Impacts of Social Anxiety Disorder on Social Psychology - Essay Example

Impacts of Social Anxiety Disorder on Social Psychology Social anxiety also described as social phobia is an anxiety disorder characterized by devastating anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in social situations. Virtually, people with social anxiety have relentless, extreme, and chronic fear of being watched and criticized by others. In addition, people of this group possess fear of being humiliated or harassed by their actions. Their fear may be so rigorous that it hampers with school, work, or other day-to-day activities. Whereas many people with social anxiety realize that their fear of being with people may be unreasonable or excessive, it is relatively hard for them to control. As a matter of fact, such people worry about weeks or days in advance of a dreaded condition. Furthermore, they experience depression and low self-esteem. This psychological syndrome is often limited to one type of situation such as drinking or eating in the presence of other people, fear of speaking in formal or informal environments. In most extreme form, an individual with social phobia experiences signs when they are in the midst of people. If left untreated, social anxiety has hazardous consequences (Antony, Martin & Rowa 24). For instance, it may prevent people from going to work or school on some days. In most cases, many people suffering from this disorder are afraid of being with people other than their family members. As a result, they might have a hard time keeping or making new friends. Social anxiety disorder arises from a complex interaction of genes and the environment. It is also hereditary, which means it is genetic. Similarly, natural chemicals in the body can stimulate social anxiety disorder. For example, an imbalance in the chemical serotonin found in the brain could be one of the factors. This chemical is a neurotransmitter that boosts to control emotions and mood. An individual with this disorder may be extra-sensitive to the impacts of serotonin. The physical signs associated with social anxiety include; profuse sweating, blushing and trembling. Other symptoms include; nausea or stomach disorders and difficulty in talking. Practically, these visible symptoms create sadistic cycle; since people with social phobia worry about experiencing those signs (Bandelow, Borwin & Stein 26). Therefore, it is an impairing that has profound effects on the quality of life and adaptive functioning of the affected individual. Similarly, the syndrome is sturdily linked to and tends to act as a vulnerability factor for other debilitating psychiatric situations. If unchecked social anxiety results to other psychological problems that severely hampers the psychological condition of the afflicted individual. Marks and Gelder (2004) reported that in a group of phobic adults, social anxiety is manifested unpredictably as eating meals in restaurants, fears of blushing in public and shyness. Others include; going to dances or parties, and meeting men or women. Researches indicate that the validity of the difference of people with social phobia could be empirically distinct from other social anxiety disorders basing on several psychological, socio-demographic and clinical correlates. In spite of these advances, some researchers argued that social anxiety disorder remain understudied and under-recognized as compared to other anxiety disorders. Social anxiety is associated with other psychological issues that hamper mental stability of an individual. More precisely, social phobia results to social psychology. Social psychology is the scientific study concept which illustrates how people's actions, thoughts and feelings are affected by the imagined, actual, or implied by others. Here scientific study refers to the pragmatic method of investigation. In essence, the terms; actions, feelings and thoughts comprise of all variables that are measurable in a rational human being (Cervone, Daniel and Lawrence & Pervin 31). The statement that the presence of others may be implied or imagined depicts that people are prone to social manipulation even in the situation where no other person is present. According to social psychologists, human behavior is a result of the interaction of immediate social situations and mental states. Thus, social psychologists deal with the elements that make people behave in a particular manner in the presence of others. On the other hand, they look at the conditions under which some actions or behaviors, as well as feelings, occur. In this regard, social psychology is concerned with how thoughts, beliefs, feelings, intentions and goals are built and how psychological aspects, in turn; affect one's interactions with others. Therefore, social anxiety disorders manipulate the behaviors, feelings and thoughts of a person in the midst of others. Since social psychology is concerned with understanding the behavior of an individual in a social context, social anxiety disorder is the primary factor that controls those behaviors. According to Aristotle, humans are naturally sociable; a necessity that allows human beings to live together. Contrarily, Plato believed that the state guided the people and encouraged social responsibility through social context. For this reason, failure to effectively interact and socialize with others causes low self-esteem that eventually leads to social anxiety disorder. Fear is identified to be one of the key factors inhibiting social psychology. It is important to note that the way a person perceives himself or herself in comparison with the rest of the world plays a crucial role in the beliefs, choices and behaviors of the person. Conversely, the judgments of other people also influence individual's behavior and how they view themselves. Moreover, social psychology is closely linked to the aspect of personality. Personality can be described as the pattern of thoughts, social adjustments, behaviors and feelings consistently demonstrated over time that affects one's self-perceptions, attitudes, values and expectations (Hogg, Michael & Joel Cooper 18). In other words, it is an organized and dynamic set of features of a person and uniquely influences their emotions, environments and cognitions in different situations. Essentially, an individual's personality is largely dependent on social psychology, as the outcome of developed behavior is a personality. Indeed, it is evident that social anxiety disorders have a robust impact on both social psychology and personality. Feist and Feist (2009) highlights some of the characteristics of personality. These features include; consistency; this implies that regularity and recognizable order of behaviors. Fundamentally, people act in similar ways in a variety of situations. Personality is psychological and physiological; it is a psychological construct, and it is dependent on emotions, beliefs, thoughts and feelings. Nevertheless, research argues that it is affected by physical factors such as exposure to the environment with many people. Another characteristic of personality in relation to social psychology is multiple expressions. Personality is depicted in more than one behavior. In this sense, it can be viewed in feelings, relationships and other social interactions. In this regard, social anxiety disorders are displayed when an afflicted individual suffers from fear or anxiety and fails to interact freely with others (Hogg, Michael & Joel Cooper 27). In addition, personality impacts both actions and behaviors. It not only affects how people move and respond to the environment, but it also causes them act in certain ways. For example, a person with social phobia to eating or drinking in restaurants will avoid such places. More often people who suffer from social anxiety disorders experience extreme anxiety, a sense of panic in many social situations. They might assume or fear that people are thinking negatively about them, humiliated, fear being embarrassed, judged or criticized. Eventually, there social psychology and personality are greatly affected. Social phobia people have some awareness of their difficulty that may lead to co-existing depression or dysphoria. The best way to manage and treat social anxiety disorders is through specific types of psychotherapy. Psychotherapy entails talking to a trained mental health professional, such as psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor or social worker to find out the cause of the disorder. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a vital approach in treating anxiety disorders. This technique helps people to shift away from their thinking patterns that initiates fears, and the way they react to anxiety-irritating conditions. Moreover, CBT helps those with panic disorders to realize that these situations are not heart attacks and help people with social phobia to understand how to conquer the belief that other people are normally judging and watching them. Works Cited Always Embarrassed: Social Phobia (social Anxiety Disorder). Bethesda: National Institute of Mental Health, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, 2007. Print. Antony, Martin M, and Karen Rowa. Social Anxiety Disorder. Cambridge: Hogrefe & Huber, 2008. Print. Bandelow, Borwin, and Dan J. Stein. Social Anxiety Disorder. New York: Marcel Dekker, 2004. Print. Cervone, Daniel, and Lawrence A. Pervin. Personality Psychology. Singapore: Wiley, 2014. Print. Hogg, Michael A, and Joel Cooper. The Sage Handbook of Social Psychology. London: Sage, 2003. Print. Read More