SHYNESS AND ITS INFLUENCE ON A CHILD’S FUNCTIONING IN THE KINDERGARTEN ENVIRONMENT

Living in the society requires from people possession of some communicative skills. Shyness makes a serious barrier in this matter. Nowadays in our contemporary world sociable, self- depended and creative people are appreciated. Somebody who is shy or not resourceful enough is usually isolated from others. Shyness appears in various age groups, but first of all, children become most endangered. Social passiveness determines a serious problem in their case. Children showing symptoms of shyness are not able to come into both positive and satisfying relationship with other people. Interpersonal contacts evoke among them a very strong fear which makes them withdraw from numerous social situations. Shy children cannot cope with their own problems, this is why they demand support from adult people. Such supporters usually appear to be parents and teachers. It is very important to undertake some therapeutic activities in a process of shyness overcoming.

Shyness is a common conception, nevertheless it is very widespread. Everybody is able to define what shyness is or we have experienced it personally in different life situations. It happens very often that people, who consider themselves to be self-confident and sociable, can have problem caused by social fears appearing during public speeches, meetings with strangers or expressing personal opinions. Such problem refers not only adult people but also children. As for children, shyness seriously influences the way of functioning in the kindergarten environment and it has a significant importance in a process of development and shaping personality.

Some shyness researchers undertook trials to receive the answer to the question where shyness comes from. Their viewpoints concerning the genesis of this phenomenon differ radically. The authors suspect biological, personal and environmental factors to be responsible for the cause of shyness. According to some authors shyness has genetic background, this is why shy children differ very much from boy-friends and girl-friends from the children of the same age.

In the article there are presented characters of children at the pre-school age with syndrome of shyness and shown their social position in the environment of the same age.