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Introduction

  • Chapter
Shyness

Part of the book series: Emotions, Personality, and Psychotherapy ((EPPS))

Abstract

We are by nature social animals and virtually everything we do, say, and think about is either focused directly on our social interactions and relationships or is shaped profoundly by them. Our lives are played out in an arena of social affairs; we are confronted with a continuing flow of ongoing and one-time-only interactions—some intimate and some casual, some pleasant and some distasteful, some routine and some unexpected—but all social nonetheless. Consequently, personal attributes or experiences that either facilitate or hinder interpersonal functioning stand out as conspicuous features of our social lives and are likely to be noticed. Shyness is a case in point. Most everyone knows what it means to experience shyness and almost everyone has acted or felt shy at one time or another in their lives or has used the label to describe the feelings or actions of others. Widespread usage of the word shyness in ordinary language is indicative of its importance as a way of describing, interpreting, and explaining our actions and the actions of others; it is also indicative of its utility as a psychological construct.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK, 74104, USA

    Stephen R. Briggs & Warren H. Jones

  2. Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA, 02181, USA

    Jonathan M. Cheek

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  1. Stephen R. Briggs
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  2. Jonathan M. Cheek
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

    Warren H. Jones  & Stephen R. Briggs  & 

  2. Department of Psychology, Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, USA

    Jonathan M. Cheek

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Briggs, S.R., Cheek, J.M., Jones, W.H. (1986). Introduction. In: Jones, W.H., Cheek, J.M., Briggs, S.R. (eds) Shyness. Emotions, Personality, and Psychotherapy. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0525-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0525-3_1

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

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