Work

Shyness as basis for friendship selection and socialization in a youth social network

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Shy children and adolescents have previously been found to have friends with similarly shy, withdrawn behavioral characteristics. How peers might socialize shyness over time has, however, not been thoroughly investigated before. Our network included 834 youths (339 girls, and 495 boys; M = 14.29), followed for three years. We used the social network analysis software, SIENA, to analyze the data. The results show that those youths who are shy are less popular and choose fewer friends in the network. They also tend to choose friends who are shy, and over time they will influence each other into becoming more shy – over and above other effects. Finally, girls’ shyness is more influenced than boys’ by their friends’ shyness levels. These results show the significance of looking at shy youths’ friendships over time, and embedded in social networks.

Source: KTH Publication Database DiVA (KTH Royal Institute of Technology)

Authors: Nejra Bešić, Maarten Selfhout, Margaret Kerr, Håkan Stattin

Language: English

Topic: Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W79039738

FWCI:

Cites: 71

Cited by: 7

Related to: 10