Shyness - How To Keep It From Ruining Your Career

Shyness - How To Keep It From Ruining Your CareerShyness - How To Keep It From Ruining Your CareerMost people experience shyness from time to time. They may feel it when walking into a business meeting or cocktail party and cant find a friendly face, or when they have to call a stranger because a friend suggested theynetwork with him or her. While they may feel inhibited onlyin certain situations, you may be among those individuals for whom shyness is a personality trait- a significant part of who you are- and it may be asevere impediment to yourcareer. What Is Shyness According to the Encyclopedia of Mental Health, shyness may be defined experientially as discomfort and/or inhibition in interpersonal situations that interferes with pursuing ones interpersonal or professional goals (Henderson, Lynn and Phillip Zimbardo. Shyness. The Encyclopedia of Mental Health. San Diego Academic Press.). Shyness may vary from mig warm social awkwardness to totally inhibiting social phobia, als o from this source. Many scientists believe individuals are shy because they are genetically predisposed to being that way. In laymans terms, if your parents are shy, your brain may be wired to be so as well. Others cite technology as a cause of this personality trait. Psychologists Bernardo Carducci and Phillip Zimbardo believetechnological advances that allow for fewer interpersonal interactions have caused shyness to increase in recent years. Because of automatic teller machines, voice mail, and the internet, we dont have to talk to other people as much. Other shyness experts dont blame technology but instead think these changes in how we communicate can be helpful to individuals with this trait. They feel using the Internet helps socially inhibited people improve their interpersonal skills (Hendricks, Melissa. Why So Shy?USAWEEKEND.COM). How Can Shyness Affect Your Career? Your career may suffer if you are shy. Some of the reasons are obvious. It may keep you from presentin g yourself well on job interviews. You may struggle to answer questions or look the interviewer in the eye. Networking could be extremely difficult for individuals who find it hard to communicate. You will also be hesitant to pursue opportunities that can help advance your career. Shyness may have less predictable effects on your career. Researchers have found that people who are shy tend to begin their careers later and are mora likely to refuse promotions than their counterparts who are not as inhibited. They choose occupations that dont requireinterpersonalskills and are more undecided about which field to pursue (Azar, Beth. When Self Awareness Works Overtime. APA Monitor. November 1995). Shy people have a harder time developing a career identity- an image of themselves as competent or successful within a career track. So, while you may worry about how others perceive you, it is the way you view yourself that can be your biggest problem. It is likely to keep you from advancing. Overcoming Shyness Richard Heimberg, Ph.D., an expert in social phobia at Temple University, believes the origins of shyness are similar to those of this more severe disorder. He described social phobia, currently calledsocial anxiety disorder, as shyness gone wild, and stated that it cuts people off from the good things of life- social interaction, love, family(Azar, Beth. Social-Phobia Treatments May Also Work for Problem Shyness.APA Monitor. 1995). Dr. Heimberg has done research into effective treatments for social phobia that may eventually be used to cure shyness. Heimberg and psychiatrist Michael Liebowitz, M.D. conducted a study that looked at the use of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) or an antidepressant drug to treat people who have social phobia. Many participants who received eithertreatment showed significant improvement, but those who were treated with CBT had longer lasting effects. Of those who received the drug, many relapsed, but only a small percentage of participants who received CBT did (Stemming Social Phobia. APA Monitor. July/August 2005).If you think your shyness is impacting your career advancement, consider seeking treatment. Several sessions with a therapist who specializes in using CBT may remove a significant impediment to your career and allow you to move forward. Your shyness may not be debilitating enough to warrant therapy or medication, but still may be keeping you from reaching your potential. Some shy people find that it is helpful to expose themselves to social situations. They even take jobs that force them to interact with other people despite their reservations. The following resources can help you understand shyness and can also help you find ways to overcome it. Resources Take a look at these resources to learn more about shyness and what you can do to keep it from affecting your career. The Quiet DisorderShy and FreeThe Shyness Home Page

Alleviating Pressure Ulcers

Alleviating Pressure Ulcers Alleviating Pressure Ulcers Alleviating Pressure UlcersThere are many issues that have been brought into the public eye when it comes to paralysis. But one issue patients deal with that many may not be familiar with is pressure ulcers, which can lead to serious infection and, in the worst cases, death. Surgery can cost between $50,000-100,000 per episode, says Carmen DiGiovine. He is a clinical associate professor in occupational therapy, and the program director for the assistive technology center with The Ohio State Universitys Wexner Medical Center. For his team, the solution theyre working on is called Sit Smart. DiGiovine says it began when he welches approached five years ago about the pressure ulcer problem by someone in the medical community. The idea for the device didnt immediately take off but was then seen as a good project for a capstone. This is exactly the kind of project where a students enthusiasm can make the difference, he says. What are pressure ulcers? For individuals who dont have sensation in the lower half of their body they dont have that feedback system the rest of us have, explains DiGiovine. They cant detect pain and cant move around to react to that pain. Sitting for long periods of time in a wheelchair, the bone can push against muscle and push against their skin, which causes a pressure ulcer. He says the statistics say that 50%-85% of those with paralysis will suffer from ulcers. Professors Carmen DiGiovine (left) and Sandra Metzler are the driving force behind Sit Smart. Image Katrina Norris / Ohio State University According to DiGiovine, the Sit Smart invention is about helping with behavior adjustment as much as anything. You want less pressure on the parts prone to injury and pressure ulcers, so, if youre out of position, it will know, he says. Sit Smart gives those in the medical field data to look at to help the nutzer change their behavior. It also tells the user when theyre out of position. Peo ple in wheelchairs are told to switch positions every 15-30 minutes but dont always do it because they dont keep timers and its not easy to have a sense of how much time has gone by. Our way says that rather than time, look at the amount of pressure and provide that feedback to the user. The geistesbild right now is that consumers would see the areas that are under that potentially harmful pressure light up. Presently, Sit Smart is wired but the intent is for it to become wireless and utilize Bluetooth. Students involved stretched their minds to think about everything from a whole seat cushion system on down, he says, but over time, they realized sensors in a mat was the efficient and affordable way to take measurements and provide feedback to both consumer and clinician. A unique part is also that our students are graduating and going on to their own lives yet are still involved in the project, he says. They are still consultants and they did that because they really wanted to help people. We all meet every other week driven by recognizing that this is a significant problem, but, one that has a potential solution. Eric Butterman is an independent writer. Learn about the latest trends in bioengineering at ASMEs Global Congress onNanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology. For Further DiscussionSit Smart gives those in the medical field data to look at to help the user change their behavior.Prof. Carmen DiGiovine, The Ohio State University