Extreme shyness in children Causes and treatment

A shy child presents high levels of anxiety and inhibition when he has to interact with other people or in novel situations. A shy child becomes nervous if he feels that he is "exposed" to the gaze of others, such as when he meets a new person or has to talk in front of other children. He prefers to see how others play to expose and participate in the game. Most children have shyness at some point in their lives in new situations, and this is normal. However, there are other children who present a degree of shyness that interferes with their lives. Children who present extreme shyness can become shy adults interfering significantly in their lives. In cases of extreme shyness, professional treatment is recommended. In this Psychology-online article, we explain the Causes and treatment of extreme shyness in children.

1. When is shyness extreme in children?
2. Causes of child shyness
3. Treatment of children's extreme shyness
4. How to help unsafe and shy children

When is shyness extreme in children?

Shyness is extreme when constant and decreases your child's quality of life in different ways, that is, prevents the correct development of the child In different areas of his life:

• Reduces opportunities to develop or practice social skills.
• Few friends.
• It decreases its participation in fun or rewarding activities that require some kind of interaction with others, such as sport.
• Increase feelings of loneliness and low self -esteem.
• Reduces your activities for the fear of being judged.
• High levels of anxiety.
• It can blush, tremble and stutter in situations that need to be exposed to others.

Causes of child shyness

Some Causes of shyness in children They may be:

• Genetic factors: There are children more predisposed to present shyness.
• Personality: personality characteristics such as greater emotional sensitivity or being easy to intimidate make these children more likely to be shy
• Learned behaviors: Children learn many behaviors by imitation from their parents, so shy parents can "teach" their children to be shy.
• Family relationships: Children who do not have a safe attachment with their parents or who have not been cared for by their parents in a consistent way can be anxious and present shy behaviors. Overprotective parents can teach their children to be inhibited and fearful, especially in new situations.
• Lack of social interaction: Children who are isolated during the first years of their lives may not have the social skills that allow them to establish interactions with people who are not part of their family.
• Fear of errors: Children who have been forced beyond their abilities and who have been mortified for not up to vintage to the failure associated with shyness.
• Hard criticism: Children who are bothered or harassed by important people in their lives (parents, siblings and other relatives) can present a tendency to shyness.

Treatment of children's extreme shyness

When shyness in a child begins to interfere with his life and does not seem something passenger, it is advisable to go to a specialist. Some options of Treatment to overcome children's shyness are:

• Relaxation strategies: Learning to relax will help your child reduce their anxiety and can give it a sense of control that will allow you to face in a more appropriate way to the situations that cause that discomfort.
• Social skills training: The goal is for the child to learn the necessary social skills to function in their day to day. With this training, it will be prepared and the innovative situations will no longer be so sure and more control.
• Exposure: They can be used in a combined way with social skills training. It consists of the child being exposed to the social situation to put into practice the acquired skills and incorporate new ones into his repertoire.

How to help unsafe and shy children

There are some tips that can help you encourage your child to Overcome extreme shyness. Each case is different and depends on the characteristics of a child and their circumstances, but here are some suggestions:

• Share with your child some coping strategies that you have learned over the years to overcome shyness and practice some of these strategies with your child to find out what is appropriate for your situation.
• Tell your child the benefits of not being shy. You can put examples of your life.
• Extroven behaviors encourage reinforcing when you face situations that suppose a challenge for him how to meet a new friend.
• Try to establish goals with your child. It is important that the objectives be gradual and reinforce one by one and increasing the complexity of them.
• Deliberately organize new situations for your child in which the objectives achieved can implement and be support during the process.
• Make sure your child is prepared for the situation you raise and refute it for the acquired skills.

In the following article, you can see more tips on how to help a shy and insecure child.

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Extreme shyness in children: causes and treatment, We recommend that you enter our category of socialization problems.