The Shy Child : Overcoming and Preventing Shyness from Infancy to Adulthood [Paperback]

Philip G. Zimbardo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1999

Two out of every five people in the U.S. regard themselves as "shy." Yet, shyness can be cured, says Dr. Philip Zimbardo, the nation's leading authority on shyness. With co-author Shirley Radl, Dr. Zimbardo presents a program for overcoming and preventing shyness from infancy to adulthood.

The Shy Child is based on pioneering research conducted at the Stanford Shyness Clinic, including surveys of people in the U.S. and abroad, interviews with children, parents, teachers, and systematic experimental research that compared the behavior of shy to non-shy people. This book documents which parenting "style" encourages self-confidence in a child, helps with the problems of being shy and provides methods for building a child's trust and self-esteem. It explores the role that school plays in contributing to a child's shyness, and suggests ways to improve the quality of the classroom experience for every child. The Shy Child is the only book to provide an effective program for conquering shyness in childhood, before it has a chance to limit a child's options and determine the course of the child's life.

Editorial Reviews

Review

" ... offers parents and teachers alike valuable approaches to helping children conquer shyness before it adversely affects them." -- Childhood Education

"...offers strategies for combating shyness, encouraging independence and teaching the child to be a social being." -- L.A. Herald Examiner

"Of the dozens of how-to books that crossed our desk this year, this seemed particularly helpful..." -- Washington Post

"Run to your nearest Bookstore and buy The Shy Child." -- Ann Landers

"Shows parents how to create an environment most likely to build confidence and self-esteem in children from pre-school through college" -- Science News

"Written in a pleasant, conversational style, unlike many research reports, it is a comprehensive guide..." -- Childhood Education

About the Author

Philip G. Zimbardo is a social psychologist at Stanford University and co-director of the Stanford Shyness Clinic. He is the creator and narrator of the popular PBS-TV series, "Discovering Psychology."

Before her death in 1991, Shirley L. Radl was a journalist and author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 261 pages
• Publisher: Malor Books; 2nd edition (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1883536219
• ISBN-13: 978-1883536213
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author is pleased The Shy Child is again available, July 21, 1999

By 

Dr Phil Zimbardo - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shy Child : Overcoming and Preventing Shyness from Infancy to Adulthood (Paperback)

This fine reprinting (by Malor Books) rescues "The Shy Child" for the many readers who contacted me about its availabity after it was put out of print by a previous publisher (in a cost-cutting institutional move). This book follows up on my earlier popular work, "Shyness: What it is, What to do about it." Whereas the research foundation, exercises, and advice I gave there was based on young adults and those upward in age, this book completes the earlier parts of the life cycle, from college age down to preschoolers. The information and ideas in "The Shy Child" came from several years' worth of observations that I and my co-author, Shirley Radl, made in schools at every grade level, from preschool, elementary, middle, high, up to college, supplemented with interviews, research, and workshops with teachers, parents, and students. We try to convey in accessible prose what we have learned about the meaning of shyness in the lives of our children, and what ways the negative impact of shyness can be reduced, minimized, and overcome through a variety of wise strategies and simple tactics. But we propose further that new efforts be directed at preventing shyness from taking hold of the child's life, some of which involve awareness of how parents, teachers, and institutions contribute to the problem and what they can do differently to create prosocial alternatives that make every child a winner. The response of earlier readers has been very enthusiastic, some even reporting "miracle" changes in their shy children, as can be witnessed in the ABC-TV prize-winning video, "The Pain of Shyness." My current concern is the steadily increasing prevalence of shyness in our society over the past decade from a 40% level of those reporting themselves to be currently, dispositionally shy to over 50% now. I think the technology revolution is contributing to this epidemic of shyness by making young people more socially passive and by substituting virtual social reality for the indispensable learning and engagement that comes from real world face-to-face reality. Making people our number one priority is a first step in a new agenda for combating the insidious inroads that electronic technology is and will be having on our interpersonal relationships. I hope you enjoy what you will learn in "The Shy Child, share that knowledge with friends and relatives, and put into practice some of its recommendations. Phil Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, basic resource for helping shy children, December 5, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shy Child : Overcoming and Preventing Shyness from Infancy to Adulthood (Paperback)

I found much of this book to be very helpful, with some great tips on helping the shy child. My child is on the very extreme end of being shy, with some SID to make matters worse. Even so, I thought this book had enough helpful items to make the purchase worthwhile. I'd also like to say something about another reviewer's comment that the book doesn't mention Asperger's Syndrome. This reviewer thought it was a serious ommission on the author's part not to mention AS. However, in the author's defense, I think it should be noted that this book was originally written in 1982, well before most people/professionals became aware that there even was such as thing as Aspgerger's Syndrome. That didn't happen until the 1990's, ten years after this book was written.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shy Child a classic, May 10, 2000

By 

Lynn Alden (Vancouver, B.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shy Child : Overcoming and Preventing Shyness from Infancy to Adulthood (Paperback)

This is a lucid, informative guide to shyness in children written by a distinguished scholar. Here, Philip Zimbardo provides a summary of scientific and clinical understanding of shyness, as well as practical strategies for helping your child to overcome his or her social fears. Parents, teachers, and clinicians will welcome the return of this classic volume.