2023-09-23 06:23:17
Shyness is a trait associated with personality that is present in our current society and that affects many people in the world. Who has not had classmates at school who remained quieter, who did not participate in conversations or who turned red when asked questions in class?
Despite this, it is not usually given the attention that other difficulties or behavioral problems receive, reflected through more disruptive behaviors, or that in some way hinder the normal development of classes.
To better understand shyness, it is worth differentiating between two types.
On the one hand, there is the occasional or temporary shyness that we have all experienced in some specific situation. On the other hand, there is a permanent – and sometimes disabling – shyness that generates frequent discomfort in everyday situations and can lead to difficulties in their overall development. That is when we say that a person is shy.
This shyness affects and conditions their emotional states, their social relationships, their personal growth and their professional future. And far from the widespread belief that it is a temporary behavior, it can have important repercussions on people’s lives.
Getty Images Creating a climate of trust without fear of criticism facilitates active participation in the classroom.
Are you born or become shy?
In order to provide the appropriate tools and strategies to respond to their needs, contribute to their comprehensive development, as well as improve the quality of life of shy people, it is essential to understand what happens in the mind of a shy person.
An important question is its origin: is the shy person born shy or does he become shy?
There is some controversy between different researchers. Some of them associate their origin with exclusively genetic factors, others refer to environmental factors, but the most defended idea among the research community is that both factors, genetic and environmental, influence their appearance and development.
Getty Images Building self-esteem can help combat shyness.
Can it be treated?
But what can we do to help shy people face their difficulties?
Logically, the two most relevant contexts are the family and the school. Therefore, teachers and families become the people responsible for providing them with the appropriate tools and strategies to confront this behavior.
Below are some options that can help prevent or address this behavior:
1 -Encourage social relationships. This is a key point in the development of shyness. To achieve this, it is necessary that from a young age, shy people have a model from which they can learn, as well as regularly finding themselves in spaces where they have the opportunity to interact with other people. For example, team sports activities can help.
2 -Promote positive self-esteem. Low self-esteem is one of the aspects that has been linked to shy people, therefore, taking care of it and strengthening it will help create greater security in the person, accept themselves and love themselves.
3 -Take care of emotional states. It is necessary to teach them from a young age to identify feelings and emotions, express them and understand them. Good emotional competence helps to manage the different situations we face in life.
4 -Avoid putting labels. Usually, there is a custom of labeling people after observing certain behaviors. Labeling a person as shy can affect their behavior and beliefs, thereby reinforcing shy behavior.
Getty Images Some studies indicate that theater can help improve the social development of shy people.
5 -Generate a climate of trust It can help shy people to participate actively in the classroom, in meetings or in situations of various kinds. Some of the aspects that are associated with shyness are the fear of speaking in public, the fear of making a fool of themselves or the fear of negative evaluation, which is why they avoid any type of social interaction.
For this reason, teachers must provide them with tools that allow them to function successfully in these types of situations and create an environment in which they are comfortable.
6 -Work on communication. Offering them strategies to start a conversation, express their opinion or speak in front of an audience allows them to gain a certain security in the situations they fear most.
7 -Sign up for theater. There are studies that recognize that theater can help improve the social development of shy people, they adopt a role, face different situations and train for real life.
Getty Images Team sports activities create an opportunity to connect with others.
These are some of the strategies that can help shy people face different difficulties that they usually encounter in their daily lives. It is a first step in understanding this personality trait and its visibility in society.
Before, only shy people knew the extent of their suffering in certain situations and aspects. Today shyness is considered a predictor of social phobia, loneliness or depression among other disorders of psychological origin.
Therefore, it is necessary to make shyness visible in our society and its possible repercussions on people’s lives with the aim of raising awareness among families, teachers and society in general.
Only in this way will we be able to respond to their needs from home and educational centers to improve the quality of life of shy people.
*Verónica Sierra Sánchez is a professor in the area of General Didactics and Organization at the University of Zaragoza
*This article was published on The Conversation and reproduced here under the Creative Commons license. click here to read the original version and see links to the cited studies.
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