Shyness as a dimension of personality

Examination of a number of major studies of personality questionnaires reveals the existence of a shyness factor which is related to but separable from both introversion and neuroticism, and which loads on items referring to feeling uncomfortable and self‐conscious, and keeping in the background in certain kinds of social situations. The fears that are generally expressed about social situations — of being negatively evaluated and of being socially inadequate — are reflected in subjects' descriptions of the causes of shyness, and these findings suggest a model of shyness in terms of individual differences in susceptibility to threat.