Post by andyfisher on Dec 18, 2018 8:28:32 GMT -5
Social Anxiety is a common mental disorder which can lead to an individual becoming extremely self-conscious and fearful of social environments.
Everyone of us experience social anxiety to a degree but social anxiety disorder can really interfere with a person's everyday life and make daily chores seemingly impossible
Social anxiety can present itself in many different forms, for instance some people may develop a fear of eating in public or in front of others, some people may even develop intense feelings of fear when having to interact or socialize around other people.
So what causes social anxiety?
Although there is still no definitive answer as to the exact cause of social anxiety it has been linked to a persons genetic makeup with children being more likely to develop social anxiety should either of the parents have the disorder.
It has also been linked to a tiny part of the brain known as the "amygale". The amygale handles our sense of fear and a chemical imbalance here has been linked to social anxiety and anxieties in general.
Social conditioning is in my opinion the most significant factor in the development of social anxiety. By social conditioning I mean the environment a person is exposed to growing up as well as their current environment. If a person is subjected to perhaps being bullied regularly at school as a child or even just humiliated in a public place on a particular occasion such as the school prom then it can have a significant baring on that person developing social anxiety.
It is also know that people can behave based on what they observe others doing, this is commonly known as observational learning and another important link to the development of social anxiety. Other research suggests that a high sensitivity to disapproval (rejection) may also be a contributing factor in the development of social anxiety. Interestingly enough as well it is estimated that women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop social anxiety!
If I had to determine which was the biggest cause of social anxiety I would definitely go for social conditioning. The psychological impact our environment and past experiences has can have a profound effect on how we consciously perceive the world around us and ourselves.
The actual cause of social anxiety is more than likely a combination of social conditioning, genes and neurological factors. The best course of action for dealing with social anxiety disorder would depend on whether the cause is more psychological or biological.
Everyone of us experience social anxiety to a degree but social anxiety disorder can really interfere with a person's everyday life and make daily chores seemingly impossible
Social anxiety can present itself in many different forms, for instance some people may develop a fear of eating in public or in front of others, some people may even develop intense feelings of fear when having to interact or socialize around other people.
So what causes social anxiety?
Although there is still no definitive answer as to the exact cause of social anxiety it has been linked to a persons genetic makeup with children being more likely to develop social anxiety should either of the parents have the disorder.
It has also been linked to a tiny part of the brain known as the "amygale". The amygale handles our sense of fear and a chemical imbalance here has been linked to social anxiety and anxieties in general.
Social conditioning is in my opinion the most significant factor in the development of social anxiety. By social conditioning I mean the environment a person is exposed to growing up as well as their current environment. If a person is subjected to perhaps being bullied regularly at school as a child or even just humiliated in a public place on a particular occasion such as the school prom then it can have a significant baring on that person developing social anxiety.
It is also know that people can behave based on what they observe others doing, this is commonly known as observational learning and another important link to the development of social anxiety. Other research suggests that a high sensitivity to disapproval (rejection) may also be a contributing factor in the development of social anxiety. Interestingly enough as well it is estimated that women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop social anxiety!
If I had to determine which was the biggest cause of social anxiety I would definitely go for social conditioning. The psychological impact our environment and past experiences has can have a profound effect on how we consciously perceive the world around us and ourselves.
The actual cause of social anxiety is more than likely a combination of social conditioning, genes and neurological factors. The best course of action for dealing with social anxiety disorder would depend on whether the cause is more psychological or biological.