Root Cause of Social Anxiety/Phobia. Self Esteem?

[Broken Beat & Scarred]

Speaking in the context of not being able to get close to people or having an irrational fear of opening up in friendships or relationships do you feel that low self esteem is probably the biggest root cause of social anxiety?

There is a reason we are afraid to open up to people or feel undeserving for love. At the root metaphorically speaking our souls are wounded. I f we heal our wounds and improve our confidence our esteem will naturally improve with it. Thusly our social anxyities will start to lift.

What is your opinion?

 

[Dead_on_Arrival]

Although low self esteem may be the root cause of social phobia/anxiety, it may not be the root cause of many peoples problem. In some cases low self esteem is a state of being, it is intrinsent in the persons personality. For many though low self esteem is due to some other psycological problem with another cause.
For me personaly it began through years of sexual abuse, bullying. I have POCD which makes my self esteem worse due to my state of mind. It causes me personel embarassment, which feeds the stress, which in turn makes my SA worse, which ultimately leads to the risk of panic attacks, pnes. The vicious circle then starts again.
So like I said, it differs from person to person and their personal circumstances with regards to their history.

 

[Broken Beat & Scarred]

What is POCD? Also I agree with what you say. For me childhood trauma of teasing and rejection and personal embarrassment adds to my social phobia. But I feel if I make huge strides in improving my self esteem and self confidence that my Social anxieties and phobias will disappear. Best thing to do is to not make yourself a victim.

 

[Dead_on_Arrival]

POCD is personality obsessive compulsive disorder. It is basicly OCD but is part of my personality and therefore is part of who I am. My understanding from my therapist is that OCD is something that is able to be overcome, POCD is something I will struggle with till my dying day.

 

[pop-princess]

My amateur opinion is that the root to my SA is that I don't like and feel comfortable about myself, in other words really low self esteem.

 

[Broken Beat & Scarred]

My amateur opinion is that the root to my SA is that I don't like and feel comfortable about myself, in other words really low self esteem.

But did you always have that OPINION of yourself or did it develop after traumatic times? The reason I ask is because I am very interested to see everyones specific situation in correlation to their social anxiety and or phobia. Its different for everyone.

 

[pop-princess]

But did you always have that OPINION of yourself or did it develop after traumatic times? The reason I ask is because I am very interested to see everyones specific situation in correlation to their social anxiety and or phobia. Its different for everyone.

I think I started have that opinion of myself since I was about 5-6. That was when I started school and I didn't know anyone. That's when I started to think I was inferior. Then it got worse when I got in my puberty. I was known as a bold little girl in kindergarten.

Nothing really dramatic has happened in my life. My parents have always been supportive and I was never teased in school (although there was a girl gang in middle school that I was a part of and all of us were nasty towards each other).