Zimbardo became interested in the social and personal aspects of shyness in adults and later in children through reflections on the Stanford Prison Experiment.
He considered the mindsets of the Guard (restricting freedoms) and the Prisoner (resisting but ultimately accepting restrictions on personal freedom) as dualities within each person, especially in neurotic individuals and shy people.
Since 1972, Zimbardo and his research team, mostly comprising Stanford undergraduates and graduates like Paul Pilkonis and Susan Brodt, have conducted pioneering research on the causes, correlations, and consequences of shyness in adults and children using a multi-method, multi-response approach.
Their findings about the extent and negative impacts of shyness led to the creation of a shyness clinic where the team tested various interventions among Stanford University students, staff, and the local community.
Early clinical work was aided by Meg Mamell and later Carlo Piccione.
Recently, Lynne Henderson took over leading the Shyness Clinic, and she and Zimbardo started the Shyness Institute to promote shyness research and train therapists to treat shyness.
More information on the Shyness Institute can be found elsewhere on this website, as well as on shyness.com.
