My wife is currently winging her way to Kenya for a 10 day conference with World Vision International. I gave her 2 copies of Introverts in the Church to give to any influential church leaders that she comes across. I'm really curious to hear what reaction it receives. I don't know how popular personality inventories like the MBTI are in Africa and I don't know how introversion might manifest in more communal cultures. Does anyone have experience with African culture who might be able to comment on this?
Also, if I don't finish this new book proposal by the time she gets back, may I be trampled by a herd of wildebeest.
I'm an American introvert living in Uganda, just right next door to where your wife is. In my experience personality typing, like MBTI, doesn't tend to make much sense to my African friends. They don't tend to spend as much time on self-analysis as Americans do. I do know quite a few African introverts, but they wouldn't necessarily feel a need to describe themselves in that way.
ReplyDeleteIntroversion is by necessity expressed differently in a communal culture. When you have eight or nine permanent residents and who-knows-how-many visitors in a three-room house, alone time is virtually impossible to come by. But even most introverts don't seem to crave alone time in quite the same way I do -- just like you can't crave chocolate if you've never had it before. My introverted friends seem to find other ways of getting their needed processing time. In some tribes, for instance, it's considered rude to carry on a conversation while eating. Other people I know seem to do a lot of internal processing while cooking or doing laundry. I, on the other hand, when I lived in a more communal setting a few years ago, would spend three times as long as necessary going to the bathroom, simply because that was the only place where I knew I wouldn't be disturbed!
I know I've given offense to some of my African friends by trying to explain that I am listening to what they're saying, I'm not upset about anything, I just haven't had enough processing time to be able to give a good response. (But then, I also sometimes give offense to my extroverted American roommate for the same reason, so maybe that's not entirely a cultural difference.)
Wow, thanks so much for this comment Emily. I find this fascinating. I'm intrigued by the idea that you don't crave alone time as much if you've never had it before.
ReplyDeleteThere are some nice practical tips in there too, for introverts in communal cultures. Thanks!
I wonder if it helps that in those communities, the constant time with people is at least spent with mostly the same people. I know I'm less worn out when I'm surrounded by family and close neighbors than I am when I'm interacting with lots of new people or even lots of acquaintances. (Except when the family or close neighbors are griping and whining and moaning about something. Then I get worn out pretty darn quick -- which ties into my latest theory about T's needing extra processing time to deal with emotions and that having to do so is a very draining thing.)
ReplyDeleteThat's a fascinating theory, barefootmeg.
ReplyDeleteI have friends who are missionaries in Kenya, so I'll have to ask them about the introverts-in-Africa question, when they come back from fundraising in Colorado. I'm not sure how much they themselves know about personality typing, though.
I don't know what my African friends would say, but personally, living in West and Central Africa as an introvert was very hard. My housemate (also an introvert) and I basically took turns dealing with the streams of people. Having a housemate also took care of some other introvert pitfalls, like the fact that it was considered horrible that someone should be alone while they were sick. The cultural norm was that your friends should come sit by your bedside. Our African friends assumed that my housemate was doing that for me, when what she was *really* doing was letting me have alone time.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what my African friends would say, but personally, living in West and Central Africa as an introvert was very hard. My housemate (also an introvert) and I basically took turns dealing with the streams of people. Having a housemate also took care of some other introvert pitfalls, like the fact that it was considered horrible that someone should be alone while they were sick. The cultural norm was that your friends should come sit by your bedside. Our African friends assumed that my housemate was doing that for me, when what she was *really* doing was letting me have alone time.
ReplyDeleteI'm an American introvert living in Uganda, just right next door to where your wife is. In my experience personality typing, like MBTI, doesn't tend to make much sense to my African friends. They don't tend to spend as much time on self-analysis as Americans do. I do know quite a few African introverts, but they wouldn't necessarily feel a need to describe themselves in that way.
ReplyDeleteIntroversion is by necessity expressed differently in a communal culture. When you have eight or nine permanent residents and who-knows-how-many visitors in a three-room house, alone time is virtually impossible to come by. But even most introverts don't seem to crave alone time in quite the same way I do -- just like you can't crave chocolate if you've never had it before. My introverted friends seem to find other ways of getting their needed processing time. In some tribes, for instance, it's considered rude to carry on a conversation while eating. Other people I know seem to do a lot of internal processing while cooking or doing laundry. I, on the other hand, when I lived in a more communal setting a few years ago, would spend three times as long as necessary going to the bathroom, simply because that was the only place where I knew I wouldn't be disturbed!
I know I've given offense to some of my African friends by trying to explain that I am listening to what they're saying, I'm not upset about anything, I just haven't had enough processing time to be able to give a good response. (But then, I also sometimes give offense to my extroverted American roommate for the same reason, so maybe that's not entirely a cultural difference.)