Social Phobias

Social phobia (Social Anxiety Disorder) is a marked and persistent fear of social or
performance situations in which embarrassment or rejection may occur. Exposure
to the social or performance situations almost invariably provokes an immediate
anxiety response and thesesituations are avoided or endured with intense anxiety
or distress. This avoidance, anxious anticipation, or distress interferes significantly
with the person's normal routine, occupational (or academic) functioning, or
social activities or relationships, or there is marked distress about having the phobia.
Social Phobia is very common. More than one out of eight people will suffer from social
phobia at some point in their lives. Peoplewith social anxiety often have automatic
thoughts about what will happen in social situations. They typically predict performing
poorly in ways that would be embarrassing or lead to rejection. As a result of these
anticipated consequences and resulting anticipatory anxiety, social situations are
avoided.

The first thing to ask yourself is what are the advantages and disadvantages of
overcoming your fear-how will your life change? In order to overcome your fear,
your Cognitive Behavioral therapist will have you make a list of the situations that
you fear, how intense your fear is, and what your beliefs are about the feared
situation (for example, do you think that you will be rejected, embarrassed, shamed, or
that others will think you are strange?). In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, you will be
taught how to relax when you are feeling tense and to learn how to cope with facing
your greatest fears of being rejected, humiliated, embarrassed, etc.