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Social Withdrawal in Childhood

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Synonyms

Preference for solitude; Social avoidance; Social isolation

Definition

Process whereby children remove themselves from opportunities for social interaction and engage in solitary activities in the presence of peers.

Introduction

Interacting with others is an integral part of childhood. Making new friends, playing with a group of peers, and being liked and accepted by classmates all represent critical and formative experiences for children. For most children and adolescents, the considerable amount of time spent in the presence of peers is not only perceived as enjoyable and fulfilling but also serves to provide opportunities to learn and refine important social, emotional, cognitive, and linguistic skills. Notwithstanding, some children still choose to engage in solitary activities in lieu of social interaction with peers. Social withdrawal refers to the process of removing oneself from opportunities to interact with others (Rubin et al. 2009). The concept of social...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Will E. Hipson

  2. Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada

    Robert J. Coplan

Authors
  1. Will E. Hipson
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  2. Robert J. Coplan
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Correspondence to Will E. Hipson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of South Carolina - Beaufort, Bluffton, SC, USA

    Carey Fitzgerald

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Hipson, W.E., Coplan, R.J. (2018). Social Withdrawal in Childhood. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2447-1

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