The Power of Introverts
Knowing ourselves
by Claire Law
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider the characteristics of introverts by using the biblical examples of Moses and Mary.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (The Power of Introverts) and the means to display them.
- Have available the YouTube video ‘The quiet power of introverts’ and the means to show it during the assembly. It is 3.42 minutes long and is available at: https://youtu.be/o1Y4Z0oh1GE
Assembly
- Show Slide 1.
Welcome the students to the assembly. - I wonder if you can work out what the following people have in common. Although they come from different countries and different periods of history, they all share something in common.
- Show Slide 2.
Here, we see Elon Musk - the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla - and Rosa Parks, the American civil rights activist best known for her role in the Montgomery bus boycott.
Can anyone suggest what these two people might have in common?
Listen to a range of responses without revealing the correct answer. - Show Slide 3.
This slide shows the actress Emma Watson – who rose to fame as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films - and Barack Obama, the former US president.
Can anyone suggest what these people might have in common?
Listen to a range of responses without revealing the correct answer. - Show Slide 4.
Finally, this slide shows the author J. K. Rowling and Charles Darwin, the nineteenth-century biologist who developed the theory of evolution.
Like the other pairs, these people never met, but all six of them share something in common.
Can anyone suggest what this might be?
Listen to a range of responses. - Point out that all of these famous people are thought to show traits of introversion. We could call them introverts. But what does this mean?
- During the early twentieth century, psychologist Carl Jung studied and wrote about human personality. He created the idea of a continuum, with introversion at one end and extroversion at the other. He described introverts as tending to focus inwards on their inner world of thoughts and feelings, making them reflective, thoughtful and insightful. Extroverts were people who were more at ease focusing on the external.
- Show Slide 5.
Ask the students, ‘Would you describe yourself as an introvert or an extrovert?’ - Show Slide 6.
Read through the features of introverts and extroverts. - Show Slide 7.
Building on the work of Carl Jung, another psychologist, Hans Eysenck, coined the word ‘ambivert’. He regarded ambiverts as people who demonstrated features of both introverts and extroverts.
Regardless of whether we feel ourselves to be an introvert, extrovert or ambivert, we will all know many introverts. It’s impossible to be sure, but between 30 and 75 per cent of the population have been estimated to be introverts. - To help us better understand the idea of introversion and what introverts have to offer the world, let’s watch a video.
Show the YouTube video ‘The quiet power of introverts’ (3.42 minutes long).
Time for reflection
Hopefully, that video has helped us understand more about introversion and the power of introverts. So, let’s take a moment now to consider two introverts who appear in the Bible.
Show Slide 8.
First, there is Moses, an important prophet in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. In the Bible, the Book of Exodus tells us about his life.
On the slide, we see Moses leading the Jewish people through the Red Sea, and also receiving the Ten Commandments from God. Moses was a leader and a prophet, yet he also seemed to have an introverted personality.
The Bible tells us that, at times, Moses would retreat to spend time alone. He also found it difficult to speak in public, preferring his brother Aaron to speak on his behalf. During Moses’ lifetime, he developed a close relationship with God and was even a friend of God. Perhaps it was Moses’ ability to be reflective, thoughtful and insightful that enabled him to develop this closeness with God.
Ask the students, ‘What might we learn from Moses’ example?’
- Do we benefit from time alone to reflect as Moses did? Or do we know others who do?
- What might we do today to support ourselves or others in this?
- Do we need or want time and space to develop closeness with God?
Let’s pause for a moment to consider these questions for ourselves.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Show Slide 9.
The other biblical introvert we are going to consider is Mary, Jesus’ mother. After Jesus’ birth, the Gospel of Luke described Mary as someone who ‘treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them’.
Let’s consider what we might learn from Mary’s example. What do we need to process the big events in our own lives?
- Are we people who need time and space to treasure things in our own hearts, and ponder them? Or do we know people in our friendship group or family who need this?
- What might we do today to support ourselves or others in this?
Let’s pause for a moment to consider these questions for ourselves.
Pause to allow time for thought.
Prayer
Dear God,
We thank you for how you have created us as humans.
Each one of us is unique.
We have different personalities and different ways of relating to others and to our world.
Sometimes, it’s helpful to have categories like introvert, extrovert and ambivert to help us describe who we are, and what we like and need.
However, we also recognize that categories don’t do us justice.
You know each one of us because you created us.
You know our strengths, our fears and our challenges, no matter what label we might give ourselves.
We ask that what we have learnt here today helps us to better understand our own needs and preferences.
We also ask that we better understand others’ needs and preferences so that we can live our lives in the fullness of who you created us to be.
Amen.
