Many times, being an introvert is confused with being shy. The two are in fact very different ideas, however, many people do possess both traits.
In general, I usually hear shyness described as a sort of social anxiety- a shy person avoids interaction because they are afraid (of being judged or embarrassing themselves, maybe). Someone who is simply introverted does not necessarily have that anxiety. If they avoid social interaction, it is usually because they do not want it and do not like too much of it. Of course, many people have both traits. And some people who are shy might actually crave interaction with others more than a plain-old introvert does- but their fear holds them back.
But my question is this- can society's general lack of acceptance for introversion cause some people to exhibit "shy" qualities, like anxiety or an outward lack of confidence? I can't speak on this issue for anyone except myself, but I do think this has been an issue for me personally.
For most of my life, I have been labeled as "shy" by others. I never had more than a few friends at any one time, didn't like talking to strangers, tended to be very quiet in group settings and never went to parties. And for many years, I got the feeling that there was something wrong with me because I did all of these things. People who don't have very many friends are weird, right? If you don't like partying, that MUST mean you just don't know how to have fun, right? Don't speak up much in class? Aww, you should be more confident! All my life, I've been hearing things like "You need to come out of your shell more," or "Speak up, no one will judge you here!" and "Don't be so shy!" or "You don't appear assertive enough!".
In general, I usually hear shyness described as a sort of social anxiety- a shy person avoids interaction because they are afraid (of being judged or embarrassing themselves, maybe). Someone who is simply introverted does not necessarily have that anxiety. If they avoid social interaction, it is usually because they do not want it and do not like too much of it. Of course, many people have both traits. And some people who are shy might actually crave interaction with others more than a plain-old introvert does- but their fear holds them back.
But my question is this- can society's general lack of acceptance for introversion cause some people to exhibit "shy" qualities, like anxiety or an outward lack of confidence? I can't speak on this issue for anyone except myself, but I do think this has been an issue for me personally.
For most of my life, I have been labeled as "shy" by others. I never had more than a few friends at any one time, didn't like talking to strangers, tended to be very quiet in group settings and never went to parties. And for many years, I got the feeling that there was something wrong with me because I did all of these things. People who don't have very many friends are weird, right? If you don't like partying, that MUST mean you just don't know how to have fun, right? Don't speak up much in class? Aww, you should be more confident! All my life, I've been hearing things like "You need to come out of your shell more," or "Speak up, no one will judge you here!" and "Don't be so shy!" or "You don't appear assertive enough!".
