Many people, including actors and other performers, identity themselves as shy - although some of them may actually be talking about being introverted. Shyness and introversion may seem to be the same in some ways, at least on the surface. They can overlap, and we may have both traits – but they are not the same thing. And they are not the same as the trait of high sensitivity.

1. Creative People
and Shyness

2. Director Kathryn Bigelow ("Zero Dark Thirty") has
said, “I’m kind of very shy by nature.”
Actor Jeremy Renner ("The Hurt Locker")
(also reportedly shy as a child)
has commented that “in social situations she can
be painfully shy.”

3. Sigourney Weaver
as Officer Ellen
Ripley in the
"Alien"
movie series

4. Director Ang Lee and
actor Sigourney Weaver

5. Claire Danes
as
Temple Grandin

6. Elaine Aron, PhD, in her book
The Highly Sensitive Person
notes this term shy “has some very
negative connotations."
She adds, "It does not have to; shy can
also be equated with words such as
discreet, self-controlled, thoughtful,
and sensitive.”

7. Elaine Aron notes:
“Because highly
sensitive people prefer to
look before entering new
situations, they are often
called 'shy.'
"But shyness is learned,
not innate."

8. Shyness and introversion may
seem to be the same in some
ways, at least on the surface.
They can overlap, and we may
have both traits – but they are not
the same thing.
Quiet: The Power
of Introverts
And they are not the same as the in a World That
Can't Stop Talking
trait of high sensitivity. by Susan Cain.

9. From list by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD:
"A great deal of physical energy alternating
with a great need for quiet and rest."
[See more of his quotes in post:
The Complex Personality of Creative People]
High sensitivity and introversion can
both require that people with these traits
make time for themselves and get enough
rest so they don't get overwhelmed.

10. Presenter: Douglas Eby,
M.A./Psychology
Creator of the
Talent Development Resources
series of sites :
talentdevelop.com

11. See more topics - with notes, SlideShare
presentations and other resources on the page :
Creative People: Personality and Mental Health