Characteristics Of College Students' Shyness And Its Relationship To Self-esteem, Loneliness And Perceived Competence In Interpersonal Situations

Recent research indicates that the percentage of self-reported shyness in the United States has escalated gradually to nearly 50%. In every day life, shyness is defined as an uneasy feeling in the interpersonal situations. Proper and specific-to-situation shyness is a normal reaction, but over-shyness and generalized shyness maybe influence one's learn, behaviors, every day life and the healthy. In recent years, western psychologists studied one's shyness, and found it is associated with recognition, emotion and perceived competence in interpersonal situations. So, shyness individuals frequently have less assertive when talking with others, underestimate their own ability to cope with social situations and feel more negative emotions. In China, people emphasize collectivism, so shyness and its dad effect on other factors is likely different from the west, but few studies were found. In the present thesis, a comprehensive literature review was made with regard to shyness. On the basis of this, two related studies were conducted with thousands of undergraduates in China, which may reveal the consistency and difference of one's shyness between China and the west by comparing the present results with the western ones.In study 1, Undergraduate Shyness Scale was revised by questionnaire survey. In study 2, structure and characteristics of undergraduates'shyness, the relations between shyness, self-esteem, loneliness and perceived competence in interpersonal situations were investigated by questionnaire survey.The main findings in the above two studies are as follows:1. The Revised Henderson Undergraduate shyness scale has high reliability and validity in Chinese culture.2. The shyness structure of students on campus includes 4 dimensions, which are the need for approval, self-accusation, the fear of refusal and the inhibition of self-expression.3. The need for approval and shyness of higher grade students are significantly higher than those of lower grade students. The scores of self-accusation in one-child were significant higher than that in multi-child. The scores of the fear of refusal and the inhibition of self-expression in students who come from village were significant higher than those in students come from city. The scores of self-accusation, the fear of refusal, the inhibition of self-expression and the whole scale in students who were cadres significant lower than those were not.4. The highest shyness level of students is the need for approval, and follows the fear of refusal, the lower is self-accusation, and the lowest is the inhibition of self-expression.5. Shyness relates negatively to self-esteem, but positively to loneliness. Shyness can predict these three factors to a certain degree.6. Shyness relates positively to five kinds of perceived competences in interpersonal situations, and also can predict them.7. Shyness, self-esteem, and loneliness play an important role in predicting the perceived competence, and three factors together affect perceived competence more than shyness alone.