The social skill training is a technique that can be used to solve social problems.

The several studies

Studies have been done in the field of the training effect of social skills on some personality
characteristic and the results of these studies showed that social skills training significantly increase
social growth, selfesteem, personal adequacy, adjustment as well as reduced inappropriate behaviors
such aggression and violence (Pasha & Gorjian, 2010) [11].

Defined social skills training as a set of psychotherapeutic technique based on social learning theory
that has been developed to teach social skills to individuals. It teaches people how they can better
communicate and express feeling, thoughts and needs to others. Social skills training programs
encourages human interaction and is expected to improve the individual’s skills of assertiveness and
communication skills. It is also allow the individual to achieve three goals: a) Develop positive
interpersonal relationships, b) Enhancing ability to cope with expectations of various social situations,
c) Execute effective communication in social situations (Guadalupe, 2016). The principal of social
skills training is the use of conversation and role-playing in different ways. Social skills training
techniques may be incorporated into individuals, groups and family treatment modalities where there
may add measurable benefits [13]. The psychiatric nurses could implement psycho-education
programs to increase social skills, create a social support network and sources for children and their
families in houses, schools, and the society, as well as participate in studies about this issue (Smith,
2014). The only drawback to this type of group is that it works best when the group is closed-ended;
that is, once the group has been formed, no one is allowed to join until the group has reached its
preestablished closure. Members are allowed to propose topics for discussion and the leader serves as
a teacher much of the time and facilitates discussion of the proposed topic, also members may from
time to time be presenters and serve as discussion leaders. Sometimes, psycho-education groups
evolve into traditional therapy discussion groups [15]. The role of nurses working with
institutionalized children and adolescents in meeting health and psychosocial needs of this population
is regarded as critical. A multidisciplinary and multi-sectorial approach is required to identify the
complexity of problems that these children and adolescents experience and to bring their abilities to
the optimal level to care for themselves. It has been stated that the cooperation of the members of the
justice system, social services, and education and health services is important. In this context,
psychiatry nurse specialists working in institutions such as forensic psychiatry services, prisons,
schools, and so forth should be encouraged to use such training programs [16]. Working definition
Social skills: The social skills which were included in the current study are self-care, how to
communicate (speakinglistening) attitude toward self, control of anger, respecting and advising others.

12. Guadalupe F (2016) Social skills training for autistic children: A comparison study between
inclusion and mainstreaming education. California Lutheran University. Research Article 1: 16-18.
Link: https://goo.gl/JMnCm6
 14. Smith F (2014) The impact of school-based Aggression Replacement Training on emotion
regulation and aggressive behavior. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Clinical Psychology, Massey
University, Wellington, New Zealand.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common approaches used when providing
counseling services to people who are shy. CBT trains people to stop the autonomic negative thoughts,
and to replace them with more positive thoughts. CBT relies on a teaching model for delivery. In
practice the client will be taught about the cognitive behavioral model to explain their feelings and
behaviors. In the case with shyness, the client would be taught about their thoughts about social
interactions, and how that leads to the behavior of shyness (Scott, 2006). This would be taught in a
way that is appropriate for the development of the client. The practitioner would then teach relaxation
techniques that can be used to counter the anxious feelings, when the client is in a social environment.
The client would rehearse these techniques, and implement them outside of the therapy session
(Hirshfeld-Becker et al, 2010).

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a counselling intervention technique that helps people to
understand the influence of thoughts and feelings on human behaviour. According to Kathleen (2016),
CBT is an intervention technique used by counsellors and other therapists to teach individuals how to
change their unwanted behaviours and feelings through their thought patterns. It is a short-term, goal-
oriented psychotherapeutic treatment that takes a hand-on, practical approach to problem-solving.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a psychotherapy based on modifying everyday thoughts and
behaviours with the aim of positively influencing emotions (Ali, 2014). This technique is based on the
premise that people’s thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions are interconnected, and that
negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs can lead to maladaptive behaviours. Hence, negative and
unrealistic thoughts and beliefs could cause emotional distresses and may result into deficit behaviours
such as shyness. Basco and Rush (2011) therefore opined that cognitive behavioural therapy is
directed towards alleviating cognitive biases and distortions, and developing behavioural skills for
coping. However, for the purpose of this study, cognitive behavioural therapy is defined as a
behaviour change method used by counsellors and other therapists to resolve clients’ problems by
modifying their irrational thoughts, beliefs and behaviours. It involves learning how to think
differently, to change fundamental faulty thinking and replace it with more rational, realistic and
perhaps positive thinking. The aim of this therapy is to assess the negative thoughts clients have about
themselves and their view of the world around them, and to replace such thoughts with more positive
and rational thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours.

CBT is a structured program that perhaps may help clients to identify and replace thoughts and beliefs
that cause shyness with those that promote boldness and assertiveness. Perhaps, gender may be a
moderating factor to shyness. According to (Bornstein 2008), gender is defined as the social attributes
and opportunities associated with being male and female. Gender refers to the state of being a male or
female (Oguzie, Obi & Nnadi, 2019). The concept of gender includes the expectations held about the
characteristics, aptitudes and likely behaviours of both women and men. In the typical Nigerian
context, females and males are not expected to behave in the same way in a group situation or
encounter. Supporting the above assertion, Anuka, George and Ukpona (2012) observed that Nigeria
cultural system assigns traditional sex roles that are mutually exclusive to males and females. The
authors further noted that some activities are branded abnormal for females but normal for males and
vice versa. Therefore, the way females may behave in a group activity such as cognitive behavioural
therapy experiment may differ from the way males may behave. Meanwhile, there have been some
arguments by researchers as to whether gender significantly correlates with shyness. For example,
research has shown that females are more likely to experience shyness, especially in adulthood, than
males (Coplan, 2011), while other researchers came up with contrary reports that males are more
socially anxious and shy than their female counterparts (Coplan & Weeks, 2009; Morison & Masten,
2006; Stevenson & Glover, 2006). More-so, studies have indicated controversy on the gender
difference in the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy in reducing maladaptive behaviours. Chiang,
Tsai, Liu, Lin, Chiu and Chou (2017) in their study found that cognitive behavioural therapy was more
effective among male participants than the females. In contrary, Onyia (2010) found that female
students benefited from cognitive behavioural therapy than the males. Similarly, Akujieze and
Nwadinobi (2015) in their study concluded that there was no gender difference in the effects of
cognitive behavioural therapy. Hence, the present study also stood to resolve the gender controversy
on the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy.

More often than not, students may develop faulty beliefs and thoughts which may keep them tensed,
worried, unease and discouraged, resulting to shyness. For this reason, there is a need to modify these
destructive thoughts and beliefs associated with shyness. To that effect, Martin (2018) observed that
cognitive behavioural therapy has been successfully used to treat a wide range of maladaptive
behaviours such as anxiety, depression, drug abuse and low self-esteem among students. Goncalves
and Byrne (2012) in their study found out that cognitive behavioural therapy was significantly
effective in reducing anxiety and depression among older adults in Australia. Alavi, Molavi and
Molavi (2017) carried out a study which determined the effects of cognitive behavioural therapy on
self-esteem and quality of life of hospitalized amputee elderly patients in Isfahan, Iran. The results
showed that cognitive behavioural therapy was effective in enhancing the self-esteem and quality of
life of the patients. Brecht, Anna, Izaak and Jongh (2017) concluded that cognitive behavioural
therapy was effective in enhancing the self-esteem of participants in Nederland.

While acknowledging the fact that previous researchers have successfully used cognitive behavioural
therapy in treating other psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, among
others, it appears that little or no effort has been made to investigate the effect of CBT directly on
shyness, especially in the context of Imo state. This is a dearth in literature, and a gap in knowledge
that needed to be filled. Since cognitive behavioural therapy is a thought changing approach and has
been found to be effective in modifying other behavioural problems as indicated by previous
researchers, the present researchers thus believed that cognitive behaviour therapy could serve as a
veritable intervention measure for curbing the problem of shyness among secondary school students.
In the light of the above scenario, this study therefore investigated the effect of cognitive behavioural
therapy on shyness among secondary school students in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo
state, Nigeria.

CBT therapy tries to change the mindset that is important in client problems (Jeri Fires, 2002) so that
the things the client finds to be the cause of anger may not be the cause anymore. CBT is one of the
most effective psychological interventions. Through counseling groups or psycho-educational groups
it has been shown to reduce aggressive behavior and bullying in the school environment (Horne,
Stoddard, & Bell, 2007) and group CBT therapy is effective in reducing aggression in 24 addicts in
Tehran (Najafi 2016).

According to the Cognitive Behavioral Approach, various situations experienced in life cause different
emotive reactions in individuals. Theoretically, an individual’s reactions are determined by their
perception regarding such situations and occasions, as well as the meanings attributed to them
(Campos, Schoebi, Gonzaga, Gable and Keltner, 2015). The Cognitive Behavioral Approach refers to
this cognitive process, which leads one to attribute negative meanings and to feel bad, as schemes,
automatic thoughts and cognitive distortions, which the approach focuses on during a treatment
process (Leahy, 2004). Considering the cognitive process that creates anger, it is observed that anger is
rooted by non-rational settled thoughts about others. For example, “others should treat me in a
thoughtful and lovely way, just as I want. If not, they are bad people, so they deserve to be punished
for the horrible behaviors.” Such non-rational thought usually makes one frustrated, urges them to be
rude and disagreeable, causing them to hold a grunge (Köroğlu, 2011).