DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES OF OUR PSYCHOLOGICAL PATHOLOGIES CAN BE DIFFICULT. We should be aware that people often mistakenly use genetic or hereditary terms without realizing that these more often than not are about our environment i.e. our parenting, school environment, social environment. For example, you frequently hear
social anxiety can have some genetic factors
Psychologists have categorised social fear as an abnormal personality trait, an avoidant personality disorder or a phobia. Psychological distinctions are not crucial to this book, but we need to know why so many people harbour this particular fear. It is strange that researchers still argue about the origins of social
We are social beings and social fear damages this evolutionary tendency Social fear is essentially detrimental because the human has evolved as a social creature. Some early civilizations were organized on a tribal basis, designed for survival. Social fear, therefore, can be seen as an evolutionary reaction in the face
Posted in social fear
Beauty magazines can increase our body image problems
The body image dimension of social fear is strongly affected by culture. Because of the fear, you are vulnerable to how some modern magazines portray the ideal in terms of physical beauty. Such magazines are a powerful trigger to make you conscious of physical defects. The so-called beauty industry is
The psychological feeling of defectiveness can translate into body image problems
In the previous blog I mentioned body image problems. Randy and Lori Sansone in their article, Body Image, have come up with an enlightened explanation of body image issues. They suspect that negativity tends to be concretized on a body level in shamed children. In other words psychological negativity is
Social fear is a constant destructive presence
Essentially, therefore, social fear is about oversensitivity of being judged, criticized or rejected by others; being acutely self-conscious and feeling embarrassed or humiliated. Barbara Markway, a psychologist in Jefferson City and an expert on social fear, makes the interesting point that people with social fear not only dread disapproval, but
Social anxiety destroys your life
Jason was mistaken if he thought that his fear would depart when he began working. It intensified and destroyed any attempt at happiness. “I would do my work to a high standard but I would lunch by myself, in a place away from work where my colleagues wouldn’t see me.
Social anxiety is crippling.
In my case study, Jason’s main issue was social fear coming from fear of abandonment and an insecure attachment to his father. It was his main presenting issue. His narrative shows how utterly disabling it can be, how it encourages avoidance, interferes with normal functioning and interferes with self-care. “By
Generalised and specific social anxiety
John R. Marshall, Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at UCLA School of Medicine, is one of the pioneers in using medication to deal with social fear. In his book, Social Phobia. From Shyness to Stage Fright, he divides it into two categories, specific and generalised. Some people fear situations