Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Relationship Between Perceived Parental Attitudes and Shyness among Turkish Youth: Fear of Negative Evaluation and Self-esteem as Mediators

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between three perceived parental attitudes and shyness, testing self-esteem and fear of negative evaluation as mediators. The study used a total of 492 undergraduate students in Turkey. Data was collected through measures of shyness, fear of negative evaluation, self-esteem, and perceived parental attitudes. The proposed model was estimated using path analysis. Goodness of fit statistics showed that the model fit the data well. Results indicated that parental acceptance/involvement predicted self-esteem; perceived parental strictness/supervision predicted fear of negative evaluation; and perceived parental psychological autonomy predicted self-esteem. Self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between parental acceptance/involvement and shyness, whereas it fully mediated the relationship between parental psychological autonomy and shyness. Fear of negative evaluation fully mediated the relationship between parental strictness/supervision and shyness. In addition, the relationship between self-esteem and shyness was partially mediated by fear of negative evaluation. The findings provided evidence for the propositions that parental attitudes are important in the development of self-image and fears of rejection which result in the experience of shyness.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alden, L. E., Teschuk, M., & Tee, K. (1992). Public self-awareness and withdrawal from social interactions. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16, 249–267.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allaman, J. D., Joyce, C. S., & Crandall, V. C. (1972). The antecedents of social desirability response tendencies of children and young adults. Child Development, 43(4), 1135–1160.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Arkin, R. M., Lake, E. A., & Baumgardner, A. B. (1986). Shyness and self-presentation. In W. H. Jones, J. M. Cheek & S. R. Briggs (Eds.), Shyness: Perspectives on research and treatment, pp. 189–203. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1968). Authoritarian vs. authoritative control. Adolescence, 3, 255–272.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1971). Current patterns of parental authority. Developmental Psychology Monograph, 4, 1–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumrind, D. (1989). Rearing competent children. In W. Damon (Ed.), Child development today and tomorrow, pp. 349–378. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bögels, S. M., van Oosten, A., Muris, P., & Smulders, D. (2001). Familial correlates of social anxiety in children and adolescents. Behavior Research and Therapy, 39, 273–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruch, M. A. (1989). Familial and developmental antecedents of social phobia: Issues and findings. Clinical Psychology Review. Special Issue: Social phobia, 9, 37–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruch, M. A., & Heimberg, R. G. (1994). Differences in perceptions of parental and personal characteristics between generalized and nongeneralized social phobics. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 8, 155–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruch, M. A., & Cheek, J. M. (1995). Developmental factors in childhood and adolescent shyness. In R. G. Heimberg, M. G. Liebowitz, D. A. Hope & F. R. Schneier (Eds.), Social phobia: Diagnosis, assessment, and treatment, pp. 163–182. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buri, J. R. (1989). Self-esteem and appraisals of parental behavior. Journal of Adolescent Research, 4, 33–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buri, J. R., Louiselle, P. A., Misukanis, T. M., & Mueller, R. A. (1988). Effects of parental authoritarianism and authoritativeness on self-esteem. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 14, 271–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheek, J. M., & Buss, A. H. (1981). Shyness and sociability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 330–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheek, J. M., & Briggs, S. R. (1990). Shyness as a personality trait. In W. R. Crozier (Ed.), Shyness and embarrassment: Perspectives from social psychology, pp. 315–337. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, X., Rubin, K. H., & Li, B. (1995). Social and school adjustment of shy and aggressive children in China. Development and Psychopathology, 7, 337–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crozier, W. R. (1995). Shyness and self-esteem in middle childhood. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 65, 85–95.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Çuhadaroğlu, F. (1985). Adolesanlarda benlik saygısı. [Self-esteem in adolescents]. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Hacettepe Üniversitesi, Ankara.

  • Eastburg, M., & Johnson, W. B. (1990). Shyness and perceptions of parental behavior. Psychological Reports, 66, 915–921.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gecas, V. (1972). Parental behavior and contextual variations in adolescent self-esteem. Sociometry, 35(2), 332–345.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Göregenli, M. (1997). Individualist and collectivist tendencies in a Turkish sample. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 28, 787–793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haque, A. (1988). Relationship between perceived maternal acceptance-rejection and self-esteem among young adults in Nigeria. Journal of African Psychology, 1, 15–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, N. E. (1995). The relationship between family environment and parenting style: A preliminary study of African American families. Journal of Black Psychology, 21, 408–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, J. L., & Rapee, R. M. (2000). The origins of social phobia. Behavior Modification, 24, 102–129.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hummel, R. M., & Gross, A. M. (2001). Socially anxious children: An observational study of parent-child interaction. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 23, 19–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • İmamoğlu, E. O. (1987). An interdependence model of human development. In Ç. Kagitcibasi (Ed.), Growth and progress in cross-cultural psychology, pp. 138–145. Lisle, The Netherlands: Swets and Zeitlinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • İmamoğlu, E. O. (2003). Individuation and relatedness: Not opposing but distinct and complementary. Genetic, Social and General Psychology Monographs, 129(4), 367–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • İmamoğlu, E. O., & Karakitapoğlu Aygün, Z. (2004). Self-construals and values in different cultural and socioeconomic contexts. Genetic, Social and General Psychology Monographs, 130(4), 277–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, W. H., Briggs, S. R., & Smith, T. G. (1986). Shyness: Conceptualization and measurement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(3), 629–639.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Jöreskog, K. G., & Sörbom, D. (1993). Structural equation modeling with the SIMPLIS command language. Chicago: Scientific Software International.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagitcibasi, C. (1996). Family and human development across cultures: A view from the other side. Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karakitapoğlu-Aygün, Z., & İmamoğlu, E. O. (2002). Value domains of Turkish adults and university students. The Journal of Social Psychology, 142, 333–351.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kelloway, E. K. (1998). Using lisrel for structural equation modeling. London: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khaleque, A., & Rohner, R. P. (2002a). Perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment: A meta-analysis of cross cultural and intracultural studies. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 64, 54–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Khaleque, A., & Rohner, R. P. (2002b). Reliability of measures assessing the pancultural association between perceived parental acceptance-rejection and psychological adjustment: A meta-analysis of cross-cultural and intracultural studies. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33, 87–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kocovski, N. L., & Endler, N. S. (2000). Social anxiety, self-regulation, and fear of negative evaluation. European Journal of Personality, 14, 347–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koydemir, S. (2006, June). Association of relational, individual, and collective self-aspects with social anxiety among Turkish university students. Paper presented at the 4th International Conference on the Diological Self, Braga, Portugal.

  • Koydemir, S, & Demir, A. (2005). [Reliability and validity of 13-item Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale]. Unpublished manuscript.

  • Koydemir, S., & Demir, A. (2007). Psychometric properties of the brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Psychological Reports, 100, 883–893.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lamborn, S. D., Mounts, N. S., Steinberg, L., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1991). Patterns of competence and adjustment among adolescents from authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and neglectful families. Child Development, 62, 1049–1065.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R. (1983). A brief version of the Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 9, 371–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R. (1986). Affective and behavioral components of shyness: Implications for theory, measurement, and research. In W. H. Jones, J. M. Cheek & S. R. Briggs (Eds.), Shyness: Perspectives on research and treatment, pp. 27–38. New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R., & Kowalski, R. M. (1993). The interaction anxiousness scale: Construct and criterion related validity. Journal of Personality Assessment, 61, 136–146.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Leary, M. R., & Kowalski, R. M. (1995). Social anxiety. NY: The Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E., & Martin, J. A. (1983). Socialization in the context of the family: Parent—child interaction. In P. H. Mussen & E. M. Hetherington (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Socialization, personality, and social development (4th ed), pp. 1–101. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98, 224–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mesquita, B., & Frijda, N. H. (1992). Cultural variations in emotions: A review. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 179–204.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mills, R. S. L., & Rubin, K. H. (1993). Socialization factors in the development of social withdrawal. In K. H. Rubin & J. Asendorpf (Eds.), Social withdrawal, inhibition, and shyness in childhood, pp. 117–148. New Jersey: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mocan-Aydın, G. (2000). Western models of counseling and psychotherapy within Turkey: Crossing cultural boundaries. Counselling Psychologist, 28, 281–299.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rapee, R. M., & Heimberg, R. G. (1997). A cognitive-behavioral model of anxiety in social phobia. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 35, 741–756.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, K. G. (1990). Attachment in adolescence: A narrative and meta-analytic review. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 19(5), 511–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlenker, B. R., & Leary, M. R. (1982). Social anxiety and self-presentation: A conceptualization and model. Psychological Bulletin, 92, 641–669.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., Elmen, J. D., & Mounts, N. S. (1989). Authoritative parenting, psychosocial maturity, and academic success among adolescents. Child Development, 60, 1424–1436.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L., Lamborn, S. D., Darling, N., Mounts, N. S., & Dornbusch, S. M. (1994). Over-time changes in adjustment and competence among adolescents from authoritative, authoritarian, indulgent, and neglectful families. Child Development, 65, 754–770.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., & Friend, R. (1969). Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 33(4), 448–457.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yılmaz, A. (2000). Eşler arasındaki uyum ve çocuğun algıladığı anne-baba tutumu ile çocukların, ergenlerin ve gençlerin akademik başarıları ve benlik arasındaki ilişkiler. [Relationships between marital adjustment, child perception of parenting style, and children’s, adolescents’, and young adults’ academic achievement and self-perceptions]. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Yeditepe University, 34755, Kayisdagi, Istanbul, Turkey

    Selda Koydemir-Özden

  2. Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Sciences, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey

    Ayhan Demir

Authors
  1. Selda Koydemir-Özden
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ayhan Demir
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Selda Koydemir-Özden.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Koydemir-Özden, S., Demir, A. The Relationship Between Perceived Parental Attitudes and Shyness among Turkish Youth: Fear of Negative Evaluation and Self-esteem as Mediators. Curr Psychol 28, 169–180 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-009-9054-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-009-9054-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation