Christopher Lane's SHYNESS in New England Journal of Medicine

New England Journal of Medicine, Book Review, Volume 358:539-540, January 31, 2008, Number 5

Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness
By Christopher Lane. 263 pp., illustrated. New Haven, CT, Yale University Press, 2007. $27.50. ISBN 978-0-300-12446-0.

This well-written book is a thoughtful examination of shyness and its relation to psychopathology. It reminds me of earlier books in this area, including Richard McNally's Panic Disorder: A Critical Analysis (New York: Guilford Press, 1994) and Isaac Marks's Fears, Phobias, and Rituals (New York: Oxford University Press, 1987). In fact, Marks receives an official acknowledgment in Christopher Lane's book. Although Lane claims to tackle mainly the topic of shyness and mental health, he also sheds light on recent developments in the official classification and nature of the field of anxiety disorders, dating back to the landmark changes that were . . .

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