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Taylor Heger
Qiana Towns
ENG 122
01/21/2022
3-2 Writing Plan
In “Caring for your introvert: the habits and needs of a little-understood group,” author
Jonathan Rauch goes into discussion on the misinterpretation’s introverts face by society.
Rauch identifies himself as an introvert, therefore giving the readers insight on introversion
from ones point of view. The author goes on to back up his claim by giving his personal
experience and opinion. Throughout the article, the reader is supplied with more
knowledge on what introversion is, the percentage of the population that are introverts, and
friendly pointers on how to coexist with one, should the occasion ever arise. While the tone of
the reading is a casual light-hearted one, Rauch is still trying to bring awareness to this
misconceived personality type.
Key points within the text feature three main focal points. The first of these being an
enhanced definition of introversion. Introverts are often confused as being shy, arrogant, or
aloof. This is not always necessarily the case, more so they find others to be demanding and
draining. Being introverted does mean being anti-social or depressed, they just recharge
differently. Extroverts on the other hand, thrive off social energy. They gain energy from social
interactions, the complete other side of the spectrum from their counteragents, which is the
second key point of the article, being the differences between introversion and extroversion.
After doing further research, Rauch states that roughly twenty-five percent of the population
are introverts. With that being said, there continues to be little understanding on the subject.
Rauch’s target audience is aimed at the extroverts who have an introvert in their life.
The author did a phenomenal job of advising extroverts on how to better support and respect
their opposite. Additionally, an extrovert who happens to come upon this article will be able to
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gain a better understanding and appreciation for a person that they otherwise think they have
nothing in common with.
The author brings up constant reminders throughout the reading to better connect
with the reader and his audience. First off, Rauch suggests for extroverts to be aware of the
warning signs of an introvert, instead of regarding them as someone who is arrogant and rude.
Secondly, the author later shows grace towards extroverts, stating that most extroverts
don’t realize the torment they put introverts through, just like introverts cannot control their
personality, neither can an extrovert. Lastly, Rauch friendly advises tips to extroverts on how
to respond and better care for the introvert in their life.
The author remains adamant in his claim throughout the entire reading. Obviously
Rauch’s siding is with introverts, but he does not allow his personal opinion and bias impact
his ability to effectively reach his audience. He makes sure to include aspects of both character
traits, thus making the intention of the article objective rather than subjective.
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References
Rauch, J. (2003, March). Caring for your introvert: the habits and needs of a little-understood
group, (Personal File). The Atlantic, 291 (2), 133+.https://link.gale.com/apps/
doc/A97872643/GLS? u=nhc_main&sid=bookmark-GLS&xid=0a566045
