While both positive and negative peer interactions have long been a focus of scientific interest, much less attention has been given to children who tend to refrain from interacting with peers. This volume brings together leading authorities to review progress in understanding the development, causes, and consequences of shyness and social withdrawal. Compelling topics include: *The interplay of biological, psychological, family, and interpersonal processes in shyness and social withdrawal from infancy through adolescence. *The impact on peer relationships and academic performance. *Links among shyness, social withdrawal, and social anxiety disorder. *The positive side of unsociability—when to "leave children alone." *Implications for clinical practice and educational interventions.

This volume is about shyness: its definitions and conceptualization as a psy chological construct, research on its causes and consequences, methods for meas uring shyness, strategies for alleviating the unpleasant experiences associated with shyness, and its connection to other forms of social anxiety and inhibition. the book together was to provide a resource for The principal goal in putting psychologists from several subdisciplines, most notably social, personality, clin ical, and development13-l psychology, in addition to social scientists from other disciplines. We do riot assume that these chapters, considered collectively or individually, provide answers to every conceivable issue with respect to shyness. Rather, we hope that the book will serve to integrate what is known about shyness on the basis of current research and theorizing and to provide both directions and impetus for continued research, theoretical evolution, and improved techniques of assessment and intervention. But one might ask, why another book on shyness? In particular, why a book at this time given the recent appearance of other books on the topic and in view of the extensive literature on related topics such as introversion and anxiety-topics that would seem to compete with shyness for the same concep tual space? Our decision to edit this volume was prompted by several consid erations, some practical, others more substantive in nature.

Written by some of the leading international authorities in the field, this volume provides an overview of significant contemporary psychological research into shyness. It brings together perspectives from developmental psychology, social psychology and clinical psychology.

There's nothing wrong with being shy. But if social anxiety keeps you from forming relationships with others, advancing in your education or your career, or carrying on with everyday activities, you may need to confront your fears to live an enjoyable, satisfying life. This new edition of The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook offers a comprehe...

Although shyness is a very common trait and almost everyone experiences it at some level, it’s often misunderstood. That’s because few of us ask about the frustration, anxiety, pain, and triumphs in the life of a shy person. These experiences remain hidden, and shy people may feel that nobody wants to know what’s going on in their hearts, minds, and souls. Their silence often isolates them. In Shyness: The Ultimate Teen Guide, Bernardo J. Carducci and Lisa Kaiser help young adults address a concern that millions of teens around the world experience. The authors emphasize that shyness is not a character flaw that needs to be cured, or that shy people need to remake their personalities and suddenly become extroverted. Instead, this book provides tips and strategies to help shy teens control their shyness by changing the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that hold them back from reaching their true potential. Chapters in this book look at myths about shyness what makes people shy what it feels like to be shy how shyness affects identity how shy teens can meet people and make friends how shy people can tackle some of their biggest fears, like dating challenges beyond high school, such as leaving for college and developing a career Throughout this book, teens learn that the best-kept secret about shyness is that there’s nothing wrong with it. Designed to help readers understand and gain a greater appreciation for who they are, Shyness: The Ultimate Teen Guide will teach young adults—and those closest to them—what it means to be successfully shy.

There's nothing wrong with being shy. But if social anxiety keeps you from forming relationships with others, advancing in your education or your career, or carrying on with everyday activities, you may need to confront your fears to live an enjoyable, satisfying life. This new edition of The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook offers a comprehensive program to help you do just that. As you complete the activities in this workbook, you'll learn to: •Find your strengths and weaknesses with a self-evaluation •Explore and examine your fears •Create a personalized plan for change •Put your plan into action through gentle and gradual exposure to social situations Information about therapy, medications, and other resources is also included. After completing this program, you'll be well-equipped to make connections with the people around you. Soon, you'll be on your way to enjoying all the benefits of being actively involved in the social world. This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

This book examines the adaptive aspects of shyness. It addresses shyness as a ubiquitous phenomenon that reflects a preoccupation of the self in response to social interaction, resulting in social inhibition, social anxiety, and social withdrawal. The volume reviews the ways in which shyness has traditionally been conceptualized and describes the movement away from considering it as a disorder in need of treatment. In addition, it examines the often overlooked history and current evidence across evolution, animal species, and human culture, demonstrating the adaptive aspects of shyness from six perspectives: developmental, biological, social, cultural, comparative, and evolutionary. Topics featured in this book include: The study of behavioral inhibition and shyness across four academic generations. The development of adaptive subtypes of shyness. Shy children’s adaptation to academic challenges. Adaptiveness of introverts in the workplace. The role of cultural norms and values in shaping shyness. Perspectives of shyness as adaptive from Indigenous Peoples of North America. The role that personality differences play on ecology and evolution. Adaptive Shyness is a must-have resource for researchers and professors, clinicians and related professionals as well as graduate students in developmental psychology, pediatrics, and social work as well as related disciplines, including social/personality, evolutionary, biological, and clinical child psychology, anthropology, sociology, and cultural studies.

This volume brings together researchers exploring the biological and psychological determinants of shyness and fear. Its aims to present research to psychologists and clinicians interested in the development and outcome of these emotions in mental health.

Leading international researchers draw upon a variety of perspectives on the study of shyness and embarrassment, shame, blushing and self-consciousness.

Shyness & Love covers the only major study conducted to date on social anxiety disorder as it is manifested in informal, unstructured, male/female dating and courtship situations. It focuses on the causes—both biomedical as well as situational—of “love-shyness” and the consequences for those afflicted with it. Gilmartin also discusses promising treatment modalities and what schools and communities can do to prevent severe love-shyness from developing in the first place. Shyness & Love examines the early family life as well as the peer group interactions of love-shy men. The book provides many statistical comparisons between the sampled love-shys and a comparison group of non-love-shy males of normal (but not superior) social self-confidence levels. These statistical comparisons allow for some informed speculations regarding the numerous interacting causes that underlie social phobia in informal, unstructured, heterosexual social situations. These statistical comparisons also provide the reader with some powerful suggestions regarding ways the American social structure (e.g., schools, family life, and communities) might be rearranged so that severe and intractable forms of love-shyness would never have an opportunity to develop in growing boys and teenagers in the first place. Since the publication of the first edition of this book, it has been determined that as many as forty percent of men afflicted with love-shyness are simultaneously comorbid for Asperger’s Syndrome, also known as high-functioning autism. As many as half of all love-shy males are comorbid for the “male lesbian syndrome,” sometimes also referred to as the “passive, non-competitive male syndrome.” This second edition contains a new foreword that presents the latest findings in love-shyness research. It is more concise than the original Shyness & Love, yet retains the most significant chapters.