Social anxiety
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
 |
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Medicine or the Medicine Portal may be able to help recruit one. |
|
|
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Psychology or the Psychology Portal may be able to help recruit one. |
|
|
This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. WikiProject Sociology or the Sociology Portal may be able to help recruit one. |
|
|
The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page. (April 2008) |
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2008) |
Social anxiety is an experience of various type of emotional discomfort: fear, apprehension, or worry — regarding social situations and being evaluated by others. Its essence is an expectation of negative evaluation by others.[1] Some people with social anxiety are quoted as saying they get "scared enough to puke." They feel a desperate need to leave a situation I.E. huge gathering of people at a party, or even a classroom setting.
A psychopathological form of social anxiety is called "social anxiety disorder" or social phobia. Other forms of social anxiety include shyness, performance anxiety, public speaking anxiety, stage fright, timidness, etc., — all of them may assume clinical forms, i.e., become anxiety disorders. [1]
The term is also commonly used in reference to experiences such as embarrassment and shame. However some psychologists draw a line among various types of social discomfort, with the criterion for anxiety being an anticipation. For example, the anticipation of an embarrassment is a form of social anxiety, while embarrassment itself is not.[2]
Criteria that distinguish clinical versus nonclinical forms of social anxiety include intensity and levels of behavioral and psychosomatic disruption. [1]
Social anxieties may also be classified according to the broadness of triggering social situations. For example, fear of eating in public has a very narrow situational scope (eating in public), while shyness may have a wide scope (a person may be shy of doing many things in various circumstances).[1] Accordingly, the clinical forms may be distinguished into the general social phobia and specific social phobias.
People vary in how often they experience anxiety in this way or in which kinds of situations. Anxiety about public speaking, performance, or interviews is common. The experience is commonly described as having physiological components (e.g., sweating, blushing), cognitive/perceptual components (e.g. belief that one may be judged negatively; looking for signs of disapproval) and behavioral components (e.g. avoiding a situation).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Harold Leitenberg (1990) "Handbook of Social and Evaluation Anxiety", ISBN 0306434385
- ^ W. Ray Crozier (1990) "Shyness and Embarrassment: Perspectives from Social Psychology", ISBN 052135529X, p. 62
