Shyness, self-presentation, adonization, and influence tactics in close relationships

Abstract

BackgroundEmpirical research reveals the difficulties that shy people must face as part of their social functioning and at-taches a pejorative connotation to shyness in the process of establishing and maintaining interpersonal rela-tions. The purpose of the study was to investigate certain aspects of social functioning of shy people: the pre-ferred self-presentation styles, readiness to adopt adonization and influence tactics in intimate relationships.Participants and procedureThe study was performed on a group of 234 participants (113 females and 121 males), aged 18 to 35 years (M = 24.29). The following questionnaires were used: the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, the Self-Presentation Questionnaire, the Questionnaire for Measuring the Attitude toward Adonization, and the Influence in Close Relationships between Women and Men Questionnaire.ResultsThe study found that shy people use self-promotion less frequently than non-shy persons and they tend to adopt self-depreciation more often compared to non-shy individuals. Further, a high level of shyness implies a less pronounced tendency to use adonization but a greater readiness to employ hard social influence tactics in close relationships: Threats and violence, Silent treatment and sulking and Complaining and arguing.ConclusionsCorrelations between shyness, self-presentation styles, adonization and influence tactics in close relationships emphasize the role of this disposition in generating social behaviors. Shyness has a negative impact on an individual’s social functioning and relations with other people. The negative consequences of shyness are par-ticularly conspicuous in the behavior of men.