This is the correct interpretation. Congratulations!

I read the article and thought, "Wow, there are people like this?" I mean, I relate to a few of the issues, some social anxiety here and there, some wondering how I'm viewed in social groups, etc. But to this level?

Let me make this perfectly clear: I have nothing against these kinds of people. Not in the least. I know a lot of you out there will relate to this article and that's perfectly fine. Good for you.

But please, don't take it as some kind of validation or good advice. Be yourself, don't be a dick, stop worrying, get out and see the world, and live how you want to live. It is simply not as complicated as this author makes it out to be.

The advice you could take from this article is, get help if you need it. Honestly. You can get past anxieties, social and otherwise, and sometimes there are things you shouldn't just accept as "who you are." You can always better yourself.

Really?

I disagree, perhaps that's what the difference is between introvert and extrovert.

I find that I need some time to myself, to do my own things, or else I get perturbed.

For a while there in university I would spend even 2 or 3 day alone in my apartment, without speaking, texting, or IMing anyone. Just coding an assignment, playing video games or fooling around in Linux.

Completely giving up people didn't see terribly insane at the time.

Of course this is a moot point since I now attend a Unix group meetup every month and actually look forward to the social interaction.

I am an I :) There's introversion (the natural preference/energy focus) and then there's verging on sociopathy (lack of empathy, inability to relate to others). I think the author is closer to the 2nd, but I don't really know.

Just be aware that I fully understand introversion/extroversion and all the shades in-between. And still hold to my interpretation of the article...

You "fully understand" of all the shades of introversion/extroversion and yet you thought "Wow, there are people like this?" after reading it? I think you might need to expand the range of shades you understand. Nothing in the piece suggested to me anything verging on sociopathic.

It doesn't sound like she needed help. It sounds like she's realised she doesn't want or need as much social interaction as our culture leads you to believe you "should" - and she's living a successful, fulfilling life. If that's not validation for such an approach, then what is? Why should I want to be "better"?

You have nothing against them, except the belief that they should't accept who they are?

To be fair, I think everyone should challenge themselves and their complacencies equally.