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The inner world of shyness: An exploration of object relations in shy college students
Abstract
The relationship between object relations (the internal basis for the capacity to relate) and shyness in college students was studied. In part one, 150 male and female subjects were administered the Social Reticence Scale (SRS), the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale (RCBS) and the Bell Object Relations Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI). The association between scores on the shyness measures and scores on the subscales of the BORRTI were examined. The mean scores of 32 "shy" subjects and 55 "not-shy" subjects were compared on these same BORRTI subscales. Scores on the two shyness measures were significantly and positively correlated with the BORRTI dimensions Alienation, Insecure Attachment, and Social Incompetence, but were unrelated to Egocentricity. Significant differences on these same three dimensions were also found between shy and not-shy subjects. Although not predicted, scores on the shyness measures were found to be significantly and positively associated with the reality testing dimension Uncertainty of Perception. The mean scores of "shy" and "not-shy" subjects were significantly different on this dimension. In part two, 20 shy subjects were administered the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and interviewed using the Object Relations Interview from an Interview Guide for the Clinical Assessment of Ego Functions. These subjects were asked about early relationships and about the experience of shyness. Interview and TAT themes were presented in terms of their relationships to the quantitative findings. Overall, the quantitative and qualitative findings suggest that shy individuals have significantly greater difficulty with object relations functioning than not-shy individuals and that shy people experience a great deal of anxiety and pain in relationships. These findings were discussed in relation to object relations theories of narcissism, object constancy, and schizoid and borderline dynamics. These data point to the need for consideration of unconscious dynamics in shyness and the usefulness of further research on object relations in shy people.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology
Recommended Citation
Lerbinger, Jan Elizabeth, "The inner world of shyness: An exploration of object relations in shy college students" (1992). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9305859.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9305859