SOCIAL ANXIETY

Social Anxiety

Abstract

In this study we try to explore the concept of social anxiety in a holistic context. The main focus of the research is on “affects of social anxiety and its relation with environment. The research also analyzes many aspects of behavior that shape due to various reasons such as economic conditions and tries to gauge its effect on social factors. Finally the research describes various factors which are responsible for creating social anxiety and tries to describe the overall effect of social anxiety on an individual.

How does social anxiety affect one's cognitive functioning and their ability to function adequately within their environment?

Introduction

Social interaction is a fundamental aspect of human nature. Disturbances in social interaction are often devastating and frequently result in estrangement from society and poor quality of life (Heinssen & Glass, 1990; Wittchen, Fuetsch, Sonntag, Muller, & Liebowitz, 2000). It is well established that individuals who experience social phobia have impaired social functioning and withdraw from human relationships (Ballenger et al., 1998). Similarly, those with schizophrenia also experience impairments in social functioning and withdraw from social relationships (Dickerson, Boronow, Ringel, & Parente, 1999; Harding & Keller, 1998; Mueser & Bellack, 1998). An understanding of the social impairments observed in those with psychosis is complex and it has been suggested that the social dysfunction observed in schizophrenia is likely heterogeneous in nature (Liberman et al., 1992; Heinssen & Glass, 1990). That is, there may be multiple pathways leading to the poor social functioning observed in this population.

Cognitive functioning and social anxiety (SAD) background

Social anxiety refers to feelings of self-consciousness, apprehension, and fear in response to actual or anticipated social evaluative situations where scrutiny or negative evaluation by others is anticipated to occur (Ballenger et al., 1998; Neal & Edelmann, 2003). An individual with social anxiety fears that he or she will act in a way that will be embarrassing or that others will view them as inadequate. Thus, those with social anxiety often avoid social situations where negative evaluation is possible (Ballenger et al., 1998). A diagnosis of social phobia (social anxiety disorder) is warranted when a person experiences extreme fear and/or avoidance of socially evaluative situations, recognizes that the fear is excessive and experiences impairment in normal daily functioning (American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, DSM-IV, 1994).

Depending on the severity of social anxiety, moderate to severe functional impairment in the areas of education, employment, family relations, romantic relationships, and friendships can significantly impact an individual's life (Ballenger et al., 1998; Bech & Angst, 1996; Weiller, Bisserbe, Boyer, Lepine, & Lecrubier, 1996). That is, the more social anxiety one experiences, the greater the functional impairment in social and occupational functioning.

Stein, Laine, Torgrud, and Walker (2000), examined functional impairment in a survey of750 and 1206 respondents from Manitoba and Alberta respectively. The results of the study indicated that the 12-month prevalence of social phobia in the community sample was 7.2%. A significant proportion of those with social phobia reported that their anxiety in social situations interfered "a ...