Shyness
Shyness And Adjustment
Another important issue that has not been fully resolved is the point at which shyness ceases to be an everyday problem common to many people and becomes a form of psychopathology. There is evidence that shyness is related to introversion and neuroticism more or less equally (Briggs 1988). However, although studies indicate a convergence between shyness and various diagnoses such as anxiety disorder, social phobia and avoidant personality, most research suggests that shyness results in such debilitating conditions in only a small number of cases (e.g., Prior et al. 2000). Moreover, shyness tends to be most seriously problematic during life transitions (e.g., going away to college or changing jobs) that require social skill and assertiveness to acquire new social networks and relationship partners as compared to more stable periods of life ( Jones and Carpenter 1986). Finally, there is also evidence that both "everyday" shyness and its variants of greater clinical significance can be successfully treated with psychological and other forms of intervention (Cappe and Alden 1986).
See also: ANXIETY DISORDERS; DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY; PEER INFLUENCE; SEPARATION ANXIETY; TEMPERAMENT
Bibliography
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WARREN H. JONES
Additional topics
Marriage and Family EncyclopediaFamily Theory & Types of FamiliesShyness - State Versus Trait Shyness, The Experience Of State Shyness, Trait Shyness, Variations In Shyness