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.