I don't believe that anyone is just "shy". When someone says they're "shy" it's a way to relate their inner pain in a way that someone else can understand. It sounds a lot better than "crippling social anxiety", "severe low self-esteem", "self-hatred", "social misfit", etc. Shyness is just the tip of the iceberg. People see a shy person being withdrawn and standoffish but they can't see the pain underneath it.

i think you can be just shy. i have been shy all of my life. i also have 2 neices who are sisters raised by the same parents and one is very shy, has been since she was a baby and the other girl is very outgoing. i'm sure our life experience can contribute to it but i think we are born with personality traits like shyness.

well its not called shy its called being an introvert. introverts are people who r naturally shy or keep to themselves and dont like to be social. they r social but not all in yur face or trying to get attention. im and introvert and like being social but not all the times. introvert get alot of critism or pressures to not be their selves and be more social whether they like it or not and then sometimes that starts problems (espicially for teens) including depression,
anger,hatred, and sometimes suicide. but if u appreciate yurself more the way u r and dont care what other people think or do then u will be find,. plus try to be friends with people that r not judgemental and dont mind when u want to be by yurselfs or dont talk as mauch. hoped this helped XD

I think it becomes somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy. A child might be timid with some person and a parent might say some thing as simple as "she's just a little shy". Then the statement stays in the child's mind and when some one else intimidates her, the anxiety increases. Eventually it can become a full blown psychosis. But I do think that it is a basic personality type. With more acceptance of differences... Maybe life would be a little less painful.

I think it's possible. There's no reason for me to be shy other than I am the youngest in my family and All of my cousins and my oldest brother are a lot bigger than me. Everyone has been kind to me and I got attention because I was a twin, so it isn't like I felt forgotten. I'm just shy. Afraid to reveal me. I don't know that I have low self-esteem, but my family has a habit of keeping to themselves. That's the only reason I can see that I would be shy.

well i am just shy = ( i have nothing wrong with me mentally or physically and nothing bad has happened in my life... i can talk to people like normal but if thier is a girl i find attractive i get shy = )

There's PLENTY of other stuff that underlies shyness!

I tend to be very friendly with anyone. Like ItalianKid, when it comes to seducing a woman I find attractive, I really have to dig down deep for something, some charm or something that will draw her in. Sometimes it just isn't there.

All shyers are born "just shy". Life experience makes it feel like a handicapp, thats what I think.

Having only known life as an introvert, I was so prepared to chime-in with "Yes, I believe shyness is innate", but after reading a few other replies, I am second guessing it (Wow! it's pretty sad that the self-esteem wont even let me answer the question)
Anyway, perhaps the shyness makes us susceptible to other conditions - depression, addictions, anxieties - due to the fact that a shy person tends to internalize everything.
Just my 2 bits - I'll go merge back into the shadows again :)

Cyn70, this is slightly off-topic, but thanks for that term "shyers." Here are a couple more similar terms: shylings (my very own creation), shy tribe, shy ones, wallflowers, and shrinking violets. Hey, why not? If you have an imagination, don't keep it in a cage! Looking for a laugh? We have boatloads of good clean jokes and lots of fun activities! Click here: http://dailystrength.org/groups/laughterclub The Laughter Club...where imaginations roam free...because somebody left the gate open again! :-)

Is shyness really shyness, or is it really "managing one's own comfort level in the face of adversity"? Could the term shyness actually be misconstrued as intelligent stress management?

I think it's all semantics... no offense to anyone. I agree that some people are just naturally "shy" or "introverted" or whatever you want to call them. It doesn't necessarily stem from PTSD or depression (I have a touch of those as well...)

I think anyone can be shy I've been shy all of my life! my boyfriend is helping me and it is working i think!