Unit 6: Shyness

Welcome to Unit 6: Shyness

How do you feel when you walk into a room of people you don't know?

Do you like talking in large groups?

Do you commonly start conversations with strangers?

These questions deal with issues we commonly relate to shyness.  This unit is about shyness. 

How do you feel when you walk into a room of people you don't know?

Do you like talking in large groups?

Do you commonly start conversations with strangers?

Answer one of these questions in the discussion below and give an explanation.

Do you know other words for "shy"?  That is, other words that have the same meaning as "shy"?

Where do we find other words with the same meaning?  Sometimes you will find some in the dictionary, but there is a better place.  It is called a thesaurus.  A thesaurus will give you a list of synonyms (words with the same meaning), and sometimes it will also give you a list of antonyms (words with opposite meaning).

Bashful is another word with a similar meaning to "shy".  Bashful means that you are easily embarassed, you are self-concious, shy or awkward in the presence of other people.  Here are some synonyms for bashful (or shy)

Comparing Shyness VS. Introversion VS. Social Anxiety Disorder

Psychologists say that shyness is not the same as social anxiety disorder and introversion.  Let's looks at some of the differences.

Here is a chart that breaks down those differences:

Do you notice the primary difference?  Introversion and shyness are personality traits while social anxiety disorder is a mental illness (an unhealthy mental attitude or state).

Now sometimes we use these words interchangeably but it can be healthy to look at the differences, because being shy or introverted is not necessarily a bad thing.