Defining Social Anxiety

Social anxiety is defined as the fear of social situations and the interaction with other people.

Social engagements and interactions with others bring on the feelings of self-consciousness, judgment, evaluation, and inferiority.

Social anxiety can also be viewed as the fear of being judged by others and by being evaluated negatively leading to feelings of inadequacy, humiliation and depression.

If a person feels anxious during social situations but feels completely fine when they are alone, then social anxiety could be a possible problem.

Social anxiety disorder was previously known as Social Phobia is a very common condition. Millions of people suffer from this disorder every day, whether from a specific social anxiety or from a generalized social anxiety.

Studies have shown that in the United States alone, anxiety disorder is the third largest psychological disorder, right after depression and alcoholism. An estimate of 7 to 8 percent of the entire American population suffers from some form of social anxiety at the present time.

Difference between Specific and Generalized Social Anxieties

A specific social anxiety would be a fear of a particular social activity or engagement, such as speaking in front of a group of people, getting to meet new people, and so on.

A generalized social anxiety on the other hand, as the name suggests, covers a broader scope of events – the person feels anxious, nervous and uncomfortable in almost all social situations.

A generalized social anxiety is more common than the specific social anxiety. If the anticipation for something makes one feel anxious, as well as worry, indecision, depression, embarrassment, feelings of inferiority and self-blamed in most of his or her life situations, it is very likely that a generalized form of social anxiety is behind it.

Social Anxiety Disorder Symptoms

People who are suffering from social anxiety disorder usually experience great emotional distress in the following circumstances:

• Being introduced to others
• Being criticized or teased
• Being the center of everybody’s attention
• Being watched, especially while doing something
• Meeting “important people”, or people in authority
• Having social encounters with strangers
• Going around to people, having to say something
• Having interpersonal relationships, both friendships and romantic

Physiological signs that usually come with social anxiety are intense fear, racing heart, extreme blushing, excessive sweating, dry throat or mouth, trembling, difficulty in swallowing, muscle twitches in the face and in the neck.

Although most people with social anxiety disorder are aware of their condition being irrational and making no logical sense at all, they are not able to control it.

After all, knowing something is totally different from believing and feeling something. But with consistent and proper therapy and lots of practice and patience, social anxiety can be helped.