RESEARCH PAPER
Shyness, self-presentation, adonization, and influence tactics in close relationships
1
Institute of Psychology, University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
Submission date: 2019-04-27
Final revision date: 2019-08-21
Acceptance date: 2019-09-05
Online publication date: 2019-09-26
Publication date: 2019-11-04
Current Issues in Personality Psychology 2019;7(3):189-202
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Background:
Empirical 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 procedure:
The 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.
Results:
The 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.
Conclusions:
Correlations 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.
Empirical 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 procedure:
The 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.
Results:
The 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.
Conclusions:
Correlations 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.
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