Shyness in Academic Contexts

Our research investigated the relationships of shyness with identity styles, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and intrinsic motivation among university students, as well the role of identity styles within this model. 330 undergraduate students from Italian Universities completed a questionnaire composed by the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, the Revised Identity Style Inventory, the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, the Intrinsic Motivation Scale. Causal analyses assessed the relationships between the variables. The findings showed that the diffuse avoidant identity style was mediator in all models, emotional intelligence was positively predictor of intrinsic motivation and negatively predictor of shyness, shyness was negatively predictor of intrinsic motivation and criterion variable of emotional intelligence. Further studies could better explore the nature of these relationships.