Dealing with shyness
Gelinas
1987
This title is disturbing. Shyness, according to the author, is a problem that needs to be addressed. Throughout the book there are discussions about crippling fear and how this is a serious “personality problem”. I think what the writer describes is severe anxiety. I am a little troubled by the use of shyness as a catchy term for descriptions of serious mental health problems.
Although this is part of a series designed for teens, the reading is not so kid-friendly. I also think most teens would oppose this description. Putting more than a few mental states into a term like shyness is a bad idea. I’m not even sure it’s a clinical term. I think most people define shyness as reluctance from situations that involve a lot of new people or new situations. I think everyone has moments like that every now and then. As this guy writes, shyness is the same as severe agoraphobia. The APA has a more plausible definition here. I do not like how this guy says it’s one of the “biggest emotional problems in the country”. I guess this guy never read the definition of nuance.
Mary
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