Shyness: What It Is, What To Do About It

Judging by the number of copies already sold (more than 300,000), scores of people suffer from the debilitating effects of shyness. A noted professor of psychology at Stanford University, Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo helps men and women, youngsters and oldsters, overcome this self-defeating condition. Photographs.

Parents of shy children worry, and with good reason. Shyness can interfere with a child's growth, development, school performance and social experiences. Statistics show that 20% of children are born shy, and another 20% develop shyness. Parents who are shy themselves feel great compassion for their shy children but tend to contribute to the problem by shielding their child from difficult situations. Conversely, parents who are not shy are similarly at a loss and feel exasperated and baffled by their child's shyness. Dr. Ward Swallow addresses both of those situations.