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  • Essay / The concept of shyness in psychology and its relationship with anxiety

    “My feelings are too strong for words and too shy for the world” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay - Dejan Stojanovic Shyness is the term used to describe the emotional state of feeling anxious and inhibited in social situations. From a social psychological perspective, situations differ in their power to elicit social anxiety reactions. Shyness is the embarrassment or apprehension that some people feel when approaching or being approached by other people. Shyness refers to the anxiety a person experiences in social situations which usually has 3 parts, a feeling of emotional excitement and specific physical effects such as nausea, acute self-consciousness and being careful and calm (Nugent, Pam MS 2013). Shyness is defined as an anxious preoccupation with oneself in response to real or imagined social interactions (Melchoir & Cheek, 1990). Shyness is characterized by active avoidance of social contact (Rubin, Stewart, & Coplan, 1995) due to fear of social interactions. scrutiny and embarrassment, feelings of negative self-esteem (Crozier, 1981), low self-esteem (Schmidt & Fox, 1995), anxiety (Hirshfeld et al., 1992), and sometimes depression. Unlike introverts, who feel energized by time alone, shy people often desperately want to connect with others, but don't know how or can't tolerate the anxiety that comes with human interaction. Assessment of shyness-eliciting events reveals that interactions with strangers, particularly those of the opposite sex or in positions of authority, encounters requiring assertive behavior, and explicitly evaluative contexts such as job interviews provoke the feelings of social anxiety the strongest. Calmness, gaze aversion, and awkward body language are the most common behavioral signs of shyness. New and unfamiliar situations can bring up feelings of shyness, such as the first day of school, meeting someone new, or speaking in front of a group for the first time. People feel shy when they don't know how to behave, don't know how to react. others will react, or when attention is focused on them. People are less likely to feel shy in situations where they know what to expect, are sure of what to do or say, or are among familiar people. Feelings of shyness can be mild, medium, or intense, but it depends on the situation and the person. People who often or sometimes feel shy may consider themselves shy people. Shy people may be good listeners and hesitant to try new things. They usually take a long time to get used to new people and new situations. Sometimes being quiet and introverted is a sign that someone has a naturally shy personality. But this is not always the case. Being quiet is not always the same as being shy (D'Arcy Lyness, 2016). Recent research supports the negative image of this trait by documenting how shyness can serve as a barrier to personal well-being, social adjustment, and professional fulfillment. Some people prefer to spend time alone rather than with others, but also feel comfortable when in a social setting. These people are non-anxious introverts, who may be unsociable but are not shy. The opposite of shyness is social self-confidence,and not extroversion. The problem with truly shy people is that their anxiety prevents them from participating in social life when they want or need to. Here are some of the factors that lead to shyness. Lack of self-confidence: Low self-esteem or lack of self-confidence. can force the brain to try to protect the person by making them shy. Inferiority complex: Feelings of inferiority can lead to shyness. If a person felt worthless, they would be too reluctant to express themselves or interact with people. Perfectionism: Perfectionism can lead to shyness. If a person wanted to say everything perfectly, they might end up talking a lot less and thus becoming shy. Lack of social skills: When a person lacks proper social skills, he will become self-inhibited by others and he might become shy because he can't think of anything to say. Self-image issues: Any type of self-inhibiting thoughts can lead to shyness. Since self-image issues can lead to self-inhibition towards others, they can lead to shyness. Fear of people: A bad past or a dysfunctional family can lead to many problems such as fear of intimacy or fear of people (Radwan, 2007). Shyness is a personality trait that affects a child's temperament. Some infants are born shy and more sensitive. Some of them are quiet when meeting new people or may put their head in their mother's shoulder. Some children may feel shy in certain situations, such as when meeting new people. Other children may learn to be shy because of experiences at school or at home. Since 2004, research has tended to distinguish shyness from introversion. Introverts simply prefer solitary activities to social activities but do not shy away from social encounters like shy people do, while extroverts prefer social activities to solitary activities. Eysenck (1947) believed that most individual differences in personality could be explained by varying and interacting levels of neuroticism and extraversion. The initial concept of shyness was rooted in this interaction. Individuals low in extravertedness and high in neuroticism were characterized as being socially shy. A distinction can be made between introverted individuals and individuals characterized as temperamentally shy. For example, introverted and shy children may prefer to be alone and engage in solitary play activities; However, an introverted child generally does not show overt signs of anxiety and is unlikely to experience difficulty in social interactions. On the other hand, an extremely shy child is likely to show overt signs of distress and experience problems when attempting to enter social situations (Schmidt & Fox, 1999). Over the past two decades, the amount of research devoted to the study of shyness has increased. Shyness is a common and pervasive phenomenon that more than 90% of the general population have reported experiencing at some point in their lives (Zimbardo, 1977). Temperamental shyness is a personality characteristic that appears during early childhood and is characterized by a more severe and persistent form of shyness and social withdrawal. Ten to fifteen percent of people suffer from temperamental shyness (Kagan, 1994). Research shows, however, that 25% of the time, the genetic predisposition to shyness does not develop into shyness. Some researchers believe a shy temperament may require triggers, 1995).