A truly happy person can be considered someone who has no desire to prove something to others. Such a phenomenon as social phobia forces a person to refine himself in search of justifications for his behavior, constantly doubting himself, analyzing and evaluating. This is one of the serious obstacles on the way to happiness and harmony with oneself and the world.
What is social phobia?
As noted by scientists investigating the problem, social phobia is the most common psychological disorder that occurs in humans. Anxiety against the background of social actions is most observed among residents of developed countries in Europe and the United States.
Social phobia is a condition characterized by the following symptoms:
- physical;
- emotional;
- behavioral;
- cognitive.
Symptoms of social phobia
Physical symptoms include rapid heartbeat, nausea, fatigue, severe pain in the head or abdomen, tension, increased sweating. The person becomes pale, pupils dilate, trembling appears.
Emotional symptomsare internally expressed by the feeling that something bad is bound to happen. The person is constantly tense, almost unable to concentrate. He has anxiety, irritability. The social phobe sees bad dreams and often experiences a sense of déjà vu.
Behavioral symptoms are based on experience in a situation that previously triggered anxiety. They manifest as increased fatigue, strong resentment and the need to visit the toilet frequently.
A cognitive symptom is a feeling of such danger that it can lead to death. A doctor's consultation in the presence of these fears is required.
How do I differentiate between social phobia and normal anxiety?
It should be noted that anxiety, which occurs only periodically, is a normal human reaction to stress and helps to overcome them. With social phobia, anxiety arises not in its usual sense. A person feels such experiences as if he was in an inevitable, uncontrollable situation.
Thus, sociophobes are people who feel fear, which intensifies and periodically repeats before situations of social significance. This mental disorder is accompanied by hostility, hidden hatred for situations that require him to appear and communicate in society. This state cannot be explained logically, and often it is not understood by the person himself.
People suffering from social phobia are afraid of all kinds of activities that are associated with the appearance in society, and try their best to avoid them. Anxiety in theseof individuals is directed to the future and when a possible threat approaches, it is expressed in the form of increased caution.
These individuals find it taboo to do things that they think will make them feel anxious or embarrassed in public. Scientists note that social phobia is not only the fear of being in society, but also the fear of actions that can be assessed from the outside. How do sociophobes see being among people? This is a common occurrence they associate with constant judgment, criticism, observation and evaluation.
Objects of fear of sociophobes
Psychologists identify the following main objects of fear in people suffering from social phobia:
- public speaking;
- job interviews;
- answers at a school lesson or in front of an audience at a university;
- negotiations with new business partners;
- conversations with people in authority;
- talking with strangers and dating strangers;
- any activity in public places;
- shopping in large supermarkets;
- a situation in which everyone's attention will be directed to a person.
When is a mental he alth test needed?
People who have a normal psychological state are generally in a good mood and look positively at the world around them. They never sit in one place, and even more so do not worry about their possible failures. Such individuals are active in all spheres of life. However, sometimes difficult situations ariseforce them to engage in activities that are unaccustomed to them. It is noteworthy that negativism can be caused not only by negative factors, but also by positive ones.
Problems with the psychological state often cause a variety of disorders, including low self-esteem and phobias that result in neurosis and psychosis. A mental state test should be done for those who observe increased irritability in themselves or periodically fall into depression. Tests for verification are developed by specialists. They consist of questions, the answers to which allow a preliminary assessment of a person's he alth.
Types of phobias
Phobia is a strong obsessive fear of something. Objects of increased fear can be a variety of objects, actions and situations. This condition brings discomfort to the life of the individual and greatly complicates it. At the same time, a person knows that there is no need to be afraid, but nothing can be done about his phobia.
In most cases, emotional people suffer from fears. They experience imaginary situations as if they were happening in real life. The sociophobes themselves do not deny this. Experts classify all such fears as follows:
- social phobia;
- agoraphobia;
- isolated phobia.
Social phobia has nothing to do with shyness, as it might seem at first glance. Such fear is directed to actions in a public place. Agoraphobia isfear of large crowds of people and open space. The object of isolated fear is a specific object or phenomenon. We have listed the main types of phobias, one way or another associated with being in society. Next, let's talk about how to deal with such a pathology.
Social phobia test
Today, on the relevant thematic information resources, you can find many tests to determine unfounded fears. So, the test of how sociophobic you are is offered by researcher Michael Leibovitz. A small survey allows you to identify the degree of manifestation of fears in a person's life.
The author of the test offers to answer questions that determine the presence of anxiety in a particular situation and the desire of the individual to avoid it. By counting the points scored, each person will be able to find out their result.
Who are sociopaths?
Some people think that sociopath and sociophobe are opposite terms, but this is not entirely true. A sociopath is a person who suffers from a behavioral disorder, which is expressed in ignoring the rights of others and in refusing to behave within the norms accepted in society.
Such individuals are recognized by the following qualities:
- lack of conscience, sympathy;
- unwillingness and inability to control their emotions;
- cruelty;
- violence;
- not admitting guilt.
Sociopaths at work and in school are fairly easy to spot. They are very irresponsible towards other people. Their character is dominatedimpulsiveness and recklessness. It is almost impossible to negotiate with such individuals, and even more so, one should not expect a responsible attitude to any business from them.
At the same time, sociopaths are highly intelligent. However, over the years, they use the accumulated knowledge and experience in order to use other people for their own purposes. They are cunning and prudent. Also, these people love themselves very much. They never miss an opportunity to ask for praise and do not tolerate criticism at all. A sociopath's need for thrill comes from dangerous situations. Thanks to them, he satisfies his irrepressible desire to rule.
Causes and signs of social phobia
To learn how to get rid of social anxiety, you need to understand the root of the problem. You may have noticed that already in childhood, children are very different from each other. So, some - adapt to almost any conditions. They are open and get in touch with everyone. While others feel insecure in any new environment. They cling to their parents and react negatively if adults try to talk to them.
- In some cases, the cause of social phobia is the shyness that a person is endowed with by nature. The disorder occurs during a difficult period of a person's life - during puberty.
- The development of a mental disorder can be facilitated by a specific one-time situation that caused a person severe stress: a car accident, a terrorist attack, natural disasters.
- AlsoOften the cause of social phobia is the wrong attitude towards the children of parents. Adults, without thinking about the consequences, compare the child in a negative manner, which leads to low self-esteem in the future.
- Fear of society can also be caused by prolonged stress. As a rule, emotional stress in adults is associated with problems in the family or with work.
Why and how should social phobia be treated?
Despite such a disappointing assessment of a mental disorder, scientists have come to the conclusion that it is still possible to get rid of this phobia. Let's figure out how to stop being a social phobe? And we will start with the root causes, we will trace the path of development of this violation. So…
Sociophobes are children who do not find support from their parents. They are afraid to attend classes and answer to classmates. Further, such a person cannot speak at seminars, and attending exams turns into real torture for him. The situation gets worse at work. The sociophobe experiences particular difficulties at meetings and during communication with management. A person does not participate in public life at all. Over time, the nervous system is depleted, which leads to a wide variety of diseases. This condition makes a person's life impossible, so it is necessary to get rid of it. How?
Treatment methods
At the first symptoms of the disease, you need to consult a doctor. In some cases, treatment may take a long time. There are several treatments available:
- cognitive-behavioralpsychotherapy;
- trainings;
- hypnosis;
- drugs.
The most popular way is therapy. It allows the individual to recognize the thoughts that cause anxiety, and also teaches how to deal with them. The number of classes is determined by the degree of phobia. Usually their number ranges from eight to sixteen. At the final stage, group therapy is carried out.
Specialists are convinced that people with minor fears of sociophobia can cope on their own, for example, by attending trainings. Thematic lectures, books and videos can also help with this. Working on oneself will give a person the opportunity to restore faith in himself without the intervention of psychologists.
During hypnosis, a purposeful effect on the human psyche occurs. It is done verbally. At the subconscious level, the individual is instilled with new beliefs that relieve her of discomfort during social situations.
Medicine treatment involves the use of the following drugs as prescribed by a doctor: antidepressants, partial agonists of the receptors, benzodiazepines.
The effectiveness of treatment for social phobia depends on the characteristics of the individual and the correctness of the chosen method of treatment. Having got rid of the disease, a person can become a full-fledged personality and increase his self-esteem. Social phobia is not a hopeless diagnosis. Everyone can get rid of fears and make their life happier.
