In a world where 84% of people have reported feeling shy (Zimbardo, 2016), it is easy to understand the fear of potentially being laughed at or at times the easier option is to withdraw into the background. Coon and Mitterer (2014) defines shyness as “tendency to avoid others, accompanied by feelings of anxiety, preoccupation, and social inhibition”. Most people can relate to the characteristic of shyness at one point or another, but for 15 to 20% (as cited in Theall-Honey & Schmidt, 2006) shyness is a constant daily trait. Temperament is used to help differentiate between the two which describe it as being apparent in early age, it is a stable over time, predictable mode of response (Crozier, 2000). Shyness can impact someone from meeting …show more content…
In a sense avoidance is a coping mechanism which happens to create stress, anxiety and reduces self-confidence (Boyes, 2013). Fortunately, for students with temperament shyness this avoidance coping mechanism can be overcome once recognized. However, it is important to first question why there is a difference between shy and non-shy students. One approach to this question is the labeling theory which is the idea that if given a label and accepted that it will affect how they see themselves and how other perceive them. For example, “ ‘teachers in one classic study were told to watch normal elementary school children who had been labeled (for the study) as ‘learning disabled,’ ‘mentally retarded,’ ‘emotionally disturbed,’ or ‘normal’ Sadly, teachers gave the children very different ratings, depending on the labels used,’” (as cited in Coon & Mitterer, 2014, page 46). This concept is similar to that of shyness. Once a student is label as “shy” in the classroom it effects the student’s self-esteem. If the student is willing to change attitude toward shyness and interacting with other in social situations, they can overcome avoidance approach by practicing. Dr. Henderson and Dr. Zimbardo developed a program called “Social Fitness Training” where the idea is that someone can improve their social skills through practice the same way someone would train their physical fitness ("Social Fitness Training Model"). For example, instead on not answering a question due to the fear of being made fun off or being judge by their class mates, a student would deliberately try to raise their hand to overcome shyness. This should serve as a reminder for teachers to seek out shy students and guide them to overcome shyness in hopes that it could prevent it from deepening into
Each year, thousands upon thousands of new high school graduates enter college to begin one of the most exciting chapters of their lives. This is a time where young people get to move away from home, learn valuable life skills, meet interesting new people, and pursue the career of their dreams. While all of this may sound like nothing but positivity, there’s a dismal side to all of this that many individuals are not aware of. Out of all of the problems that college students face, social anxiety is an issue that has persisted throughout the years, and has not begun to improve. According to research out of The University of Plymouth and The University of the West of England, 10% of all university students surveyed said they experienced significant anxiety (Weaver,
Those who have social phobia have a strong fear of being embarrassed, or being judged by others. Most people that have social anxiety know that they shouldn’t be as afraid as they are but, they cannot control their fear. When they are in or around public they become very self-conscious, and tend to
Social phobia is “shyness taken to an extreme” (Myers 323). The origins of social phobia can be linked to “traumatic social experiences and social isolation” (Hudson118-120). A traumatic social experience can be “being laughed at or making a mistake in situations such as being called on to talk in class, being on a first date, speaking in public or being at a party”(Hudson 118). Social isolation includes “being teased, bullied, laughed at, rejected, neglected, or isolated from other children. Research from Allison G. Harvey shows that certain events around the time social fears being are when people are changing schools or work at 50.9%, not fitting in with or being ostracized by a p...
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) can be defined simply as a disorder in which an individual purposefully withdraws and avoids social contact for fear of rejection (Alloy, Riskind, & Manos, 2004). The individual that exhibits this disorder has an extreme sensitivity to criticism and the idea that they may be rejected, humiliated, shamed, or disapproved by others (Alloy et al., 2004). Morrison (1995) states that the sensitivity to criticism and potential disapproval has an effect making individuals with AVPD more likely to demonstrate modesty and eagerness to please others, however, this sensitivity can also lead to social isolation. The individual with AVPD may have difficulty distinguishing otherwise more innocent comments and view them as being critical. This can also lead to avoiding certain social situations and even career choices that involve a high level of interpersonal demands.
For the aforementioned reasons, there is no doubt that fears and shy had been controlled myself throughout the years. According to The People’s Almanac presents The Book of Lists by David Wallechinsky, Irving and Amy Wallace, one of the topic was titled “The 14 Worst Human Fears”, and the fear of speaking in public is the first fear of all fears (Richard I. Garber, 2009). This make me realized that it is perfectly normal to feel anxiety and fears to speak. Everyone, even an experienced speakers has some anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people. As for my experience and situation, I should have just fight the fears in me to throw my voice out asking questions in class otherwise I would might left behind a bit and need to struggle up for the subjects more than everyone does. Asking questions does not make you any stupid, it’s the source of
Everyone experienced feeling shy and nervous at some point in their lives. Being shy doesn’t mean that a person lacks talent, because it just might be that they don’t feel comfortable in certain situations.
In today’s extroverted world, the shy temperament has become synonymous with insecurity, social anxiety, functional deficits, inhibited social skills, avoidant social behavior and impaired behavioral, somatic and cognitive symptoms in social settings. However, shyness has been suggested to lie on a spectrum ranging from normative shyness to a pathological state of extreme social phobia and avoidant personality disorder. The distinction among the varying levels of shyness on the continuum has been a topic of interest to current researchers, specifically qualifying normative shyness from highly shy, and highly shy individuals with and without social phobia. The difference between an individual with shyness and one with social phobia can be explained by comparing how the two approach social situations, and how they respond cognitively, behaviorally and physiologically. A shy person might go to a social event but feel uncomfortable and not enjoy themselves very much. However, an individual with social phobia may not even be able to make themselves go to the event at all.
According, to the origins of social phobia by Hudson Jl, and Rapee Rm. ”There is, however, research derived from related areas such as shyness, social anxiety, self-consciousness, peer neglect, and social withdrawal that contributes to a richer understanding of the etiology of social fears” (Hudson). Their research is accurate because I have low self-esteem and I suffer with social anxiety due to being neglected throughout my life. Having social phobia has prevented me from getting a job, and talking to people on the daily basis. I do not enjoy talking to people I am not familiar with, especially when I am in school. I have a hard time giving presentations because of my anxiety. As a result, I would fail a class that I would have to present in because of my
This disadvantage may hinder my overall growth, especially if I don’t utilize tutoring or office hours wisely. Also, I am a little concerned about coming off as arrogant because I want to stay humble and down to earth as much as possible. A recommendation to help treat my shyness is to make eye contact with the person I talk to and to ask open-ended questions. Simply asking yes or no questions won’t help me overcome my shyness. Another recommendation for being reserved is to make a list of situations where I feel shy.
Payne, S.K. & Richmond, V.P. (1984). A bibliography of related research and theory. In J.C. McCroskey & J.A. Daly (Eds.). Avoiding communication: shyness, reticence, and communication apprehension. (pp. 247-294). London: Sage Publications Inc.
I say this because shyness affected my ability to collaborate. As a result I was not able to do group projects with my peers. I did not know how to interact with my peers; so, instead, I would just do the project by myself and hand it to my teacher. What I did not know was that the teacher was grading everybody as group, and we had to present our project in front of the whole class. That made me nervous because I had never presented in front of a group of students.
Overcoming challenges is a difficult thing to do. I 've always been a shy person even when I was a little girl; and it seems that as I 'm getting older, it 's getting worse. For me, my shyness is a challenge I have to overcome; it takes a lot of preparation to even think about overcoming a task physically, let alone emotionally. Determination is a big role in helping me overcome my challenges, this lets others know how much I want to succeed; and what I 'm willing to do to set my goals. Faith also helps to tell me that I can do whatever I set my mind to. All of these things helped me in my time of need – when things weren 't going as planned.
I used to be very shy, and not talk to a lot of people. It was a big part of my personality, and I would only talk to someone when spoken to. Wong explains how I acted very well, “My friends and family probably wouldn 't describe me as shy. But for me, being shy has always been about struggling to connect with people I don 't know. I fear the unfamiliarity of a stranger—how they might judge or reject me. Maybe there 's nothing inherently wrong with being timid, but when I started noticing how it affected my everyday life, I wanted to get it under control.” (para. 3). I started getting more and more talkative as I grew older, but one day I decided to change. I began to come out of my comfort zone. For example, I made myself talk more to people even though I was afraid of what I would say, but I made myself do it anyways. This helped me communicate a lot with people, because they began to respect me more, because I would also watch what I would say to them. I still watch what I say most of the time to people because one of my biggest fears is to offend someone on accident because of something that I said. Making myself talk to people more made me a much more outgoing person, which is a big part of who I
479). Throughout my life, I have always been described by teachers, friends, and family as an introvert. I’m shy around other people and often have a difficult time talking to them. In school, I’m the student that the teacher doesn’t know if I’m in class or not, unless I participate in discussions. It was interesting to learn more about introversion by reading about it in the book and the discussions in class. I was intrigued by the research information in the book, “shyness has a strong biological influence” (Grison, Heatherton,Gazzaniga, 2017, p. 484). My grandfather displayed the same quiet nature. Whenever, I went to my grandparent’s home, I noticed how he sat and listened intently to others, but didn’t speak much. He has always had a quiet nature. In addition, I learned more about the trait from the Eysenck’s Biological Trait Theory of Personality, which described how “personality traits had two major dimensions:
Many of us faced challenges in our years and struggled with them. Some of those struggles might have changed who we are or how we later approached life. A lot of people think that shy people are just quiet, and do not like to make friends. It's not the truth for me. As some of my friends know, I love to talk and share to others. I am a really outgoing fun girl, once I'm out of