Impact of Shyness on Self-Esteem: The Mediating Effect of Self-Presentation

Abstract

Background: Although the relationship between shyness and self-esteem is well described in the psychological literature, far less is known about the potential mechanisms that underlie this association. The main goal of the current work is to verify whether self-presentation acts as a mediating variable between both constructs. Methods: The study was carried out among 198 adults. The Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Self-Presentation Style Questionnaire were applied. Results: A large and positive correlation coefficient was observed between the following variables: (1) self-esteem/self-promotion; (2) shyness/self-deprecation. All other variables correlated negatively: (1) shyness/self-esteem; (2) shyness/self-promotion; (3) self-esteem/self-deprecation; (4) self-promotion/self-deprecation. Moreover, both self-promotion and self-deprecation acted as mediators between life satisfaction and self-esteem. Conclusion: The outcomes of the present study show a new mediating aspect for the direct relationship between shyness and self-esteem in the form of two styles of self-presentation. The results indicate that the tendency of shy people to avoid others can have a lower effect on their overall sense of self-esteem when they try to present themselves in a clearly favorable light. By contrast, shyness may have a stronger impact on their sense of self-worth when they present themselves as helpless, unsure, and incompetent.

The influence of social withdrawal and depression on the self-esteem of female adolescents: The mediating effect of grit

“…First, social withdrawal did not appear to have a significant effect on self-esteem in female adolescents, unlike the findings of previous research [ 28 , 29 ], which found that shyness (a sub-concept of social withdrawal) negatively affected self-esteem. A possible explanation for this may be that withdrawn boys with shy and anxious tendencies are more negatively affected than girls and have internalization problems [ 61 ].…”

“…According to previous studies on the relationship between social withdrawal and self-esteem, shyness (a sub-concept of social withdrawal) had a negative effect on self-esteem [ 28 , 29 ], and social phobia strongly influenced self-esteem in adolescence [ 12 ]. Adaptation to school, which is the most immediate social environment for middle-school and high-school adolescents, was found to affect self-esteem [ 14 ].…”

An exploratory analysis of the relationship of problematic Facebook use with loneliness and self-esteem: the mediating roles of extraversion and self-presentation

“…Research suggests that self-esteem is not related to self-presentation (Krämer & Winter, 2008 ; Mehdizadeh, 2010 ), however, it is possibly related to the form of self-presentation employed (Bober et al, 2021 ). It is proposed that self-presentation is a tool used to strengthen self-esteem, with successful self-presentation having a positive effect and unsuccessful self-presentation having a negative effect on self-esteem levels (Leary & Hastorf, 1996 ; Yang & Brown, 2016 ).…”

“…Further, in terms of use motives and desired gratification self-presentation has been empirically demonstrated to enhance friendship development on social media (Lee & Borah, 2020 ). Also, self-presentation has been found to mediate the relationship between self-esteem and shyness (Bober et al, 2021 ), and anticipatory attitude change (McFarland et al, 1984 ) which can be an important inhibiting factor to making desired connections. Therefore, this study advances understanding of the relationship between psychological factors, personality traits, use motives and PSMU (specifically Facebook).…”

Art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for schizophrenia: A protocol for an updated systematic review and subgroup meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials following the PRISMA guidelines

“…The subjects included in the present research must meet the following criteria: a formal diagnosis of schizophrenia, no restrictions on gender, age, ethnicity and disease course, the diagnosis of schizophrenia conforms to the Chinese Classification and Diagnostic Criteria for Mental Disorders 3rd edition (CCMD-3) or CCMD-2 or ICD-10, [26] the 5th edition of the American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental (DSM-V), [27] or other diagnostic criteria; art therapy adjunctive interventions must comply with the British Association of Art Therapists definition; an intervention of art therapy, both individual or group, which could also include variations, for example, color therapy, dance therapy, music therapy, play therapy; reporting means, standard deviation and sample size for a measure of negative symptoms, for example, Positive and negative syndrome scale, [28] Global assessment of functioning score (GAF), [29,30] Self-esteem scale (SES), [31] and the functional remission of general schizophrenia (FROGS). [32] 2.3.2.…”