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SOCIAL ANXIETY BREEDS BULLIES AND LONERS ALIKE
Parents and teachers might misinterpret bullying behavior, which is actually rooted in social phobia.
By Cristen Conger
Tue Mar 30, 2010 07:00 AM ET
Correctly addressing aggressive behavior that's tied to SAD can be problematic.
iStockPhoto/Thinkstock
THE GIST:
Up to one in five people with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) exhibits aggressive behaviors.
Though they're more outgoing, the people in this SAD subset have a lower quality of life.
Bullies -- both online and off -- may actually be coping with SAD.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) can manifest not only in stereotypical wallflowers, but also among confrontational bullies and promiscuous party animals, according to a new study from George Mason University.
Although SAD is clinically characterized by extreme shyness and situational avoidance, some patients engage in paradoxically aggressive, impulsive actions meant to pre-empt potential rejection.
"We aren't suggesting a different condition; we're opening up people's eyes to behaviors that look like another disorder but are, in fact, at the core... of social anxiety," said Todd Kashdan, a study author and associate professor of psychology.
Among more than 1,800 study participants with either current or lifetime SAD diagnoses, 21 percent reported aggression, unsafe sexual encounters and substance abuse problems not typically associated with the disorder.
WATCH VIDEO: It's important for teens to fit in with their peers. Being excluded can lead to depression, anxiety and stress.
Related Links:
Dominant Female Mongooses Bully to the Max
Bullies Are Evicting Smaller Fish
HowStuffWorks: Is cyberbullying getting out of control?
HowStuffWorks: 7 Health Problems for the Modern Age
These people intentionally take risks, such as picking fights or using drugs, to elevate their social status or alleviate anxiety, though they generally end up unhappier, unhealthier and more isolated than their shier SAD counterparts.
"The research is very clear that when it comes to benefiting from socializing, quality is vastly more important than quantity," Kashdan explained. "This disinhibited group might interact with more people but that doesn't translate into better social support or a feeling of support, value and inclusion by other people."
Cyberbullies, for instance, gain a brief sense of peer control and status that usually gives way to anxiety and depression, says Clemson University psychologist and cyberbullying expert Robin Kowalski.
Although empirical evidence hasn't definitively linked cyberbullying and SAD, Kowalski suspects a possible relationship between the two.
"Social anxiety in particular is closely related to victimization, and at least some victims of cyberbullying subsequently perpetrate cyberbullying as a means of retaliation," Kowalski said.
Kashdan also suspects that while people with SAD are more likely to be on the receiving end of cyberbullying, online anonymity may also encourage them to bully back.
"There's a more even playing field online where people with SAD can lash out without the immediate retaliation they fear in the real world," Kashdan said.
Correctly addressing aggressive behavior that's tied to SAD can be problematic, however, since clinicians might not recognize the hostile habits as symptoms of social anxiety.
"This is the problem with psychology and psychiatry: Different disorders are designated when in fact, they're really different manifestations of the same underlying problem," Todd Kashdan told Discovery News.
Even when it's properly diagnosed, cognitive-behavioral therapy to treat SAD often doesn't address the specific needs of the risk-prone, aggressive subset.
"If this research is shared, we can hope that misdiagnoses are reduced and proper treatment is given to the primary problems that people are facing," Kashdan said.
Cristen Conger is a writer for HowStuffWorks.com.
Parents and teachers might misinterpret bullying behavior, which is actually rooted in social phobia.
By Cristen Conger
Tue Mar 30, 2010 07:00 AM ET
Correctly addressing aggressive behavior that's tied to SAD can be problematic.
iStockPhoto/Thinkstock
THE GIST:
Up to one in five people with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) exhibits aggressive behaviors.
Though they're more outgoing, the people in this SAD subset have a lower quality of life.
Bullies -- both online and off -- may actually be coping with SAD.
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) can manifest not only in stereotypical wallflowers, but also among confrontational bullies and promiscuous party animals, according to a new study from George Mason University.
Although SAD is clinically characterized by extreme shyness and situational avoidance, some patients engage in paradoxically aggressive, impulsive actions meant to pre-empt potential rejection.
"We aren't suggesting a different condition; we're opening up people's eyes to behaviors that look like another disorder but are, in fact, at the core... of social anxiety," said Todd Kashdan, a study author and associate professor of psychology.
Among more than 1,800 study participants with either current or lifetime SAD diagnoses, 21 percent reported aggression, unsafe sexual encounters and substance abuse problems not typically associated with the disorder.
WATCH VIDEO: It's important for teens to fit in with their peers. Being excluded can lead to depression, anxiety and stress.
Related Links:
Dominant Female Mongooses Bully to the Max
Bullies Are Evicting Smaller Fish
HowStuffWorks: Is cyberbullying getting out of control?
HowStuffWorks: 7 Health Problems for the Modern Age
These people intentionally take risks, such as picking fights or using drugs, to elevate their social status or alleviate anxiety, though they generally end up unhappier, unhealthier and more isolated than their shier SAD counterparts.
"The research is very clear that when it comes to benefiting from socializing, quality is vastly more important than quantity," Kashdan explained. "This disinhibited group might interact with more people but that doesn't translate into better social support or a feeling of support, value and inclusion by other people."
Cyberbullies, for instance, gain a brief sense of peer control and status that usually gives way to anxiety and depression, says Clemson University psychologist and cyberbullying expert Robin Kowalski.
Although empirical evidence hasn't definitively linked cyberbullying and SAD, Kowalski suspects a possible relationship between the two.
"Social anxiety in particular is closely related to victimization, and at least some victims of cyberbullying subsequently perpetrate cyberbullying as a means of retaliation," Kowalski said.
Kashdan also suspects that while people with SAD are more likely to be on the receiving end of cyberbullying, online anonymity may also encourage them to bully back.
"There's a more even playing field online where people with SAD can lash out without the immediate retaliation they fear in the real world," Kashdan said.
Correctly addressing aggressive behavior that's tied to SAD can be problematic, however, since clinicians might not recognize the hostile habits as symptoms of social anxiety.
"This is the problem with psychology and psychiatry: Different disorders are designated when in fact, they're really different manifestations of the same underlying problem," Todd Kashdan told Discovery News.
Even when it's properly diagnosed, cognitive-behavioral therapy to treat SAD often doesn't address the specific needs of the risk-prone, aggressive subset.
"If this research is shared, we can hope that misdiagnoses are reduced and proper treatment is given to the primary problems that people are facing," Kashdan said.
Cristen Conger is a writer for HowStuffWorks.com.
