Shy but Getting By: Protective Factors in the Links Between Childhood Shyness and Socio-Emotional Functioning

Although childhood shyness is associated with a host of maladjustment outcomes, evidence suggests that not all shy children go on to develop substantive socio-emotional difficulties. In the present chapter, we propose the Shy but Getting By model, an integrative, comprehensive conceptual model of protective factors that may attenuate the negative links between shyness and indices of maladjustment. In this “best-case scenario” model of shyness, we suggest that the development of social, socio-emotional, and socio-communicative skills among shy children may serve to buffer against poor adjustment outcomes. Further, we propose that these social, socio-emotional, and socio-communicative competencies promote positive interactions with peers and teachers, which in turn further promote the development of such competencies and, in turn, better adjustment outcomes. Finally, we explore potential antecedents that may explain why some shy children develop better socio-emotional and socio-communicative skills, including the potential protective roles of certain parent and child characteristics, as well as parent-child attachment relationships.