The refrigerator mom theory was a theory developed in the 1940’s which assumed that mothers of autistic children were cold, “frigid” individuals whose lack of affection had somehow caused their children to become autistic. As a result of this theory, the mothers of autistic children, as wikipedia.com states “suffered from blame, guilt, and self-doubt from the 1950s throughout the 1970s and beyond: when the prevailing medical belief that autism resulted from inadequate parenting was widely assumed to be correct”.
I was a bit suprised today when I discovered an equally mother-persecuting theory in regards to shyness in children. An article posted on ScienceDaily.com yesterday examined the relationship between shyness in children, the stress level of their mother and a gene responsible for serotonin regulation. The article, titled “Stressed moms, genes may cause shy kids”, discuses a study from the University of Maryland which found both “long” and “short” versions of a gene they feel determines shyness, when coupled with certain environmental stimuli. According to the study, depending on which gene version you have and your mother’s level of stress while you are a child, determines if you become a shy adult.
The study found that those kids with the short gene and whose parents constantly experience high levels of stress are more likely to become shyer as they age. However, those kids with the short gene were not as likely to become shy if their mother didn’t experience a continuously high level of stress. In addition, the study also claims that those children with the longer version of the gene did not show the same tendency toward shyness, regardless of the mother’s stress level.
I enjoyed reading about this study because it seems like an interesting marriage between the ever-debated genetics vs. rearing. However, I think it would be more interesting if the researchers factored in just how the mothers in the study dealt with stress, no matter what level of stress it was. For example; if a mother had an unavoidably stressful career, such as emergency room surgeon, how does she deal with the stress? Does she go to yoga or some other activity or does she deal with stress by coming home and screaming at her kids? Surely the children’s demeanor would be more affected by a screaming parent then someone productively managing their stress. It’s probably true that kids with a screaming mother would be shyer because they would always be trying to avoid conflict and “get out of the way” so they wouldn’t get screamed at. Also, why didn’t the researchers look at stressed fathers? Would it hold true that children with the short gene coupled with stressed fathers would be shy too?
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3 Comments to
“Is a recent study on shyness in children a throw-back to the refrigerator mom theory?”
Would have helped to *define* “refrigerator mom” theory and demonstrate its similarities/differences to what you are talking about. Your article leaves the question unanswered for those of us who are not familiar with the theory.
I trust dr zimbardo. he is the expert on shyness. i am certainly skeptical about a gene for shyness.
moms get all the blame.
this does not help people that are shy. shy people can be better served by researching techniques to help people overcome their shyness.
I had abnormal shyness through most of childhood and adolescence. I still struggle today without a productive career or a set of social skills. I believe that I had a genetic predisposition toward being sensitive and that this shyness was exacerbated by my environment.
My father was basically uninvolved with family matters, focusing almost all of his energy on his career. My mother was insecure and short tempered. She would often throw temper tantrums and scream over trivial things like something spilled, broken or messy. She rarely spoke calmly about the things that bothered her, bottling them up until the top blew off. Other times she would mollycoddle me as if I were a helpless toddler. Even as I entered my teen years, she would tie my shoes, wash my face or hold tissue paper to my nose. She would also give me neck massages even while I gave her dirty looks. I doubt it would have made a real difference if my parents’ personalities and situations were swapped. Mother or father, if your guardian abuses you then it is traumatic, particularly if you are sensitive.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 7 Mar 2007
