Judging by the number of copies already sold (more than 300,000), scores of people suffer from the debilitating effects of shyness. A noted professor of psychology at Stanford University, Dr. Philip G. Zimbardo helps men and women, youngsters and oldsters, overcome this self-defeating condition. Photographs.

Parents of shy children worry, and with good reason. Shyness can interfere with a child's growth, development, school performance and social experiences. Statistics show that 20% of children are born shy, and another 20% develop shyness. Parents who are shy themselves feel great compassion for their shy children but tend to contribute to the problem by shielding their child from difficult situations. Conversely, parents who are not shy are similarly at a loss and feel exasperated and baffled by their child's shyness. Dr. Ward Swallow addresses both of those situations.

Richard J. Gerrig is a professor of psychology at Stony Brook University. Before joining the Stony Brook faculty, Gerrig taught at Yale University, where he was awarded the Lex Hixon Prize for teaching excellence in the social sciences. Gerrig's research on cognitive psychological aspects of language use has been widely published. One line of work examines the mental processes that underlie efficient communication. A second research program considers the cognitive and emotional changes readers experience when they are transported to the worlds of stories. His book "Experiencing Narrative World