Polish adaptation of the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness scale and a significance of shyness in the context of personality traits and metatraits

The aim of the current study is to prepare the Polish adaptation of the Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale and to analyze relations between shyness, loneliness and personality traits. The study was conducted via the Internet, and a total of N = 314 adults participated and completed a set of self-report measures. Via comparisons of several confirmatory factor analysis models we demonstrated that the structure of the Polish adaptation of the scale is unidimensional. Consistent with research hypotheses, shyness was mostly correlated with loneliness and introversion; moreover, shyness was strongly negatively related to the personality metatrait of Plasticity and weakly but also negatively with the metatrait of Stability. In addition, individuals not engaged in romantic relationships scored significantly higher in shyness and loneliness, and lower in extraversion, openness, and Plasticity than individuals engaged in unformalized relationships. The results support the conclusion that shyness is a personality trait that significantly affects behavior by limiting the possibilities for adapting to changing environmental conditions.