Shyness and society : the illusion of competence / Susie Scott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Scott, Susie, 1977-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bashfulness--Social aspects.

Bashfulness.

Social aspects.

Physical Description:

ix, 194 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke [England] ; New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.

Summary:

What do we mean when we call someone shy? Does shyness exist beyond the level of the individual mind? How does being shy affect everyday interaction and social relationships? Shyness and Society takes a sociological approach to understanding shyness as a condition that is defined, interpreted and managed in relation to cultural norms and values. Drawing on Symbolic Interactionist theories and using data from her own study of self-defined 'shy' people, Susie Scott explores the experience of being shy in contemporary Western society. In a culture obsessed with talk, assertiveness and competitive individualism, those who are more reticent are regarded as deviant, and encouraged to 'come out of their shells'. From the perspective of shy people, however, everyday social life is a minefield of potential blunders and dramaturgical dilemmas, which they resolve by performing their Identities in unique ways.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Introduction: Entering the Secret World of the Shy 1

1 Why do we need a sociology of shyness? 1

2 All in the mind? 3

3 The social constitution of the 'shy' mind 8

4 Whose problem is it anyway? 9

5 Listening to shy voices 11

Chapter 2 Shyness in Cultural and Historical Perspective 15

2 The role of culture in representing shyness 16

3 Shyness: a new cultural epidemic? 18

4 Gender socialisation in girls' magazines 21

5 Shyness as a barrier to success 24

6 Representations of shyness on screen and in print 28

7 Shy performativity in cultural icons 32

Chapter 3 Dramaturgical Dilemmas of the Shy Self 37

2 The shy self in interaction 37

3 Lay definitions of shyness 40

4 The shy 'I' 40

4.1 Shyness and the 'self-conscious emotions' 42

4.2 Emotional control 44

4.3 'What can I talk about?' 44

4.4 Ambivalence and conflict 45

4.5 Sensitivity and self-censorship 46

4.6 Shyness versus quietness and introversion 47

5 The shy 'Me' 49

5.1 Visibility beneath the social gaze 50

5.2 Embodied exposure 53

5.2.1 The body and non-verbal leakage 54

5.2.2 The body and symbolic gestures 57

6 Reservations about 'going public' 60

7 The Competent Other 62

8 Ambivalent views of non-shyness 64

Chapter 4 Outsiders and Enclosures 70

2 Hovering on the fringes 70

3 The secrets of strangers 73

4 Experiences of marginality 76

5 The privileges of the detached observer 78

6 Strategies for hiding and camouflage 80

7 The visibility of invisibility 82

8 'The shell' and its features 83

8.1 The protective shell 85

8.2 The shell of entrapment 86

8.3 "One day you'll come out of your shell" 87

Chapter 5 Poise, Performance and Self-Presentation 91

2 Performing shyness 91

3 Presenting the (non)-shy self 97

3.1 Managing the frontstage/backstage divide 97

3.2 Backstage rehearsals 99

3.3 Safety in roles 100

3.4 Control and predictability 102

3.5 'Phone phobia' 105

3.6 Techniques of passing 109

4 Are we all faking it? 112

5 The paradox of shy performativity 117

Chapter 6 Rules, Reactions and Resistance 124

2 Shyness as a deviant identity 124

3 Drift and situational contingencies 127

4 Normalisation 129

5 Shyness as residual rule-breaking 132

5.1 The shy faux pas 134

5.2 Vocality, power and dominance 135

5.3 Verbal clumsiness 138

6 Misperceptions of shyness as rudeness 139

7 Eliciting participation: (dys)functional attempts at repair 142

8 'Special' treatment 143

9 Labelling and the shy 'master status' 145

10 From 'Little Miss Quiet' to 'Little Miss Loud': inconsistency as deviance 148

11 Two routes out of deviance 150

11.1 The medicalisation of shyness: compliance and reintegration 150

11.2 'Shy Pride' and the politics of resistance 159.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 175-187) and index.

ISBN:

9781403996039

OCLC:

71812901

Publisher Number:

9781403996039

Online:

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