Childhood and adolescent shyness in long-term perspective : does it matter?

In most western cultures, parents are concerned about children who seem to be shy. Developmentalists, as well, consider interactions with peers necessary to normal social development, and they usually consider shy behavior an obstacle to normal development. In this chapter, the author looks at whether these notions are supported when a long-term perspective is taken. Using data from a birth-to-midlife study, the author examines the links between childhood shyness and middle adulthood adjustment. Ss were from a suburb of Stockholm, and had been participating in a longitudinal study since they were born in the mid-1950s. Ss were seen every year until the age of 16 and then again at about ages 25 and 37. Results indicate that there were no relations between early shyness and any of the variables that tapped quality of relationships. In contrast, adolescent-developing shyness was a negative predictor of nearly all measures of the frequency and the quality of interactions with friends and partners. Concerning psychological well-being, early-developing shyness was clearly less problematic than later-developing shyness for males, but the same was not true for females. It appears that what is important for adult adjustment is the shyness that emerges in adolescence.