Behavioural inhibition
A temperament marked by wariness, withdrawal and high physiological reactivity to unfamiliar people, places and situations, visible by toddlerhood.
What drives it
An early alarm system tuned to novelty. Moderately stable over time; it raises the risk of social anxiety, though most inhibited children do not develop a disorder.
How it shows
Work
Quiet in the first meetings, often excellent once settled; dislikes impromptu presenting; the first weeks of a job are hard; better one-to-one than in large forums. Often misread as aloof or lacking initiative in the first quarter.
Relationships
Takes time to open up; prefers a few close people; new social events need preparation or an exit route.
Self
A physical brake in new situations that fades with familiarity, not because anything bad happened.
What tells it apart
Social anxiety: Social anxiety is fear of judgement that persists after familiarity and drives avoidance; inhibition is wariness of novelty that eases as things become familiar.
Introversion and extraversion (Jung's original sense): Introverts prefer less stimulation but can be at ease with strangers; inhibited people are wary of the unfamiliar even when they want to engage.
Dismissive-avoidant attachment: Avoidant attachment keeps close people at a distance; inhibition is caution with strangers and new settings, often with warm closeness once familiar.
A test
Compare the person in week one and week ten of a new setting; marked thawing with familiarity points to inhibition.
Questions to carry
- Between their first week somewhere new and their tenth, what changes in how they speak and move?
- In a room of strangers, what does my body do in the first ten minutes?
How strong the research is
strong
Where it comes from
Jerome Kagan and colleagues, 1984