Are you shy? 1 out of 3 people will answer 'yes' to this question (Carducci, Zimbardo). According to the magazine Psychology Today, shyness is "awkwardness or apprehension some people feel when approaching or being approached by other people". Over the past 40 years, the percentage of people who consider themselves shy has risen to nearly 50% (Henderson). The significant number of shy people has sparked many researchers to find out what causes this so-called symptom. After numerous experiments and researches, it is accepted that there are several factors that can lead to shyness. Moreover, there are many ways to deal with this symptom. Shyness is caused by both social and innate factors; however, there are several ways to overcome it. There are several social factors such as social programming and competitive society that lead to shyness. Phillip Zimbardo, who is a famous professor of psychology, criticized "those in criminal justice who analyze, investigate ...and pass sentence on individuals while overlooking and minimizing the power of situations" (Zimbardo). One of the ideas that he presents is social programming. This is related with our current society where people are constantly moving around. Consequently, people feel lonely and become marooned. In A Nation of Strangers by Vance Packard, he documented that the average American moves approximately 14 times in his lifetime (Packard). This mobility causes many people to have a hard time going through a loss of community, identity, and continuity (Zimbardo, 48). People are quickly becoming a nation of lonely strangers, and it's getting harder for them to interact with other people. Furthermore, children are affected even more when they are moved around with no choice. A rese... ... middle of paper ... ...d. Furthermore, they shouldn't only criticize themselves since part of it is caused by environmental and social factors. Even though numerous researches have been conducted on the causes of shyness and ways to overcome it, there are still concepts of shyness that need to be explored more. For example, no research has presented ways that one can prevent shyness before hand. A way to avert shyness would be considered a huge innovation in psychology since it could get rid off a myriad of social problems that shy people go through. Regardless, more people need to be educated and they should be cognoscente of the difficulties that shy people face. If people know more about shyness, it will help with the social problems of shyness since people can understand what shy people are going through. Then, shy people will only have to deal with the innate parts of shyness.
Nevertheless, Goldberger states, “It is the fact that even when the phone does not ring at all, and is being used quietly and discreetly, it renders a public place less public” (558). With this, the youth of American society, when placed in a party with strangers, may express sentiments of shyness or awkwardness. Likewise, instead of socializing, several individuals may use their phone as a way to escape. It is this escape route that makes these “socially awkward” events or places less public; the younger generations are in their own world when they use their cell phone instead of socializing or becoming familiar with the scenery. Thus, progress has mainly caused the youth of American society to become less sociable and tend towards awkwardness; multitudes of individuals today have trouble associating with strangers at a party or how to properly communicate with an employer for a job. Although technology may seem beneficial and heading towards an era full of advancements, looks can be deceiving, and several individuals have been fooled by its false
Cain writes about shyness, introversion, social anxiety disorder, and extroversion. She compares introversion to extroversion. We need equal kinds of people in society. In my experience, people display both characteristics at the same time. The article shyness and evolutionary tactic is an interesting article because the current social judgment favors extroverts, but does a disservice to introverts who also make important contributions to society.
Naturally, as human beings we need socialization to function. It has been stated that solitary confinement is inhumane because of the isolation one experiences. Albeit, the human races’ ability to socialize can be an asset as well as a hindrance. Being that humans have an innate capability to do positive but also negative things in the world, with no surprise socialization can turn out be a good thing or a bad thing. This can be seen in the three movies: “The Wild Child,” “The
Cain, Susan. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking. New York: Crown Publishers, 2012. 10. Print.
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
Turkle provides dialogues of individuals who avoid social interactions at all cost and would rather communicate through technology, as it is just an inconvenience to have direct confrontations. These dialogues strongly support Turkle’s argument that we’re creating a greater gap between others and ourselves. The reason we are lonely is because we place less effort into building relations with others.
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 'm going to talk to you about a big part of my life that my shyness greatly affected. First, I would
achieve such a naive goal; however, we cannot isolate ourselves from the world just due to our flaws because we need interaction with others to thrive and obtain pleasure in life. Whether you are shy or outgoing, your flaws are what make you unique as human, and they should be embraced not hidden out of concern of prejudice for if you do such a thing it is like killing a part of yourself.
Unfortunately children who suffer from shyness frequently go unnoticed by teachers and parents. Shy children are usually well behaved, quiet, and follow the rules they are supposed to (Zimbardo, 1981). Teachers may mistake a...
I can be this shy little girl sometimes. Not talking to anyone in a room filled with people, because I don’t know anyone. I follow the people I know around, because I am so insecure about everything, especially my body.
She published in 2012 the non-fiction science book "QUIET: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can Stop Talking", which argues how modern Western society devalues the talent and abilities of introverted people. This book was continued in 2016 with the publication of "Quiet Power: The Secret Strengths of Introverts", a book that focuses on introverted children and teenagers. In addition, Cain is a co-founder of Quiet Revolution, a company with initiatives in the children's area, lifestyle and workplace. Susan explains how introverts, representing a third of half of the population, are needed to do what they do best. Unfortunately, society confuses shyness with introversion. Cain says, "Shyness is about fear of social judgment.' Introversion is more about, how do you respond to stimulation, including social stimulation."(4:02) This stimulation is easy for extroverts because schools, work sites and institutions are designed for extroverts. Although introverts tend to be smarter, teachers believe that the ideal student is the extrovert. Cain shows how culturally society needs a balance and stop feeling guilty to introverts because of their way of being. Society must understand that it is good to be extroverted but that it is also necessary to have privacy, more freedom and autonomy. Susan's purpose is to convince the audience, especially people who do not believe in introverts, that an introvert can be
When these types of people fear rejection, they tend try to and avoid these situations as much as possible to decrease painful interpersonal and social interactions. (Kirmayer, 1991)
This is especially prevalent in the education system. In schools, many teachers put a lot of stress on group activities, which can be anything from group discussions, where one may need to be loud and fearless when sharing opinions, to public speaking projects, which remains a weakness of many who are introverted. While it is extremely important for people to learn how to work in groups, share opinions without fear, and how to speak publicly, these activities are much easier for extroverts, who are typically outgoing and enjoy working with other people. Stretching the comfort zones of introverts can only be beneficial until a certain point, as they can easily become drained from the intense exposure in group settings. Teachers can give options, like recording a video rather than doing a live speech, in order to make introverts more comfortable, also granting them the ability to find more success in their academics. While schools should not completely eliminate group activities, there should be many more independent options for people who are introverted. Also, by seating student in group pods, the ability for introverts to take their time to think and react is eliminated. Once again, while group work is necessary, individual work and seating can be alternated to benefit all types of
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