Culture Clashes

I recently finished reading Susan Cain's book Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. I'd highly recommend it; as one such introvert about whom she writes, nearly everything she wrote resonated with me. One topic in particular has stayed with me since I read it (and, truthfully, since I heard her TED Talk). In her book, she wrote about a shift that took place in America that Warren Susman, a cultural historian, described as a change from a "Culture of Character" to a "Culture of Personality."

"In the Culture of Character, the ideal self was serious, disciplined, and honorable. What counted was not so much the impression one made in public as how one behaved in private. The word personality didn't exist until the eighteenth century, and the idea of 'having a good personality' was not widespread until the twentieth. But when they embraced the Culture of Personality, Americans started to focus on how others perceived them. They became captivated by people who were bold and entertaining" (Cain, 2012, p. 21).

It is completely obvious that this certainly describes much of today's culture-- charisma and appearance sway, substance is secondary. And honestly, I can't help but feel that we've lost something here. What's even more disturbing is that so many people (teens being especially susceptible) are completely oblivious to the fact that they are being influenced and making choices based on personality rather than substance. Just look at advertising strategies-- promoting people and products using qualities that Cain lists as characteristics of the Culture of Personality (magnetic, fascinating, stunning, attractive, glowing, dominant, forceful, energetic) are the tools of the trade (Cain, 2012, pp. 23-24).

I would argue that we're setting ourselves up for failure.

We're doing our kids, students, employees, and peers a disservice if we're not encouraging and equipping them to look for the character and substance under a personality, and more importantly, to develop their own. I'm not arguing that we completely dismiss the personality; obviously we have to speak the language of the culture to a certain extent, but I think we have to do the hard work that comes along with developing the moral fiber that is essential to consistent, long-term success.

I recently traveled to Europe, and I was struck by the difference in Europeans' appreciation for things that take time and effort-- food, flowers, architectural details, sitting in a cafe enjoying and investing in relationships, etc. In our busy, convenience driven culture, we may be sacrificing more than we realize by not investing in the things that take days, months, and years to develop. My challenge is simply to take a second look.

Source: Cain, S. (2012). Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking. New York, NY: Crown Publishers.