The Self-Other Discrepancy in Social Shyness

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This chapter analyzes the self–other discrepancy in social shyness. Shyness is a form of social anxiety that has been characterized as anxious preoccupation with the self in the presence of others. Some researchers argue that a necessary precondition for experiencing the state emotion of shyness is public self-consciousness—that is, awareness of the self as a social object. Although the importance of self-processes in the experience of shyness has been generally recognized, the role of the self has not been fully explicated in this regard. This chapter reviews previous researches on shyness as well as some recent data with particular emphasis on the discrepancy between self and other perception of social behavior. An overview of the concept of shyness is presented and its emergence in the psychological literature as a descriptive and theoretical construct is discussed. The research is analyzed which focuses on shyness including the rate of its occurrence, internal, and behavioral correlates. The data linking dispositional shyness to limited and problematic social networks is also reviewed in the chapter.

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