About this session

Thursday, 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM

The Many Faces of Social Withdrawal in Childhood, and Factors that Shape their Developmental Implications

Social withdrawal in childhood, or the persistent tendency to not interact with peers during social opportunities, is considered a risk factor for social-emotional difficulties. Yet, social withdrawal is itself a multi-faceted construct reflecting distinguishable behavioral patterns, and the implications of these patterns for psychosocial adjustment varies depending on life contexts and experiences. This symposium brings together three empirical investigations and a comprehensive systematic review to consider the developmental implications of social withdrawal, depending on how it is manifested and the situational, socialization and cultural contexts within which it is expressed. The four papers consider multiple manifestations of social withdrawal, such as unsociability (disinterest in social interaction) and shyness (hesitance to engage with others), and the behavioral, motivational and emotional features of these varying manifestations. The systematic review (paper 1) notes a number of limitations in the extant literature that preclude definitive statements about motivations for social withdrawal demarcating different behavioral patterns. The empirical studies address many of these limitations. With samples of preschool- to elementary school-aged children from Canada, China and the United States, the papers consider how multiple manifestations of social withdrawal are associated concurrently and prospectively with children’s adjustment, depending on the particular nature of social withdrawal examined (papers 2, 3, and 4), cultural context (papers 2 and 3), parental socialization (papers 3 and 4), and peer context (paper 4). Collectively, the papers in this symposium advance upon the extant literature to bring fresh perspectives and new insights into understanding social withdrawal in childhood.

Paper #1
Title	Socially Withdrawn Behaviors and Social Withdrawal Motivations: A Systematic Review
Presenting author	Julie C. Bowker, Ph.D., University of Buffalo, United States

Paper #2
Title	Associations of different types of shyness with depression and aggression in Canadian and Chinese Children
Presenting author	Xiaoxue Kong, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada

Paper #3
Title	Goodness-of-Fit among Shy Chinese-American Children: Does Maternal Emotion or Behavior Matter More for Social Reticence?
Presenting author	Li-Wen Wu, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, United States

Paper #4
Title	Psychological Control Predicts Maladjustment when Shy or Unsociable Behaviors Occur with Familiar or Unfamiliar Peers
Presenting author	Dr. Paul David Hastings, Ph.D., University of California, Davis, United States

View all paper details

Session chair
Dr. Paul David Hastings, Ph.D., University of California, Davis, United States

⇦ Back to schedule