Understanding the Concept of Shyness in Turkish Context

Emotions are seen as very important in interpersonal relationships. Shyness, which is a self-conscious emotion, is also one of the important factors affecting interpersonal relationships. For this reason, shyness has become one of the important subjects of study. In particular, some studies have been conducted on cultural differences in terms of the definition and emergence of the concept of shyness. Considering the cultural differences in the conceptualization of shyness, it seems that there are some differences among societies. At the same time, these differences regarding shyness may change over time. Therefore, individuals' opinions are considered crucial in order to better understand these differences. This study aims to understand the concept of shyness in Turkish society and to reveal possible situations that cause shyness. To understand the concept of shyness and to determine the factors that cause shyness, open-ended questions were asked to a total of 147 participants from 3 different groups (people living in rural areas, people living in cities, and shy people). Data collected from participants were used to determine themes within the framework of 6 basic objectives related to shyness using the MAXQDA analysis program. In addition, qualitative study results were evaluated.