Social Anxiety

by Mark R. Leary, Robin M. Kowalski

Social anxiety is a pervasive part of everyday life. Whether experienced during public speaking, in casual conversation, or in interactions with a boss, a potential romantic partner,or a complete stranger, feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, and awkwardness are often the consequence of quite ordinary encounters. Why does social anxiety occur? Why are some people more prone to it than others? A complete and authoritative review of the latest theory
and research, this book examines the situational, dispositional, and evolutionary causes of social anxiety, its physiological, cognitive, and emotional aspects, and strategies for prevention and treatment. Special features include scales for measuring different manifestations of social anxiety as well as concise boxed segments highlighting topics of particular interest.

Genres: Psychology

244 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Jackson Childs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Published in 1995, this is a comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of social anxiety. While the authors appear to draw upon an encyclopedic knowledge of (at the time) current research in social anxiety, as well as being leading researchers themselves, they have produced an extremely accessible and easy to read guide which will be very enlightening to any interested reader. The focus is on defining and explaining social anxiety. The authors outline a "self-presentational" theory of social anxiety wherein social anxiety is determined by degree of one's motivation to make a positive impression as well as the confidence that one has in being able to successfully make that impression. The authors explore the antecedents of this anxiety in physiological disposition and intrinsic motivation to produce positive outcomes, as well as the fear of making bad impressions. They describe in detail the physical, emotional, and cognitive experience of social anxiety and discuss extreme social anxiety or social phobia. They look at the behavioral consequences of extreme social anxiety, which includes disaffiliation or avoidant behavior, alcoholism, as well as various "protective" strategies that people afflicted with social anxiety engage in. The book concludes with a brief but very well organized look at the variety of treatment options for social anxiety, including cognitive therapy to address irrational or negative beliefs and thoughts, behavioral therapy to improve social skills, physiological therapy to improve relaxation techniques, and pharmaceutical therapies. The authors make a strong case that the combination of multiple therapies is most successful, particularly when those therapies are tailored to the particular manifestation of social anxiety the client is suffering from.