Title of Dissertation: DIFFERENTIATING SOCIAL PHOBIA FROM SHYNESS Nancy A. Heiser, Ph.D., 2004 Dissertation Directed By: Professor Samuel M. Turner, Department of Psychology Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the boundaries of social phobia and the nature of shyness. Despite the similarities between social phobia and shyness, the vast majority of shy persons do not meet diagnostic criteria...

Existing research suggests shy people may satisfy their affiliation needs through computerized forms of communication such as instant messaging (IM). Fifty-five undergraduates completed an IM use index, the Cheek and Buss (1981) shyness scale and a motives for IM use scale developed for this study. It was found that the strongest motives for IM use were to increase personal contact as opposed t...

In this study, the correlates of embarrassability, or chronic susceptibility to embarrassment, were examined. Competing theoretical models suggest either that embarrassable people should be especially concerned about others' evaluations of them or that they should lack social skills. Further, shyness and embarrassment are typically considered to be closely related states. To test these proposit...

Few studies have considered the personal characteristics that may predict the use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs). We examined the prediction of SNS use from distinct personality traits (i.e., sociability and shyness), attitudes toward SNS use, motivations for SNS use and Internet self-efficacy. Participants were 352 Chinese college students who used the QQ zone. Results indicated that sociab...

This study aimed at examining the role of social support and self-esteem in the relationship between shyness and loneliness. The sample consisted of 399 college students, ranging in age from 18 to 30. Cheek and Buss shyness scale, multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support, Rosenberg self-esteem scale and emotional and social loneliness scale were used for data collection. Structural e...

The purpose of this study was to examine the relations of individual differences in regulation and negative emotionality to 127 third-grade Indonesian children's social skills/low externalizing problem behavior, sociometric status, and shyness. Parents and multiple teachers provided information on children's regulation, negative emotionality, and social functioning; peer sociometric information...

Human relationships are vital for well-being, however shy individuals report lower relational quality than the non-shy. In an effort to explore how shyness affects people’s interpersonal relationships, this study focused on communication competence (as perceived by self and other) as the process by which shyness influences relational quality. Undergraduate students recruited a same-sex platonic...