A few questions...

[Adam Shephard]

Hi, I am a Design student at Goldsmiths University in London and am currently doing a project on social anxiety or social phobia. I myself have a mild degree of SA (and i can sympathise with many of the problems people on this site face) and I thought that a project based around this phobia could be very interesting. I am in no way looking for ways to cure social phobia (I'm not a scientist!) but instead looking to design to understand this phobia and try and create something that either helps or can be used by a person with SA or something that can be seen or used in the wider world to try and help other people understand the problems of SA.

So far there are two particular aspects of SA that caught my attention in terms of a Design perspective. Firstly the aspect of 'perfection' in our society or what is seen as perfection and why we strive to reach this. Why we feel the need to be like everyone else or what we think everyone else is like.
Secondly something I find myself doing from time to time which is an aspect of SA where situations and outcomes of situations are pre-judged. Resulting in thinking of ways and ideas of how to escape or what to say if when the time comes we are put in a position in a social context.

My personal experience to do with these ideas and situations will only go so far in my project which is why I thought of posting this and getting some other views and feedback on these topics and any replies would be greatly appreciated.

I understand that this is quite a personal topic but any replies on experiences etc that I get would be used in complete confidentiality within my project.

Thanks for reading. Questions and replies welcome.

Adam Shephard

 

[coyote]

perhaps you could design a "chameleon suit" that allows the wearer to blend into their surroundings and go completely unnoticed

 

[Feathers]

Hey Adam! What kind of 'design project' are you talking about? A visual design representation of what some people feel or think? Like a collage or picture? Or to be used as illustration to an article or something? Or as Powerpoint presentation? Or an 'applied design' functional thing like Coyote said? Something like that has been worked on already though, not sure if by Japanese or who? ('invisibility cloak' or something like that)

Maybe a T-shirt or badge or something that says: HI I ADORE YOU I'M JUST SUPER-SHY!
hehe... /hmm might wanna put something like that on ZAzzle/CafePress & see if it sells? /

(maybe something that can be changed & switch to: YEAH I'M SHY BUT I JUST DON'T LIKE YOU!/NOT INTERESTED! - Okay that's a bit too cruel hehe.. maybe something a bit more polite.. just brainstorming here.. )

Anything that could help express true feelings with visual or creative ways? (like cards/badges or such?)

I don't know what kind of ideas you are looking for...?

 

[Bustn Justin]

Well what would you like from us?

 

[Adam Shephard]

Hi, thank you all for replying, some really interesting ideas already.

Sorry if my post didn't make much sense, not the best at verbally translating my ideas!
Basically what I'm asking is not so much for ideas of objects or concepts which i could then make but opinions, personal experience or the like on the two main topics i mentioned which i want to base my project around. Namely the idea of perfection in society and how it is linked and seen by people with social phobia and secondly the pre anticipating or judging of social situations and views opinions and experience with these two ideas.

 

[xLindziex]

I don't think it's the idea of perfection, but more the idea of just because accepted period. Feeling like you won't fit in. Watching other people hang out with their friends and listening to the stories they have about their eventful weekends hanging out together. Wanting to make friends like that, but not being able to because of the thought that you won't be good enough and that you'll come off as weird. And when you're somewhere new, with new people, you'll be afraid to make new friends because it seems like everyone else already has their group of friends and thinking there is no room for you. Thinking that the only way you'll be able to make new friends is when you find someone else who is also new to that place. Then there isn't as much pressure when the concept of being accepted because it's only one person.

And when it comes to "pre-judging" a situation, that happens a lot to me. There's also some regret afterwards. When talking to someone else, sometimes words just come out and end up sounding stupid. And me, and most likely others, can get quite embarassed about those things. Or if something actually turns out well, then regret comes where you're all "I could've said this instead". Pre-judging can also keep you from doing things. Filled with a lot of "what if"'s and such.

Those are a few of the basic ideas of some of the experiences I've had. I hope it's what you were looking for or gives you some ideas as to what you were looking for =)

 

[Adam Shephard]

thank you, this is exactly the sort of information i am looking for, very interesting. Definitely very useful information.

Lindzie or anyone else who has experienced it, could you expand anymore on the pre judging aspect of social phobia at all?

 

[Waybuloo]

1/ To me, it's not so much perfection that is the goal, but normality, or what I perceive in others to be the standard. For example, if i'm very socially anxious and avoidant, I would miss social opportunities and with these the possibility of friendships and relationships, which are attainable to 'normal' people, but not to me. I'm sure people all want to feel accepted as it is our human nature to do so, but with people deprived of the ability to achieve this in a very real way, the hurt, regret, and disappointment can be really great. Funnily I'm not swayed by images of 'perfection' portrayed in advertising and society in general. I am not happy with the way I look, yet I do not want to change. I do not want to get breast implants even when i've got small boobs. I groom myself according to my own individuality and preferences, not fashion magazines or what aunty Gok Kwan says. But then again that might just me. My preoccupation with appearing normal seems to be predominantly orientated on social skills, social status, and the like.

2/ Because my brain had already programmed me into thinking that I will fail, under perform, and embarass myself in all the social situations that I fear, to the point that it becomes unconscious, my body prepares to be scared, and it leads to a self fufilling prophecy. For example, since 16, i've had a tremor that comes up when I feel too self conscious. I realise now that my fear of shaking has made me anxious and my body tenses as a result, leading to the tremors. I also stereotype people ( I suppose as a protective strategy) so that I often reject them based on my preconception that they are too 'cool', too loud, too good for me, or too scary.

 

[JamesSmith]

the aspect of 'perfection' in our society or what is seen as perfection and why we strive to reach this. Why we feel the need to be like everyone else or what we think everyone else is like.

Secondly something I find myself doing from time to time which is an aspect of SA where situations and outcomes of situations are pre-judged. Resulting in thinking of ways and ideas of how to escape or what to say if when the time comes we are put in a position in a social context.

As for the aspect of perfection, everybody has this to some extent, not just SA people. Most people want to fit in, I'd say that is a natural human emotion to want to be accepted by everyone else. the only reason people even bring up us having the desire to fit in is because we usually don't fit in and it's noticeable. People without SAD are too busy already fitting into society by talking to people, hence, fitting in for non-SAD people isn't an issue as often as it is for us.

I do agree with the pre-judging thing. I'm guilty of this doing this. What I have done in the past is tried to predict what my future will be like and it was often negative from what I remember. Now I'm more neutral about my future, I don't know what's going to happen and am not making any assumptions.

 

[coyote]

If you read through this forum for more than a few minutes, you'll find an endless supply of examples of how SA is intertwined with perfectionism and judgement...

people are depressed because they aren't perfect, their lives aren't perfect, the world isn't perfect

the people they encounter don't act the way they think they should, the world doesn't work the way they expect it to, everyone sucks

the world sucks, life sucks

all women act like that, all men are like this

virgins are this way, non-virgins are that way

rich people, poor people, short people, tall people, Americans, Christians, atheists, people who drive cars, people who eat at McDonalds, people who celebrate Valentine's Day, and the list goes on and on....


I wonder if many people who have Social Anxiety, who are afraid that they are going to be judged for their imperfections, assume that this will happen simply because they think that everyone is like them: intensely perfectionist, overly critical, and highly judgmental.