Explaining Childhood Shyness Using the Three Poles of Learning - Essay Example

Explaining Childhood Shyness Using the Three Poles of Learning Shyness in children is a common phenomenon (Asendorpf and Rubin, 1993). Most children exhibit some level of shyness at one point or the other. Shyness can be described as the social psychological feeling of lack of comfort or apprehension that a person experiences when being approached by or in the presence of other people (Damon and Lerner, 2006). Normal childhood shyness signs include hiding behind legs and holding onto people the children know and trust. Not all cases of childhood shyness are normal according to Myers (2004). There are those that are considered extreme levels of shyness. The signs of extreme shyness include freezing and not being able to talk or do things that are normally not so hard to accomplish. Shyness is a behavioural problem not well understood by many people. Being shy is not something that many children enjoy. Although it is a part of the normal development of a child, it can negatively impact on the child in more ways than one. Children who have extreme shyness also normally have low self esteem. They have fewer friends than their counterparts who are not as shy. Since they are normally to shy to participate in the activities that other children are involved in, shy children may develop loneliness and anxiety problems later in life. In most cases, this shyness normally disappears as children grow older. Psychologists have studied shyness in children and tried to put it into perspective in relation to child development models. There are many psychological perspectives that can be used to explain the shyness behaviour in children. For this paper, I will dwell on the three poles of learning to examine and explain childhood shyness. These three poles are: the nativist approach, the associationist and the constructionist perspectives. Nativist approach The Nativist perspective explains a child’s behaviour as being an innate, or inborn (Damon and Lerner, 2006). This means that the characteristics of behaviour are present as a result of having them genetically imprinted in an individual’s biological makeup. In the case of shyness, the nativist explanation for this behaviour is that it is natural for children to present some level of shyness at some point in their lives. Noam Chomsky is one of the psychologists who advocated for nativism. Going by his arguments, it can be said that shyness is a human characteristic whose origins can be traced to the structures of the brain ((Damon and Lerner, 2006, p84). There are genetic factors which set the stage for individual behaviour, including how they interact with other people. Chomsky’s social cognitive theory points out that the manner in which children are taught to respond while in the presence of other people is vital in shaping their interpersonal skills. Gesell is another proponent of nativism. His development theory emphasises that development is genetically determined by uniform maturation patterns whose sequential occurrence is predictable (Damon and Lerner, 2006, 86). If the level of shyness in individual children is innate, then it means that nothing much can be done to change the shyness behaviour in children (Crozier, 2000). There is a problem in this perspective since it is well known that many children do overcome shyness after some time. Shyness as an innate characteristic is not feasible because there are many children who never exhibit feeling of being uncomfortable when in the presence of other people. This perspective seems to be implying that shyness is a behaviour that can be inherited genetically, rather than through learning. The associationist perspective The associationist perspective holds that the behaviour of an individual is as a result of a conditioned response (Damon and Lerner, 2006). In this case, the child’s shyness can be said to be the result of conditioned behaviour. This is to say that the child is shy because he has been trained or conditioned to be shy while under certain circumstances. This perspective argues that the way a child is conditioned has a profound effect on his development. A theory that supports this argument is Skinner’s behavioural theory. This theory suggests that the idea that children respond to a set system of rewards and punishments (Jarvis, 2000). According to Skinner, behaviour is normally affected by its consequences and that it does really require repeated efforts. In this theory, reaction comes immediately after an individual is presented with a specific stimulus. According to this theory, there are reinforcers of behaviour which can have a positive or negative effect on behaviour. Children normally respond to verbal operants and they will do whatever they are told, even without necessarily having experienced the consequences of disobedience according to Jarvis (2000). Shyness in children is normally brought about by an experience the child may have had in a similar situation (Antony & Swinson, 2008). For instance, if the child is shy around people that he does not know, he must have been is a situation with unfamiliar people which made him feel uncomfortable. The child must have associated new people with mistrust, thus the reason for not being comfortable around them. Constructionist Perspective The constructionist perspective proposes that a child constructs his own understanding about objects or situations (Damon and Lerner, 2006). For instance, if the child sees something and he thinks that it is not good or that he cannot trust it, he will try to find or construct his own reason for not liking or trusting it. Shyness is caused by many things, but the most common of the causes is mistrust. When children see something for the first time, they are likely to treat it with wariness, up until that time when they can be sure that there is nothing wrong with it. Jean Piaget’s development theory is one of those that fall under this category. In his theory, Piaget says that development is a process that takes place in different unique levels of cognitive development (Wadsworth, 2004). Although there might be some adult involvement, the child builds his own thinking system as noted by Carducci and Kaiser (2003). They construct their own cultural worlds and use these worlds to judge their situations. Shy children normally have preconceived notions about the situations that are making them shy (Coplan and Rubin, 2010). For instance, if it is new people that the child is afraid of, it can be said that the he probably thinks that new people are bad and should not be trusted . Vygotsky on the other hand places emphasis on the social cultural context as a determinant of cognitive process of child development (Damon and Lerner, 2006). What a child learns of his culture and social interactions will influence how he himself interacts with other people (Wadsworth, 2004). In this case, the shy child will behave shyly depending on how his cultural cognition about new people has developed Conclusion The famous, the rich and those that are considered to be social recluses have experienced shyness at one time or another in the course of their lives. Childhood shyness is considered to be one of those normal behaviors that children exhibit. In fact, shyness is one trait that seems to be stable traits that can begin in the first three years of a child’s life and be maintained to young adulthood. Shyness according to psychologists refers to a pattern of emotions and behaviors that includes inhibiting approach behaviors, discomfort in the presence of strange situations or persons and a social life that is constricted. Other common symptoms of shyness include shaking, blushing, and rapid heart rate. These symptoms of shyness are known to vary from one person to the other with the individual sometimes having low self esteem, being anxious, worried and doing a lot of self criticism. Several studies have been done in a bid to determine the cause of shyness. According to child development theories, there are many ways through which a child can develop shyness. Some theorists have suggested that shyness results from genetic factors while others suggest that the child’s environment plays a significant role in making a shy child. Others have considered shyness as a basic characteristic of being an introvert or a sign of social phobia. According to the nativist approach to psychological development, shyness is an innate behaviour, which children are born with. The associationist approach is concerned with conditioning. In this case, shyness is a conditioned behaviour in children; this view is supported by Skinner. The contrusctionist approach emphasizes on a child’s ability to construct meaning in his environment. This approach, supported by Piaget and Vygotsky, implies that a shy child develops shyness though his own understanding of the situation that is making him shy. Based on the perceived causes of shyness, individuals can be helped to improve their social skills and mitigate its adverse effects. Reference Antony M. & Swinson R., 2008, The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven, Step-by-Step Techniques for Overcoming Your Fear. New Harbinger Publications. Asendorpf J. & Rubin K., 1993, Social withdrawal, inhibition, and shyness in childhood. L. Erlbaum Associates. Carducci, B. & Kaiser L., 2003, The Shyness Breakthrough, Rodale. Coplan R. & Rubin K., 2010, The development of shyness and social withdrawal: Social, emotional, and personality development in context. Guilford Press. Crozier R., 2000, Shyness: development, consolidation and change. Routledge. Damon, J. and Lerner, R.M., 2006, Handbook of Child Psychology: Child Psychology in Practice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons. Jarvis M., 2000, Theoretical approaches in psychology Perspectives and research: Modular psychology. Routledge. Myers D, 2004, Psychology. Worth Publishers. Wadsworth B.J., 2004, Piagets theory of cognitive and affective development. Pearson/A and B. Read More