SA or cultural norms?

[guessed]

Nowadays it's desirable to be very outgoing, confident, quick-witted and even have some bravado.

One hundred years ago, being reserved, polite, introspective, modest and humble was how people were supposed to act. Even today in other cultures, these traits are still admired and respected.

Is the Social Anxiety we feel something we need to overcome, or just unrealistic cultural pressure on today's introverts?

 

[KRose]

I think that's a very interesting perspective. I know that women especially were supposed to be reserved and such. I think there's a lot of pressure especially when you're trying to date to have and outgoing personality which makes it harder for people with SA.

On another note, I've heard that shyness can have genetic roots so maybe it was some sort of defense mechanism...

 

[recluse]

A friend of mine, a woman in her 40's told me that with my personality i'd get nowhere in the modern age, in the ''dog eat dog'' world i suppose and that i'd be more suited in the 18th century. I guess you can't win, it seems that not many people value manners and humility anymore::

Anyone fancy making a time machine?

 

[mads]

A friend of mine, a woman in her 40's told me that with my personality i'd get nowhere in the modern age, in the ''dog eat dog'' world i suppose and that i'd be more suited in the 18th century. I guess you can't win, it seems that not many people value manners and humility anymore::

Anyone fancy making a time machine?

I am quite sure that a lot of people still values manners and humility but one have to be able to stand up from him/herself.

 

[Tiercel]

While cultural norms have indeed changed, social anxiety still consists of more than just being quiet, humble, and respectful.

Yes, I often display traits that were more desirable in years gone by. But I still have an unreasonable anxiety and fear when I interact with other people. I have a social anxiety disorder because something just isn't right. Even if I went to some of the countries that modern Westerners think of as quaint and backwards, I'd still worry about how I was presenting myself and over analyze my interactions with others.

So while a shift in cultural norms certainly doesn't help, it's not my main problem either.

 

[Tiercel]

A friend of mine, a woman in her 40's told me that with my personality i'd get nowhere in the modern age, in the ''dog eat dog'' world i suppose and that i'd be more suited in the 18th century.

Sounds about right for me, too. And I've always found black powder firearms to have a certain allure....

Anyone fancy making a time machine?

I've always been pretty terrible at physics. But if you ever find one, let me know.

 

[Felgen]

While the values today are a bit effed up, recluses suffered a lot in the earlier centuries as well. Ludwig II (who also happens to be a poster child for Asperger's syndrome) was overthrown and shortly afterwards he killed himself. Vincent Van Gogh suffered a nervous breakdown and shot himself. Friedrich Nietzche suffered a nervous breakdown and remained love-shy throughout his entire life.

 

[Dronee]

A friend of mine, a woman in her 40's told me that with my personality i'd get nowhere in the modern age, in the ''dog eat dog'' world i suppose and that i'd be more suited in the 18th century. I guess you can't win, it seems that not many people value manners and humility anymore::

Anyone fancy making a time machine?

Hey there... you strike me as a nice guy. I don't think being nice per se is a bad thing. It's the extreme anxiety itself that's a real problem.