Social Phobia Is Just A Phobia Like Any Other

[Phobologist]

Well, medically speaking, that is. It is my belief that social phobia is really a phobia like any other, and that it exists at one end of a continuous spectrum. Many phobias are "externalizing": the person fears harm from the situation. Other phobias are "internalizing": the person fears that they will cause the harm, or that the harm lies inside of them. As it turns out, social phobias have two subtypes, external, and internal. However, clinicians and researchers are mistaken in believing that the variant Social Phobias (SOPs) are truly related: they aren't. Performance-Focused Social Phobias: fear of public speaking, fear of bathrooms, fear of dances, etc. (all externalizing), focus on ridicule and humiliation in the fearful situation and are not related to an underlying anxiety. Generalized Social Phobia (an internalizing phobia) is global and originates from an underlying anxiety of being defective. Here is my model:


Phobia Spectrum

INTERNALIZING <------------------------------------------------------------> EXTERNALIZING

*Intrusive Thought Phobias.....................................................................^Specific Phobias
Generalized Social Phobia.........................................................................Performance-focused Social Phobia


* Intrusive Thought Disorder is an OCD spectrum disorder that is a component of social phobia and can also stand alone. The peson suffers from obsessive, unwanted, disturbing thoughts. This can result in phobias of harming oneself, harming others, or acting out in some unacceptable fashion.

^Specific Phobias are irrational fears of particular situations or objects (not requiring performance in front of others). Examples include fear or snakes, fear of heights, and fear of the dark.

 

[Hellhound]

I often have those intrusive thoughts and I hate them...

 

[Phobologist]

I often have those intrusive thoughts and I hate them...

Yes Intrusive Thought Disorder is a prerequisite for Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder.

 

[Lorraine Manca]

all i know is i want to trade my phobia in for a fear of cats. i could deal with a fear of cats, but fear of people? could there possibly be a more inconvienent fear? THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

your spectrum sounds like a good possibility. generalized sa and specific sa seem completely different. i notice that by far, most people on this site have the generalized kind. that's interesting. i definately have the generalized kind, believe the defective part, but i dont think about embarrassment much, so if i were a case study, i'd fit your model!

heres a twist though. just because there is a belief of being defective that strongly correlates with general sa, doesnt mean that belief caused the sa. its possible, but not certain. the other possiblity is that we ARE defective in some way. just cause its ugly doesnt mean its not true. i think there might just be a fear response thats always active and registering fear. you feel fear, you attach the feeling to whatever you happen to be looking at, which is probably a person, because the brain has a preference for focusing on faces as opposed to inanimate objects inorder to ensure ostensive learning and shared attention for speech and language development. then there you have a fear of people, which leads to the belief that you are defective, which makes the anxiety more intense and things go down hill from there. the disorder gets worse as you age, right?

thats my guess, im an english major though, not so good at science.

if your ever bored, research vomit phobias, neurologically speaking ( is that a word?) they're pretty unique

 

[Noca]

I don't think "social phobia" quite grasps the magnitude and complexity of such an illness. It should be called "social anxiety disorder" IMO.

 

[Scrabbl]

the difference is that social phobia is a GENERALIZED disorder compared to a specific phobia like arachnophobia, which means we're not just phobic of a specific object / situation but a wide range of object / situations. Like instead of spiders we're afraid of phones, clubs, school, speeches, shopping malls and all kinds of potential social interactions. So it's not just one fear we have to overcome but like a bajillion different (though related) ones. And that's what makes it difficult.

 

[Noca]

the difference is that social phobia is a GENERALIZED disorder compared to a specific phobia like arachnophobia, which means we're not just phobic of a specific object / situation but a wide range of object / situations. Like instead of spiders we're afraid of phones, clubs, school, speeches, shopping malls and all kinds of potential social interactions. So it's not just one fear we have to overcome but like a bajillion different (though related) ones. And that's what makes it difficult.

I totally agree, which is why it should be called "social anxiety disorder".

 

[Phobologist]

your spectrum sounds like a good possibility. generalized sa and specific sa seem completely different. i notice that by far, most people on this site have the generalized kind. that's interesting. i definately have the generalized kind, believe the defective part, but i dont think about embarrassment much, so if i were a case study, i'd fit your model!

Thanks, yes I think it's accurate. It's been found that generalized sa is much more serious also, then performance-focused social anxiety.

heres a twist though. just because there is a belief of being defective that strongly correlates with general sa, doesnt mean that belief caused the sa. its possible, but not certain.

I disagree, it is not merely a possibility, it is in fact certain. Read my other posts on the causes of Social Phobia. The problem doesn't have anything to do with what other people think, it has to do with our own beliefs. We merely use others to affirm our self-image because we do not trust ourselves. In reality they are nothing more than stand-ins for our own self-critics.

the other possiblity is that we ARE defective in some way. just cause its ugly doesnt mean its not true.

I have considered that I might really be defective. It has nothing to do directly with my social phobia, however. It is the belief that I have in my defectiveness that puts me at risk in social situations. This is a crucial point. If you have accepted your defectiveness then you aren't afraid, are you? Of course not. So it's the fear that you may be, which is causing your problem.

...then there you have a fear of people, which leads to the belief that you are defective, which makes the anxiety more intense and things go down hill from there. the disorder gets worse as you age, right?

You have it backwards, I believe. The fear that you are defective is manufactured on the basis of inadmissable evidence and unrealistic, regid, supporting beliefs. These cylce around like a tornado, beginning with initial negative experiences, both involving others and not, which cause us to conclude that we are defective. The problem then worsens from there as you grow older until it reaches a relatively stable point in the teenage or early adult years.

 

[Phobologist]

I don't think "social phobia" quite grasps the magnitude and complexity of such an illness. It should be called "social anxiety disorder" IMO.

As a short hand its a perfectly applicable word. You are minimizing the power of the word phobia, and phobia really does describe our problem - an irrational fear of causing or experiencing harm. What aspect of GSAD can you attribute to something other than a phobia of being defective? How did you imagine that any phobia is developed? All are complexes based on neurological predisposition, cognitive distortions, and trauma.

 

[Lorraine Manca]

Thanks, yes I think it's accurate. It's been found that generalized sa is much more serious also, then performance-focused social anxiety.




I disagree, it is not merely a possibility, it is in fact certain. Read my other posts on the causes of Social Phobia. The problem doesn't have anything to do with what other people think, it has to do with our own beliefs. We merely use others to affirm our self-image because we do not trust ourselves. In reality they are nothing more than stand-ins for our own self-critics.




I have considered that I might really be defective. It has nothing to do directly with my social phobia, however. It is the belief that I have in my defectiveness that puts me at risk in social situations. This is a crucial point. If you have accepted your defectiveness then you aren't afraid, are you? Of course not. So it's the fear that you may be, which is causing your problem.




You have it backwards, I believe. The fear that you are defective is manufactured on the basis of inadmissable evidence and unrealistic, regid, supporting beliefs. These cylce around like a tornado, beginning with initial negative experiences, both involving others and not, which cause us to conclude that we are defective. The problem then worsens from there as you grow older until it reaches a relatively stable point in the teenage or early adult years.

i understand your points. i also know what ive been told, that my brain is structurly different. so i am defective and for the belief to come first would be impossible for me.

 

[Phobologist]

the difference is that social phobia is a GENERALIZED disorder compared to a specific phobia like arachnophobia, which means we're not just phobic of a specific object / situation but a wide range of object / situations. Like instead of spiders we're afraid of phones, clubs, school, speeches, shopping malls and all kinds of potential social interactions. So it's not just one fear we have to overcome but like a bajillion different (though related) ones. And that's what makes it difficult.

Did you read my post? I clearly explained that the phobia spectrum has different ends with simple phobias on one end and GSAD on another. Also, you are mistaking the trees for the forest. GSAD is a single illness with many specific symptoms. Those phobias you mentioned are not true phobias because they are produced by an underlying illness, and are thus, not totally irrational. A real sense of harm (extreme discomfort) will result from these situations. The underlying phobia which is the fear of being defective in some fashion, is a true phobia, because it is entirely irrational.

This is the same reason that people with Panic generally do not have real Social Phobia (although people with social phobia often have panic). Fearing that other people may set off anxiety attacks, or fearing the resulting embarrassment, are relatively rational responses. Likewise, a person with PTSD who is afraid of war movies, cars, and weapons, is not a true phobic, because his response is relatively rational given the anxiety inducing nature of these things. These examples aren't true phobias, much less phobias of people. Social Phobia is something of a misnomer in my opinion, because even true social phobes are not truly afraid of people - they are afraid of being defective and that other people or even non-social situations, will confirm this. Nevertheless, because there is a fundamental social component to GSAD (the fact that the sufferer requires others to validate his/her self-image), the nomenclature is still applicable.

 

[Lorraine Manca]

some people are defective. its completely irrational to think the rosy world doesnt produce defective people. nature screws up sometimes.

 

[Harleyq]

One of my psych professors says he prefers the term "social phobia" because "social anxiety disorder" can be easily mixed up with "seasonal affective disorder" because of the shared acronym. I agree with him. The first time I saw SAD on this site, I thought of seasonal affective disorder.

Not as philosophical or as in depth as what's already been posted, but oh well.

 

[FOR REAL]

oh is this one of these long winded thingys!, wait til i go to the fridge! i need a cold beer for this one!

 

[Phobologist]

some people are defective. its completely irrational to think the rosy world doesnt produce defective people. nature screws up sometimes.

Nonsense...only people with personality disorders are truly defective in the way you are indicating, and even then, most of them can still have friends ( except for sociopaths, but that's a complicated story).

PROVE YOU ARE DEFECTIVE. I don't believe you and I will debunk each and everyone of your claims right now. If I cannot, I will retract my statement made above.

 

[Phobologist]

One of my psych professors says he prefers the term "social phobia" because "social anxiety disorder" can be easily mixed up with "seasonal affective disorder" because of the shared acronym. I agree with him. The first time I saw SAD on this site, I thought of seasonal affective disorder.

Not as philosophical or as in depth as what's already been posted, but oh well.

Is seasonal affective disorder an emotional disorder?

 

[Phobologist]

I will be back in an hour. Time for the gym.

 

[Lorraine Manca]

Nonsense...only people with personality disorders are truly defective in the way you are indicating, and even then, most of them can still have friends ( except for sociopaths, but that's a complicated story).

PROVE YOU ARE DEFECTIVE. I don't believe you and I will debunk each and everyone of your claims right now. If I cannot, I will retract my statement made above.

its in my chart.the subjects not open for debate.

 

[Harleyq]

Is seasonal affective disorder an emotional disorder?

sort of. It's when people chronically get depressed around winter months/weather. It's not really considered an emotional disorder on it's own, but it's a determinate of major depression. There's also Reverse SAD, where people experience depression during summer/spring months every year.

 

[Phobologist]

its in my chart.the subjects not open for debate.

Okay then, but I'd like to help show you that you are not defective, so whenever you want my help, just ask ::