The Continuum Hypothesis: Shyness, Social Anxiety and Avoidant Personality Disorder In today’s extroverted world, the shy temperament has become synonymous with insecurity, social anxiety, functional deficits, inhibited social skills, avoidant social behavior and impaired behavioral, somatic and cognitive symptoms in social settings. However, shyness has been suggested to lie on a spectrum ranging from normative shyness to a pathological state of extreme social phobia and avoidant personality disorder. The distinction among the varying levels of shyness on the continuum has been a topic of interest to current researchers, specifically qualifying normative shyness from highly shy, and highly shy individuals with and without social phobia. The difference between an individual with shyness and one with social phobia can be explained by comparing how the two approach social situations, and how they respond cognitively, behaviorally and physiologically. A shy person might go to a social event but feel uncomfortable and not enjoy themselves very much. However, an individual with social phobia may not even be able to make themselves go to the event at all. Differing levels on the shyness continuum differ markedly in measures of symptom intensity, daily functioning, quality of life, and anxiety and performance in social settings or conversation tasks (Chavira, Stein & Malcarne, 2002). Individuals with social phobia differ most significantly from those with high shyness and no social phobia in dimensions such as number of social fears, avoidance of social environments, negative thinking and physiological symptoms. Even people with shyness experience much higher quality of life and less functional impairment than those with soci... ... middle of paper ... ...hibiting than the generalized type. However, in the highly shy group, most diagnoses were for generalized social phobia, indicating that highly shy individuals experience more interactional fears than performance based fears, which are common of non generalized social phobia and a limited type of social fears (Chavira, Stein & Malcarne, 2002). The central finding of the study was that 49% of highly shy individuals and 18% of normative shyness were diagnosed with social phobia (Chavira, Stein & Malcarne, 2002). This distinction supports the assertion that shyness and social phobia are significantly related. Additionally, the results of the study support the continuum hypothesis which dictates that higher shyness levels towards the end of the spectrum create greater susceptibility to psychiatric diagnoses such as social phobia and avoidant personality disorder.
One of the most common anxiety disorder is social phobia, which can sometimes be interchangeable with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Marc de Rosnay, and others, states that Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by a clearly noticeable fear and avoidance of most social situations where the individual may be put under scrutiny by others, and by fear in such situations, the individual will behave in an embarrassing manner (de Rosnay). One of the most notable feature of social phobia is that it has an early onset, as early as 7-9 months in most cases. The characteristics of having social phobia, or social anxiety disorder, is that the individuals are shy when meeting new people, quiet in a large group, blush easily, and often avoids making eye contact. There are a lot of concerns/problems with having social anxiety disorder. As a group, individuals with anxiety disorders had the largest burden of role disability compared to other common mental health conditions, exceeding the burden for mood disorders and in some cases, substance abuse (Grigorenko).
In general, Social Anxiety Disorder, or Social Phobia, is defined as an anxiety disorder characterized by an overwhelming amount of anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations (“Social Phobia,” 2014). These individuals have trouble with basic communication and interaction, often to the point where they can physically feel the effects of their anxiety. Profuse sweating, stomach ache, and nausea are not uncommon occurrences when a person with Social Anxiety Disorder is placed in an uncomfortable situation. There are several hypothesized causes of Social Anxiety Disorder; however, one of the most
Social phobias easily lead individuals to shunning situations where they feel they might be the focus of other people in the society, as they often feel unaccomplished and therefore assume that they will be the subject of the said populations (American Psychiatric Association, 2015). The fear of negative judgment imposed by other people in the society points at a situation where one ensures that they stay devoid of situations that involve socializing with other people in the society. This makes it almost impossible for individuals with these phobias to take up roles that require public participation (Randi and Irena, 2015). It ascribes to what one can view as the phobia of other people 's reaction to an individual. Fear of rejection by others is a good example of a social phobia. Social phobias can take the form of gelotophobia, which is the fear of other people laughing at an individual, or even glossophobia, which is the fear public speaking. Social phobias can easily limit an individual y ensuring that one avoids all situations that can lead to scrutiny or contact with the public. This is debilitating and can easily lead to harmful consequences that include the inability of an individual to perform their roles in the society or even the inability to take up work for fear of judgment by others (Bourne,
This book studies closely all factors of social phobia in youth. One of the earliest point is that introverts are much more likely to have SAD than extraverts. Very interesting observation is that every patient has something called behavioral inhibition. It's used to describe fear, avoidance, timidity when in contact with new things or people and way of acting towards them. Most “prevalent social fears included: speaking before others or taking tests, speaking in public, conversing with others, eating or drinking in public” (Kearney, 24) More girls than boys confessed to having these sorts of fears.
Social phobia is “shyness taken to an extreme” (Myers 323). The origins of social phobia can be linked to “traumatic social experiences and social isolation” (Hudson118-120). A traumatic social experience can be “being laughed at or making a mistake in situations such as being called on to talk in class, being on a first date, speaking in public or being at a party”(Hudson 118). Social isolation includes “being teased, bullied, laughed at, rejected, neglected, or isolated from other children. Research from Allison G. Harvey shows that certain events around the time social fears being are when people are changing schools or work at 50.9%, not fitting in with or being ostracized by a p...
The term social anxiety is, by most, not associated with being a serious, mental sickness. The common person usually thinks someone with social anxiety is simply not a “people person” However, social anxiety has been defined as either a disorder or phobia. Social Anxiety Disorder is an actual, underdiagnosed psychiatric disorder which should be recognized not as mere shyness, but a psychological illness with symptoms and treatments. It is a disorder which is becoming more and more prevalent as time progresses. Due to the technological advances and appliances that exist in the modern age, there has been an overall change in the average amount of social interactions that the everyday person may have. This leads to an exceeding amount of people who get nervous, frightened even, of being in any type of social situation. Just about half of Americans labels themselves as shy; mostly everyone has had stage fright at some point in his/her life. For a shocking amount of people, that sort of situation is dreadful (“Beyond Shyness and Stage Fright” 1). The stage fright “becomes a disorder when the resulting symptoms make individuals miserable or seriously interfere with their work, friendships, and family life. This crippling dread of certain personal encounters and social situations is called social anxiety disorder or social phobia, and it is increasingly understood to be a treatable condition” (“Beyond Shyness and Stage Fright” 1).
Avoidant Personality Disorder (AVPD) can be defined simply as a disorder in which an individual purposefully withdraws and avoids social contact for fear of rejection (Alloy, Riskind, & Manos, 2004). The individual that exhibits this disorder has an extreme sensitivity to criticism and the idea that they may be rejected, humiliated, shamed, or disapproved by others (Alloy et al., 2004). Morrison (1995) states that the sensitivity to criticism and potential disapproval has an effect making individuals with AVPD more likely to demonstrate modesty and eagerness to please others, however, this sensitivity can also lead to social isolation. The individual with AVPD may have difficulty distinguishing otherwise more innocent comments and view them as being critical. This can also lead to avoiding certain social situations and even career choices that involve a high level of interpersonal demands.
Stein, M. B., & Stein, D. J. (2008). Social anxiety disorder. The Lancet, 371(9618), 1115-25.
Social anxiety is a mental illness marked by excessive fears of social interaction or situations, where an individual fears judgement or negative evaluation from other people around them resulting in embarrassment or humiliation. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), anxiety disorders are the most common disorders in the United States with 15 million Americans suffering from social anxiety disorder. Within the past ten years, there have been increased attention in anxiety disorders, the causes, and treating the illness. By understanding the causes of social anxiety disorder, and recognizing the events that trigger its symptoms, a sufferer can better manage while seeking treatment for their
Those who have social phobia have a strong fear of being embarrassed, or being judged by others. Most people that have social anxiety know that they shouldn’t be as afraid as they are but, they cannot control their fear. When they are in or around public they become very self-conscious, and tend to
All of us at one point in our life have had a fear of something, whether it’s public speaking, trying something new for the first time, or even presenting just like we're all going to be doing. I'm sure most of us will be nervous and we try our best to get rid of that feeling. Some people have Social anxiety which is known as social phobia. It is the fear of social interaction with other people and of being judged and looked down upon. It can also be a fear of embarrassment. This leads to feelings of inadequacy, self-consciousness, and depression. Social anxiety is an issue that affects many individuals as it should be taken more seriously and should not be considered as a weakness. Moreover, individuals with social anxiety should not be judged
Wittchen, H. U., Stein, M. B., & Kessler, R. C. (1999). Social fears and social phobia in a
Social anxiety is a common personality disorder, it is caused by excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. This type of anxiety is triggered by the fear of being judged by others, based off of who they are or how they behave. People who suffer from social anxiety tend to experience distorted thinking, leading to fake accusations about the outcome
Main Point 1: There are three main categories of phobias. The first category is Specific Phobias which are known as simple phobias. Specific phobias or simple phobias are usually fears about specific situations, living creatures, places, activities, or things. Examples of simple phobias is dentophobia (dentists), aerophobia (flying), claustrophobia (small spaces), and acrophobia (heights). The other two categories are Social Phobia and Agoraphobia. These two are known as complex phobias. The article “What is a Phobia?”, describes them as complex phobias because “they are linked to deep-rooted fear or anxiety about certain situations, incidents or circumstances, which make them more disabling than simple phobias.” Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. Social phobia may be defined in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. (Webmd.com) A person with social phobia finds being in social situations very difficult to handle with because of the lack of social skills or experiences that person may have. Going out to social events such as parties or functions may cause anxiety to a person with social phobia. There is that fear a person has of being embarrassed in public. People with this phobia may be afraid of a specific situation such as public speaking. Medicinenet.com defines “agoraphobia” as “a fear of being outside or otherwise being in a situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or humiliating.” The results of agoraphobia are anxiety and panic attacks. People with agoraphobia sometimes confine themselves inside their own home when symptoms are
3. The first key point is what people with Social anxiety behaviors are like. Social anxiety Disorder (also known as social phobia) is a mental health disorder characterized by feelings of worry, anxiety, or fears that are strong enough to interfere with one’s daily activities of life. Some Individuals with this disorder are so fearful of being judged or embarrassed in front of others; they are unable to live a healthy social life. In extreme cases, some individuals can’t keep a job, maintain friendships, use public restrooms, walk down supermarket aisles or leave their house. In less extreme cases, many individuals seem to function normally as any other person. For example, they will attend social gatherings, complete school and progress into a very successful career. Nevertheless, their social anxiety disorder still impacts them, for example, they may not be able to speak or raise their hand during a lecture or in a work meeting