difference between shyness and socialphobia ?

[Clown]

I see many people say here they are shy, even a topic on shyness...
But how do you know if you are shy and have socialphobia, to me shyness is a personality trait which you got from your genes at birth and social phobia is a different kind of anxiety you don't get born to be afraid to walk into a supermarket feeling everyone is judging and looking at you that is way beyond shyness , socialphobia is thought process which happens at a specific point in someones life maybe shy people are more prone to get social anxiety disorder but that doens't mean a extroverted personality person can get the anxious thought process and becomes and act extreme shy while there is no connection between the two.

So how can one say on a socialphobia site say they are shy while the nature of social anxiety disorder reaches so much futher then just shy, how can you make the difference between the two when the most extroverted personality can become and appear extreme shy because of his negative thought process.

 

[Ignace]

Social phobia is when you're really are scared of socializing I guess. Don't take being shy serious, everyone says they're shy ...

 

[Srijita52]

Social phobia is when you're really are scared of socializing I guess. Don't take being shy serious, everyone says they're shy ...

I think shyness can be a serious problem depending on the person also there're different degrees of shyness. I've always been painfully shy and along with other issues, its what caused my social phobia.

 

[Canis lupus]

I think there is a thin line between the two and it's mostly a peronal opnion to make the differnce between (extreme) shyness and SA. For me the difference between the two I can explain it best by a practical example: When my employer made me go work in a different department with different people and a much bigger group I cried my heart out every evening and thought about commiting suicide several times. I couldn't think straight purely out of fear and just couldn't handle it. Luckily I had my psychologist and psychiatrist that helped me and now I'm home with a depression. I don't think people who are just shy will think about taking their own life just because they have to work with other people or do any other stupid things purely out of fear.

 

[da_illest101]

I think there is a thin line between the two and it's mostly a peronal opnion to make the differnce between (extreme) shyness and SA. For me the difference between the two I can explain it best by a practical example: When my employer made me go work in a different department with different people and a much bigger group I cried my heart out every evening and thought about commiting suicide several times. I couldn't think straight purely out of fear and just couldn't handle it. Luckily I had my psychologist and psychiatrist that helped me and now I'm home with a depression. I don't think people who are just shy will think about taking their own life just because they have to work with other people or do any other stupid things purely out of fear.

I think your example really nail it, my example will just back up yours

When I was shy I would still be around people and talk, not much but still do

When I became insanely shy I wouldn't mind be around people, but I hated attention of any short except from the people I knew.

When I had SA I would avoid social interaction like it was a virus. That means staying home and not going outside unless I really have no choice. Hide when people come visiting my parents or my sister. I wouldn't talk to no one, when people talked to me I tried to end the conversation asap.

Right now I have a lesser version of my previous SA. I still avoid social interaction like a virus, I only go out when I have no choice and hide when people visit. I talk to people though I never start the conversation.

 

[Srijita52]

I think there is a thin line between the two and it's mostly a peronal opnion to make the differnce between (extreme) shyness and SA. For me the difference between the two I can explain it best by a practical example: When my employer made me go work in a different department with different people and a much bigger group I cried my heart out every evening and thought about commiting suicide several times. I couldn't think straight purely out of fear and just couldn't handle it. Luckily I had my psychologist and psychiatrist that helped me and now I'm home with a depression. I don't think people who are just shy will think about taking their own life just because they have to work with other people or do any other stupid things purely out of fear.

I think its a very good example and I agree with it.

 

[anuskas]

I´m not shy but I have social phobia and its severe under some circumstances. I don´t want to be with friends and I´m very sensitive to criticism. I also feel I´m not as intelligent as other people because I can´t concentrate being around people and it has been this way all my life. At school I couldn´t pay attention and do my best because I was always thinking in a way of escape from the classroom and I was affraid of the teacher ask me some questions because I didn´t want to be red when answering them. I didn´t improve some skills and now I can´t get them.
Social phobia limits our life and shyness not much.

 

[Silatuyok]

I always thought of shy as being an initial reaction to meeting new people. Thus, many many people will claim to be shy, even if they are obviously extroverts or have a wide circle of friends.
Social phobia, on the other hand, is dreading meeting new people, or even being around people they already know, and avoiding social contact in general. I tend to be less shy, actually, even though I am highly social phobic.