Shyness Background

Background on Shyness

Shyness is the feeling of awkwardness, worry, or tension whenever a person is within the company of others. It is different from introversion, as introverts are not necessarily shy, nor do they fear socializing as they are still capable of normal social interaction. They simply find solace in solitude, yet they are also able build connections better than extroverts. (Helgoe, 2002) Unlike introverts, shy people bear the desire to interact with peers, but are unable to do so due to awkwardness or fear they get whenever they approach or are approached by people, (Kazdin, 2000) however stronger forms of shyness can indicate social anxiety or social phobia. In fact, shyness is similar to social anxiety, but those who suffer

A person can also develop shyness based from their environment and how they were raised. (Williams, 2009, p.104) Historically, shyness was also viewed as a symptom of mercury poisoning as one of the components of erethism between 18th and 19th century England. (Friberg, 1991) However, it is mostly seen as a mere personality trait that may appear in different stages of a person’s life, with it being more prevalent during childhood. An example of childhood shyness would be how children may over-control their actions when presented in situations where they can’t control or find challenging. As a result, they would prefer to leave rather become directly assertive. (Sundem, 2014) Shyness has its roots in self-consciousness and usually dissipates as people mature and become more experienced, thus as a person grows older, they will gradually lose this apprehension, although there are also cases where their shyness becomes a lifelong trait. (Tyrrell,

(“Shyness... Or Social Anxiety Disorder?”, n.d.) These sentiments are rooted from obsessing over the opinions of others towards them, as well as being hyper aware of being watched, judged, and criticized. (“What Is Social Anxiety Disorder? Symptoms, Treatments, & More”, n.d.) It varies from shyness as it can be classified as a mere emotion or as a type of anxiety disorder depending on the symptoms a person has. For it to be classified as a form of anxiety disorder, significant fear and physical symptoms are to be manifested by the person, and these are characterized by having similar symptoms with anxiety as well as occasional panic attacks when facing various social situations. Those who suffer from social anxiety disorder are inclined to caring more about what others might think about them due to their low confidence levels. (Shaw,