Shyness and Adaptation Across Cultures

As a type of social withdrawal, shyness in childhood and adolescence is associated with, and predictive of, maladjustment across different domains, including low social status, peer victimization, academic underachievement, and internalizing problems, in Western societies. However, cultural norms and values may play a role in shaping the functional meaning of shyness. In societies that endorse group-oriented values, such as the traditional Chinese society that emphasizes group harmony and the restraint of personal desires, shyness in children and adolescents is considered acceptable. Cultural values are likely to be reflected in social attitudes of parents and peers toward shyness and relations between shyness and adjustment outcomes. The meaning of shyness may also be affected by macro-level social changes and associated individual acculturation processes.