Example Of Research Paper On Social Anxiety Disorder

Social anxiety disorder is also known as social phobia. This state of an individual is an extreme case of the individual feeling pressure and being fearful of certain social situations. Some individuals are not confident in group settings, and constantly fear of being evaluated. Mostly this state occurs when the individual is faced with a new or novel situation. It is not uncommon to feel anxious about a new situation but some people fear it to a very large degree; hence, being a victim of the social anxiety disorder. Individuals may be so frightened of facing these new situations that they may do anything possible in their control to avoid these situations and be able to escape it. This disorder occurs because people do not want to be judged, scrutinized, or embarrassed in front of a social setting. People who are afraid of the aforementioned factors may be suffering from social anxiety disorder. Most people are able to recognize that their fears may be over rated and that in reality the situation may not be as intense as they imagine it to be; however, they are still unable to control their feelings of anxiousness. People who suffer from social anxiety disorder should not feel helpless as there are solutions to this problem and begins with the individual recognizing his/her problem.
Social anxiety disorder is a very common psychological problem and many individuals suffer from this phobia. If corrective steps are taken and the phobia is treated as an illness this can be cured. However, every individual needs to be treated differently because the triggers for every person would vary. A condition known as generalized social anxiety disorder refers to a situation when people fear anxiety while going to public places such as; parties, restaurants, or parties to name a few. The most common of the triggers is public speaking. Some other triggers of social phobia include; meeting new people, taking exams, making phone calls, performing on stage, being called on in class, and being the center of attention to name a few.
Sometimes people are unable to identify whether they suffer from social phobia or not. As mentioned earlier, it is possible to feel anxious in certain situations but it does not necessarily mean the person suffers from social anxiety disorder. Some people are shy and introverted as part of their personality, but this shyness does not interfere with their everyday routines. In order to identify whether a person has social phobia he/she may see whether their shyness is causing problems in their daily routines. For instance; it may be normal to feel nervous before giving a presentation, but a person who has social phobia may worry about this presentation weeks before the actual day, and may even look for excuses to avoid giving the presentation. The symptoms may be classified into three categories; emotional, physical, and behavioral. Some of the emotional symptoms include; a person being excessively self-conscious even in everyday routine, worrying about some situations beforehand may be examples. The physical symptoms may include; shortness of breath, blushing, or sweating amongst the other examples. Drinking before facing a public or social setting or limiting one’s activities to avoid a situation may be examples of behavioral symptoms of social phobia.
Social psychology studies human interactions and the impact these interactions have on individuals. This area of psychology is closely related towards understanding social anxiety disorder because it understands human behavior in a social setting. As social anxiety disorder impairs the individual’s ability to communicate effectively with a group of people, the branch of social psychology aims towards studying the origin of this phobia. Moreover, people who may want to get their disorder treated may go to social psychologists as they would understand their situation and be able to provide solutions to overcome this phobia. Social phobia may be limited to any single fear a person has or a number of situations that cause a person to be fearful of speaking up or being a part of the specific group. People analyze social situations and respond to them accordingly. Individuals who suffer from social anxiety disorder may react negatively by trying to avoid social situations. Studying social psychology may even be a way for an individual to identify if they suffer from social phobia. Even though, there are other ways of identifying if one is suffering from social anxiety disorder but social psychology may provide the first step towards understanding this disorder.
Personality psychologists study people and why they are, the way that they are. We constantly judge and analyze people around us personality psychologists do the same thing in a professional context. Therefore, they may have suggestions as to why some people may have greater chances of experiencing social phobia. Certain personality types are introverted and these individuals do not like to speak in public settings. Thus, personality psychologists may be able to provide reasons as to why some individuals suffer from social phobia. Furthermore, social phobia may also result from the way people have been socialized; thus, molding them into a specific personality type. Some characteristics of an individual’s personality may be more consistent than others. If a person is anxious and nervous about speaking in public or fears being assessed by others they may be suffering from social phobia. However, if these feelings of anxiousness are not regular and may vary from time to time then this should be considered as normal behavior and nothing to be concerned about.
Social anxiety disorder may best be understood in relation to social psychology and personality. These two areas may help identify social phobia along with suggesting solutions to overcome this phobia. Similar to any other social phobia, social anxiety disorder is also curable and treatable if it is identified at the correct time and corrective measures are taken immediately. If people ignore this disorder it may become a permanent problem and may interfere majorly in the everyday lives of people; thus, affecting their lifestyle. Social anxiety disorder may affect the personal as well as professional lives of individuals. In the professional arena it may limit the individual’s chances of going higher in the career ladder. In today’s business world, competition has forced people to cover their weaknesses or others will over rule them. Furthermore, social phobia may also lead to stress and other problems which may eventually affect the individual’s health negatively. Thus, in order to avoid health issues people need to identify their weak points and seek out professional help so that they are able to overcome their weaknesses and disabilities. If people overcome their disorders they may be able to prosper in personal as well as professional lives.