Self promotion comes naturally to some individuals who find it easy to initiate contact with others for the purpose of increasing their visibility, advancing their careers and seeking recognition for their abilities and accomplishments. However, many,if not the majority of people, experience an emotional conflict between the desire to push oneself forward and the fear of appearing too immodest or forward. Research shows this to be a cross cultural phenomenom.

Emotional conflict is experienced each time individuals try to let others know who they are and what they do well. These fears, conflicts, hestations and resultant methods of coping are all grouped into a common cluster, which is technically called Inhibited Social Contact Initiation Sydrome (ISCIS). In popular terminology, this construct is more commonly referred to as the fear of self-promotion, a fear that has been learnt and reinforced . However being a behavior, once successfully diagnosed ISCIS related behaviors can be resolved.