Socialization Factors in the Development of Social Withdrawal

The study of social withdrawal in childhood is predicated on the assumption that having opportunities to play and interact with other children is important for socioemotional development. This assumption has received broad support from aIl theories of child development that give consideration to the significance of peer interaction (e.g., Hartup, 1983; Mead, 1934; Piaget, 1926; SuIIivan, 1953). More recently, there has been growing empirical support for it as weIl, provided by studies demonstrating that children who are extremely withdrawn relative to their age-mates tend to remain withdrawn and increasingly tend to manifest socioemotional difficuIties as they grow older (Rubin, Hymel, & MiIIs, 1989; Rubin & MiIIs, 1988).