Athens, Ga. – Keith Campbell, a psychology professor at the University of Georgia, will give a lecture on how introversion impacts learning March 4 at 2 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Miller Learning Center. The event is free and open to the university community.
The lecture is titled “Being an Introvert in an Extraverted World: The Case of Education” and is hosted by the UGA Student Affairs department of academic partnerships and initiatives.
Campbell, head of the psychology department, explains that the traits of extraversion and introversion have a long history in personality psychology, but that the topic is particularly relevant today.
“There are so many situations where extraversion helps, such as a job interview, to finding a date, to participating in class,” Campbell said. “This is more important now than ever because people change jobs more often, date more and delay marriage, and are expected to actively participate in classrooms.”
It is the last point that caught the attention of Sylvia Hutchinson, professor emerita and director of student affairs academic partnerships and initiatives.
“Our interest in this topic began in conversations with both UGA students and advisers,” Hutchinson said. “They indicated a need for a better understanding of instruction and campus opportunities for the introvert.”
As she learned more about introversion, Hutchinson became worried that she had tailored her classes for years for participation based on traditional extrovert responses. She wondered how many hundreds of great responses went unspoken from those who were not comfortable offering their ideas to the public forum of the classroom. When she began to share her concern with students and peers, she was overwhelmed with their responses.
“There are students that are feeling real pain in the classroom,” she said. “We hope this lecture will be the beginning of a continuing discussion about making UGA an accessible learning place for all students-not just those who like to exchange ideas in a vociferous way.”
Hutchinson is confident that Campbell, a nationally recognized expert on narcissism, society and generational change, is the perfect choice to get the conversation started.
“There are several definitions [of introversion and extraversion] that people use, so I will hopefully clarify those,” Campbell said. “I will talk about the cultural trends that seem to favor extraversion, and I will discuss some ways people who are more introverted can operate more effectively in this current environment.”
UGA Student Affairs
The Division of Student Affairs comprises 20 campus departments that enhance the learning environment for students at the University of Georgia by stimulating the learning process, integrating the in-class and out-of-class experiences, promoting an environment conducive to growth and discovery and facilitating intellectual, spiritual, social, occupational, physical, cultural and emotional development. For more information, see studentaffairs.uga.edu.
