title: Brief report: Perceptions of social withdrawal during emerging adulthood in Lagos, Nigeria.
abstract: The study of social withdrawal subtypes is no longer limited to Western societies but has extended to non-Western countries, such as China. This study considers, for the first time, social withdrawal subtypes in an African country (Nigeria) by examining emerging adults' (N = 151; 54% female; Mage = 19.92 years, SD = 2.54) perceptions, attitudes, and responses to shy, unsociable, and socially competent behaviors. Results revealed that Nigerian emerging adults perceived significant differences between shy, unsociable, and socially competent behavior in several ways incommensurate with participants of previous studies conducted in North America, Europe, and China. Findings highlight the diversity of social meanings attached to social withdrawal in non-Western societies, and point to the need for additional research on social withdrawal and its perception in Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, 224 Park Hall, Buffalo, NY 14260-4100, USA. Electronic address: jcbowker@Buffalo.edu.
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bowker
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, Akoka-Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. Electronic address: wolawoz@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Adesola Adebusola
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Ojo
authors.affiliation: Division of Liberal Arts and Communication, Medaille College, 18 Agassiz Circle, Buffalo, NY 14214, USA. Electronic address: mhb34@medaille.edu.
authors.forename: Matthew H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Bowker
mesh_terms: D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria; D012792:Shyness; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D066107:Social Skills; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Culture; Nigeria; Shyness; Social withdrawal; Unsociability