A very important distinction to undestand in regards to personality is that Introversion and Shyness are actually two different things, although they may look very similar in action. Both Introverts and Extroverts can be shy.
First, Let's Take a Look at What it Means to Be Shy:
Shy people are afraid of interacting socially, even when they really want to. They will stand on the edge of a conversation trying to work up the nerve to interject, but feel too nervous or intimidated to do so. They have a deep conviction that people do not (or will not) like them. If they have been picked on, which often is the case, they seem to accept the superiority complex of bullies as being legitimate. They seem to view and approach others as if everyone else is better than them and expect to be looked down upon and barely tollerated in every encounter. They feel like they don't matter to other people while at the same time those people's reactions to them mean a great deal to them. Think about meeting some famous person or historic figure you really admire - that's how meeting just any Joe off the street feels to someone who is shy.
Nearly everyone seems intimidating to a Shy person and they both fear and expect the displeasure of others. They long to connect with them but feel unable to, and especially if they are extroverts, may spend a lot of their time following in the wake of people they would like to get to know, hungrily observing them, but never able to sieze the chance to join in. When presented with a chance to be introduced or to join in an activity they may squirm and stutter and avoid eyecontact. Their awkwardness often causes them to embarrase themselves, or at least to immagine that they have done so, and they often quickly dash for cover after the humiliating encounter. This of course confirms in thier minds their inadiquacy and makes them even more wary of social situations.
Shy people crave a sense of camraderie and acceptance, but expect themselves to be seen as unacceptible. Often their expectations are not wholly ungrounded, not because they are unworthy, but because they have had significant experience with people who have belittled them in one way or another - whether outright ridicule, or being too busy to give them attention. The trouble is understanding someone's rejection as the other person's problem rather than an inherent problem with oneself. It's not that you are unimportant, but that they are being inconsiderate. However, without a countering perspective from people who do appreciate the shy person it is easy for the negative experiences to form their entire understanding of their relationship to others.
Now a Shy person isn't necessarily always shy, it may be limited to certain social settings. They may feel accepted and respected by family, by people of a certain age-set (often not their peers), by people in a certain social status or group, etc., but in other social arenas they have not met with the same success and have therefore learned to expect rejection. Shyness has to do with confidence and one's perceived social acceptance. Shyness occurs when one feels out of his league, and thus intimidated by others. Shyness may be amplified by larger groups, but is none-the-less debilitating in a one on one scenario because it is diven mostly by the type of person encountered, and less by the number present. A group of shy people may still find themselves completely intimidated by a single person whom they see as beyond their leage.
Now Let's Take a Look at What it Means to Be Introverted:
In contrast to the Shy person, while an Introvert may feel intimidated or overwhelmed by a large number of people, given the chance to be one on one with any of them, he is likely to be quite comfortable. An Introvert avoids people in general not because he fears their displeasure, but because he finds them tidious and draining. This isn't to say that Introverts don't like other people, they just don't really like personally interacting with the majority of them, and definately not all at once. Even if he may think someone is nice, an Introvert may decide not to persue conversation or friendship because he doesn't want to invest more time in social interaction, perhaps feeling a bit overwhelmed with the friendships he already has. Introverts need and like having time alone, and being around a lot of people wears them out quickly. They do not find meeting new people and chit-chatting to be very energizing, and thus avoid it in favor of doing things alone or with one or two close friends. They may not approach others, not because they are afriad of them, but simply becuase they have no interest in conversing or going through the superficial topics often covered when making new aquaintances. Introverts seem to like to think more deeply and converse longer about things, and like to cultivate deeper longer lasting relationships with just a few people.
Introverts also tend to dislike being the center of attention, actually prefering to stand on the sidlelines to watch others. They don't long to be part of the group as the Shy person does. They may seem awkward when meeting new people or being put on the spot if they haven't been able to prepare before hand, finding it difficult to think quickly with the distraction of others staring at them and the pressure of people waiting for them to speak.
They hang back from conversations because they don't like to interrupt and because they are usually busy processing what they are hearing. Introverts take more time to think before responding and can easily be passed over by extroverts who want to keep the conversation rolling at a quicker pace. It's not necessarily that they are too nervous to speak, but simply that they can't seem to get a word in edgewise before the topic has already moved on past what they were about to say. The Introvert is often left with the choice of cutting in and awkwardly dragging the conversation back to an earlier point, or just keeping their mouth shut and thinking to themselves while others talk. In fact, they often prefer to just think to themselves, feeling little desire to share their thoughts with many others.
However, when an Introvert does want to talk with someone they are usually perfectly capable of doing so and may even appear outgoing or 'in command' of the situation, quite unlike the cowering Shy person. Introverts don't seem to desire a good rapport with many people nor general social acceptance, which may in some cases actually make them impervious to the slights that would cause the group oriented Extrovert to develop Shyness. On the other hand their tendancy to be overlooked because of their unobtrusive ways and the ridicule incured from a societal preference for Extroversion may make Introverts more prone to becoming Shy.
And Now to Look at Something Which May Factor into Both Introversion and Shyness: Wierdness.
The Shy Wierdo:
It's easy to immagine how people who do not share the common interests of others may be slighted or made fun of because of their unpopular preferences. While Shy people are by no means always odd, it seems much more likely for unusual people to develop Shyness because of the social ostricizing they often endure. Yet, those who are 'wierd' may not care if people who are different from them reject them because they had no desire to be like them in the first place. Their sense of aloneness may not come from specific people rejecting them, but from an overall sense of not belonging anywhere in society. They may give up on expecting anyone to identify with them or understand them. Thus even if they do not feel that they are less worthy than others, their confidence may be worne down by constantly finding themsleves alone. This is likely to cause them to expect rejection rather than acceptance and approach others warily or simply avoid them. In a sense, the Unusual are forced to be shy through the lack of opportunity to be supported. Some of them do not actually succumb to shyness, though they dream of finding at least a few people like themselves and feel dismayed at times by the relentless ridicule of others. Some of them respond with defiance and bitterness, rather than becoming meek and sullen around others.
The Introverted Wierdo:
People who are unusual in their interests and tastes may find themselves forced to develope their Introverted side, whether or not this is their natural preference. If a person has very little in common with most of the people around him, he is likely to find himself unable to make conversation with others even if he may want to for a lack of common references and topics. Simply because of having little in common with others, the unusual person who is not willing to give up his wierdness in favor of copying the crowd will naturally find himself spending more time on his own and sitting on the sidelines of conversations. He may have a much smaller set of friends than a typical extrovert (or even introvert) simply because there is a smaller pool of potential friends that share his interests. Also, because of their rarity, he may develope a tighter bond and strive to hang onto them longer than those whose interests are more typical and therefore find potential friends to be a dime a dozen. 'Wierd' Introverts may appear much more introverted than others because they have both their preference for solitude and their unpopular interests limiting their interactions with others. Likewise 'Wierd' Extraverts may appear more introverted than more 'Normal' people because they are unable to find a large group of people who share their interests and may not share the common knowlege that others enjoy when conversing with strangers. An Extavert may be more likely to develope a more popular range of interests because of spending time with others and seeking to identify with them, keeping his unusual tastes in the background untill he happens to come across someone who shares them.
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