three books on the subject: The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child; The Introvert and Extrovert in Love; and The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
One of my related articles: Introverted, Shy or Highly Sensitive in the Arts
Many actors, musicians, authors and other artists identify themselves as being shy, or consider themselves introverted or highly sensitive. Some examples: Alanis Morissette, Beyonce Knowles, fashion designers Tory Burch and Tom Ford, Amy Adams, Sigourney Weaver, director Ang Lee. Marti Olsen Laney, Psy.D., M.F.T. identifies a number of “famous introverts” – as noted above.
I have been researching, writing and publishing material about creative people for about twenty years, and one of my main topics is sensory processing sensitivity, especially as I am a highly sensitive person or HSP myself.
It is fascinating to me how many dynamic actors call themselves shy – though I suspect many use that as a convenient label, and they are actually highly sensitive or introverted – or both.
~~~
Related articles
See more posts in my column The Creative Mind on Introversion.
The post Marti Olsen Laney on Introversion Advantages appeared first on Highly Sensitive and Creative.