159: Should I Worry That My Teen Is So Introverted?

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens

Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan

Kids & Family, Health & Fitness, Parenting, Mental Health

4.7 • 822 Ratings

🗓️ 27 February 2024

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When should parents be concerned about a teen who resists making social plans and chooses to hang out at home instead? A parent writes asking if she should be worried about her introverted son. He excels academically, has a job, and exercises regularly, But he chooses to spend weekends at home playing on his phone or working on his computer. While he has friends, he rarely initiates plans with them and makes up excuses for not joining their activities. As the end of high school approaches, his mother worries about his ability to connect with peers when he gets to college. Dr. Lisa walks us through the complexities of introversion and extroversion and explains how loving adults can best support teens who enjoy spending a lot of time alone. ________________ Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday. Follow and subscribe to our YouTube channel where you can see all our latest video episodes: https://youtube.com/@asklisapodcast And follow us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn @AskLisaPodcast, @Lisa.Damour, @ReenaNinan. Checkout Dr. Lisa’s website for more resources: https://www.drlisadamour.com/ Ask Lisa is produced by: https://www.goodtroubleproductions.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Rina Ninean and this is Ask Lisa, the Psychology of Parenting Podcast.
0:10.7	It's a podcast to help parents better understand their kids. Dr. Lisa DeMore, a psychologist with three
0:17.2	decades of experience, and the author of three New York Times best-selling parenting
0:21.8	books takes your questions. Both of us are moms ourselves, and we're eager to hear from you.
0:27.1	So send us your questions to Ask Lisa at Dr.LisaDemore.com. And you can join our community by
0:32.8	following us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. The handle is Ask Lisa Podcast. And also subscribe to our
0:39.7	brand new YouTube channel, Ask Lisa Podcast. Episode 159, should I worry that my teen is so introverted?
0:52.4	So, you know, this is always the time of year when I'm like itching to get out to somewhere warmer.
0:57.6	And I know my girlfriend was saying, you know, why do you make such a big deal over snow when it getting cold?
1:01.9	This is winter.
1:02.8	This is what is supposed to happen.
1:04.4	But the problem is, for those of us in the South who don't really experience winter, it is still painful.
1:09.1	It's still painful.
1:10.4	And also, I remember something you told me ages and ages ago, and I think this is like
1:14.3	such a wonderful thing that your husband said, like, you would go to the opening of an envelope.
1:18.4	Like you are, you love people, you love doing stuff, you love, I mean, it's why I love you.
1:24.7	But you are, Rina, I would say on the introversion extroversion scale, I would say you were way high on extroversion.
1:31.3	Wouldn't you?
1:32.2	Yes, but I would, I feel like COVID, those COVID periods dampered it a little bit.
1:36.3	But so it makes me so happy to say that you still would diagnose me on that level as being high.
1:41.4	But winter makes me introverted and sort of like not want to do stuff.
1:46.3	So then I completely start to understand a little bit, I think, of what it's like to be
	...

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