Do You Know Any “shy kids"? You know the ones... Although they may be animated and boisterous with close friends and family in a closed or known environment, they become quiet and non-participative in unfamiliar situations. Maybe they mumble and shuffle their feet when they are introduced to new people or have a hard time jumping in when they are placed in an environment with kids they don’t know. They might have a skill they perform wonderfully at home, but they cannot bring themselves to do it in front of others. Their discomfort might manifest itself as a refusal to speak, averted or downcast eyes, a flight response (hiding behind mom or dad), or avoidance of certain activities. What is Shyness? It’s highly likely you knew kids who were described as shy when you were young or maybe you thought you were a shy kid. If so, you’re not alone. A National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) study of 10,000 teenagers found that about half of the youth in the study identified themselves as shy.[1] To me, that is an incredible statistic which leads to an interesting question: Why would so many kids identify themselves as shy? Shyness can be a frustrating state which causes confusion and obstruction of desires. Shy people, especially kids, may not understand why they are shy or how they will ever overcome it. The term shyness can cover a lot of ground, but is generally defined as a feeling of awkwardness, tenseness, or a tendency to withdraw in social situations, especially in unfamiliar environments or with unfamiliar people. Inward symptoms can include worry about how they are viewed by others or negative feelings about themselves. Outward symptoms may include butterflies, sweating, or blushing.[2] Shyness can be confused with social... ... middle of paper ... ...order 13. WebMD: Just Shy or Social Anxiety Disorder - 2014 14. Social Anxiety Institute: DSM-5 Definition of Social Anxiety Disorder - 2014 15. National Institute of Mental Health: Shy Temperament: More than Just Fearful - Aug. 2006 16. Medical News Today (MNT): Shyness is inherited -Jun. 2003 17. Genome News Network: Is There a Gene for Shyness? - Apr. 2000 18. Indiana University Southeast, Shyness Research Institute: Are We Born Shy? - 2012 19. Anxiety Disorders Association of America: Triumph Over Shyness - 2002 20. Shyness Institute, University of Derby, and Palo Alto University: Shyness, Social Anxiety, and Social Phobia - 2014 21. Science Daily: Genes And Stressed-out Parents Lead To Shy Kids - Mar. 2007 22. Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics: Shyness and Timidity in Young Adults Who Were Born at Extremely Low Birth Weight - 2008
Knafo, Ariel, et al. "Intergenerational Transmission of Risk for Social Inhibition: The Interplay between Parental Responsiveness and Genetic Influences." Development and psychopathology 25.1 (2013): 261-74. ProQuest. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.
Some emotional and behavioral signs are being concerned that you’ll offend someone, intense fear or meeting strangers. Another sign is avoiding situations that could result in embarrassment or becoming the center of attention. Expecting the worst possible outcome and even fearing that others will notice that you look anxious are all signs of social phobia. Some physical symptoms may consist of a fast heartbeat, nausea and having trouble catching your breath. Avoiding normal situations such as making eye contact, dating or even initiating conversations are all signs of the phobia. Having all of these fears can dramatically affect someone’s everyday life. It could cause problems finding a job, keeping friends and it can even lead to severe depression.
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...
Social phobias are fears of being in situations where your activities can be watched and judged by others. People with social phobias try to avoid social functions at all costs and find excuses not to go to parties or out on dates. This avoidance is the difference between having a social phobia and simply just being shy.
Social anxiety goes from not being able to socialize with people in a class to never leaving home due to the anxiety that is causes. Markway’s article states that there are three categories involved with social anxiety; mental distress, physical distress, and how avoidance affects someone socially. Mentally, it is exhausting to talk to people for to people and have that constant anxiety about the way they talk and act. People with social anxiety often think about how they can humiliate and embarrass themselves in front of others. This drives someone to fear that they may do something wrong at any given moments and may be rejected altogether (“Markway”, 2013).
{Stephan Leacock} (Self-consciousness or awkwardness in the presence of others; bashful {Farlex}/shyness/ shy/ self-conscious/ timid/ reserved/ retiring/ withdrawn/ modest/ reticent/ blushing/ diffident/ timorous/ coy/ bashfulness/ embarrassed/ red-faced/ reddening/ go red)
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
Ever since I was in middle school, people always told me that I’m quiet and shy. Having said that, I never felt comfortable communicating with people I didn't know that well. That also includes speaking or presenting in front of a class. According to my family and friends, I’m the complete opposite, because they claim that I’m talkative. Being shy and nervous did affect my schoolwork. I wouldn’t raise my hand in class that often, because I didn’t feel comfortable enough. When I was in 6th grade, my teacher would always call up students to share something they liked about a story they read. When the teacher called out my name, my heart started pounding, my hands were shaking and my mind went completely blank. I was so nervous to the point where I felt like I was going to pass out any moment. That’s when I asked the teacher if I could excuse myself to go to the bathroom. She didn’t mind that request so I tried to calm myself down by washing my face and breathing. After class, my teacher and I discussed my inability to present in front of a class. She was obliging, because she agreed to help me overcome being shy and to help boost my self-confidence. Shyness and nervousness also stopped me from participating in activities and obtaining opportunities. In 10th grade, my Chemistry teacher suggested a film festival, because she was aware that I loved filmmaking. At first, I considered the idea, because I’ve never done anything like it before. Having thought about it, I then realized that I was going to have my movie up on a full screen where
Social Anxiety comes in two stages, Child Development and Adults. Social Phobia is often confused with the actual disorder and basic shyness. Social anxiety occurs in infancy and is said to be very normal for children to exhibit the disorders characteristics. It has been proven that as a child one goes through the fear of being rejected by peers, speaking in front of large crowds, and severely lacking confidence. Adult Social Anxiety is usually easier to indentify due to the lack of communication with others. Unlike children, adults are expected to interact with others without a problem.
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.
Richmond, V.P. (1984). Implication of Quietness: Some Facts and Speculations. In J.C. McCroskey & J.A. Daly (Eds.). Avoiding communication: shyness, reticence, and communication apprehension. (pp. 145-155). London: Sage Publications Inc.
Analyzing the results of our research showed that the majority of participants, sixty-three of ninety-nine, reported low anxiety while thirty-six people reported having at least mild anxiety. Our t-test showed that those with at least mild social anxiety have higher social misperceptions. The results of this t-test are statistically significant, with a p-value less than .001. This t-test supports the idea of the spotlight effect in people with at least mild anxiety. In addition to a t-test, our group used a one-way ANOVA to compare the SPINSUM against the groups of people with low, normal, and high levels of social misperception. This showed that people with high
I 'm going to talk to you about a big part of my life that my shyness greatly affected. First, I would
As a young child I was a non social person, and did not like to participate in anything. I liked to be an individual person, and do things on my own. I was shy and not outgoing like all my other friends were. When I enter a situation for the first time, I have a hard time speaking up until I feel comfortable. As being as shy as I was, my school work was affected a lot because I would not raise my hand to ask questions if I did not understand something, or go to the teacher for help. It was hard to transition from that stage to being more outgoing and talk more with my peers. It was difficult to communicate with others becuase of this as well, i was not able to be the perosn that i really am.
Towards little children I am very outgoing and not shy at all. But, when it comes to people my age or older I tend to be less talkative if I feel like I am in a awkward situation or if I do not know the person. At Erie County Community College I am taking a human interactions class to help develop my skills more and make me less insecure about my thoughts. Sometimes I do believe I am not as shy as what I am on some days. I do find myself opening up more since I was younger but I am hoping soon my shy stage will be gone considering I want to become a doctor one