Books - The four temperaments get a makeover in an attempt to boost the self-esteem of introverts.

Quiet: the power of introverts

by Daniel Blackman

Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking

 | By Susan Cain | Broadway Books (January, 2013) | Pbk: 368 pp

ISBN: 0307352153 - 

It was Monday, 5.17pm, the working day was coming to a close. I was eyeing the clock in the corner of my computer when, in quick succession, two emails arrived. The first offered me “reputation management in an age of opportunity”, while the second alerted me to “The psychology of influence -- Proven ways to communicate effectively, and influence others to get win-win results”. From the latter message a man in a suit, proffering a firm handshake and keen eye contact, stared confidently out at me. “He’s obviously done the course and is reaping the benefits, climbing the ladder,” I thought. Or not.

What the psychologists of influence and the reputation managers don’t know is that I’ve just read Susan Cain’s “Quiet: the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking”. In fact, Cain begins her book with a chapter devoted to the rise of what social historian Warren Susman calls the shift from a culture of character to a culture of personality, where sales skill is a virtue and charismatic leadership means everything. Cain suggests that one third to half of Americans are introverts – and, presumably, in need of reassurance to deal with the other half.-

................

Read more: http://www.mercatornet.com