Rise Of The Extrovert Ideal By Susan Cain Analysis

Susan Cain begins the novel with the story of a high school student named Dale. With his simple and moral upbringing, Dale grew up without the confidence to speak his mind or to speak in front of a crowd. Later, at a Chautauqua speaking event he discovered his inspiration. He admired the speaker’s ability to grasp the audience in his hand and keep their attention with his hypnotizing charisma. Dale aspired to be just like him. Working towards his dream, he transformed himself into a public speaking champion. After years of practicing his craft, he became a public speaking teacher giving occasional classes at the YMCA. After one of his overnight classes went viral, he became a public speaking sensation. He later founded the Dale Carnegie Institute, dedicated to helping businessmen and entrepreneurs root out their “flaws” and insecurities as young men. Carnegie’s story influenced the rise of the Extrovert Ideal. Twentieth century America had shifted from character being based on culture to character being based on personality. Americans became more focused on people who were more bold and entertaining, and began to think about how others perceived them. Behind this cultural shift was the rise of industrial America. The nation began to urbanize and immigration inflated the population. Americans found …show more content…
Though for a long time it was believed that a charismatic leader was a good leader, as we learn more about the introvert and extrovert ideals, that conclusion proves to be false. These “leaders” we have today are simply idols with attractive extrovert characteristics. People watch and follow by example but only by the extrovert’s seducing magnetism that the people aspire to have. However, their ability to rally a crowd around their words is a powerful skill. People like Tony Robbins have that ability to make their audience believe their words, ultimately making them believe in