Being Alone, Playing Alone, and Acting Alone: Distinguishing among Reticence and Passive and Active Solitude in Young Children

Abstract

3 forms of solitude were studied in young children--reticence (onlooker and unoccupied behavior), solitary-passive behavior (solitary-constructive and -exploratory play), and solitary-active behavior (solitary-functional and -dramatic play). 48 4-year-old children grouped in quartets of same-sex unfamiliar peers were observed in several situations. Mothers completed the Colorado Temperament Inventory. Results indicated that (1) solitary-passive, solitary-active, and reticent behaviors were nonsignificantly intercorrelated; (2) reticence was stable and associated with the demonstration of anxiety and hovering near others, whereas solitary-passive and solitary-active play were stable yet unrelated to anxiety and hovering; (3) reticence during free play was generally associated with poor performance and displays of wariness in several other social situations, while solitary-passive and -active play were not; (4) reticence was associated with maternal ratings of child shyness, while solitary-active behavior was associated with maternal ratings of impulsivity. Results are discussed in terms of the underlying mechanisms associated with reticence and passive and active withdrawal.

Social Withdrawal in Childhood

“…Similarly, "shyness" has been conceptualized as wariness in the face of social novelty and/or self-conscious behavior in situations of perceived social evaluation (Asendorpf 1991, Cheek & Buss 1981, Crozier 1995, Zimbardo 1977. "Social reticence" represents a behavioral construct comprising the watching of others from afar, remaining unoccupied in social company, and hovering near but not engaging others in interaction (Coplan et al 1994). This behavioral construct putatively reflects internalized feelings of social anxiety as well as conflicted motivations of approach and avoidance.…”

“…As noted above, reticent behavior is considered a behavioral expression of a social approach-avoidance conflict (Asendorpf 1990) and includes the prolonged watching of other children without accompanying play (onlooking) and being unoccupied (Coplan et al 1994). Strong empirical support links right frontal EEG asymmetries, low vagal tone, adult-rated shyness, and observed BI with observed reticence with both unfamiliar and familiar peers in the laboratory and at school (Degnan et al 2008.…”

“…Such clarity is particularly important because social withdrawal appears to have many "faces" (e.g., Rubin & Mills 1988), and the multiple forms of social solitude typically expressed in childhood carry with them different psychological functions and meanings (e.g., Asendorpf 1990, Coplan et al 1994, Harrist et al 1997. To make matters more confusing, the expression of different forms of solitude appears to have different meanings, not only at different points in childhood, but also within different social contexts and cultures (e.g., Chen et al 2005).…”

Early childhood anxious solitude and subsequent peer relationships: Maternal and cognitive moderators

“…Evidence suggests that these behaviors are manifestations of social anxiety and social evaluative concerns (i.e., worry about how one may be evaluated and treated by others) (Coplan, Rubin, Fox, Calkins, & Stewart, 1994). Anxious solitary children are conceptualized as desiring contact with peers, but paradoxically keeping a distance from peers due to fear of poor social performance, negative peer evaluations, and peer mistreatment.…”

Differentiation between low positive affectivity and behavioral inhibition in preschool-age children: A comparison of behavioral approach in novel and non-novel contexts

“…It should be noted, however, that the role of the BIS has been revised in more recent formulations of Gray's theory (Gray & McNaughton, 2000;McNaughton & Corr, 2004). Thus, McNaughton and Corr (2004) view the BIS as a conflict detection system associated with anxiety that modulates both the BAS in regulating approach behavior in reward-related contexts and the flight/fight system in regulating avoidance behavior in fear-eliciting contexts A number of investigators have distinguished between two groups of socially withdrawn children: a shy-conflicted, reticent group that wishes to engage in peer interactions but withdraws due to fear and anxiety; and a passive-solitary, disinterested group that withdraws due to a lack of desire for social interactions (Asendorpf, 1990;Coplan, Prakash, O'Neil, & Armer, 2004;Coplan, Rubin, Fox, Calkins, & Stewart, 1994;Harrist, Zaia, Bates, Dodge, & Pettit, 1997). Importantly, these subgroups have been shown to differ on a number of variables, including maternal reports of social fear, NA, and attention span; teacher ratings of anxiety; child ratings of perceived competence; EEG alpha power; and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (Coplan et al, 2004;Henderson, Marshall, Fox, & Rubin, 2004).…”