What is shyness?
Liz wanted to enter the mess hall. All the other kids were already seated in groups, munching their lunch, chatting happily. Liz was afraid that people would look at her, so she hung outside, trying to muster the courage to enter. But her heart raced inside her rib cage, her palms sweated and she felt a warm blush cover her face. So she left.
Shyness during childhood years.
Shy children like Liz suffer from ‘approach avoidance conflict. It means that they do want to approach others, but at the same time, are too afraid to do so. As a result, the shy child may have bad approach skills, lower social skills and feel that everything they say is dull or stupid. Hence, shy children may have low results in tests that require face-to-face interactions, and may be perceived as less intelligent than they are due to their fear of talking. Thus, a vicious cycle may begin that only enhances the low-self esteem of the shy child. During later childhood and adolescence shyness becomes increasingly associated with loneliness, depression, social anxiety, and low self-worth.
The shy ones may feel tiny in relation to others, or wish to disappear...