Shyness occurs in over 48% of the population, becoming disabling in 13% or more. Clinical observation suggests that individuals seeking treatment for shyness are in significantly greater distress than the general population, showing greater depression, generalized anxiety, social avoidance, interpersonal sensitivity, and shame, than is indicated by earlier studies. We gave the MMPI to 25 men and 20 women referred for problems with shyness to assess our observations. Analysis confirmed the hypotheses. Men scored higher than women in a slightly different profile configuration.
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