Social Anxiety: Clinical, Developmental, and Social Perspectives

Social anxiety or phobia is a condition in which people become overwhelmingly anxious and excessively self-conscious in everyday social situations, so much so that they are unable to successfully undertake ordinary activites. There is some evidence that genetic factors are involved, and social anxiety is often accompanied by other anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse. The condition is one of the most common psychiatric disorders, can be successfully treated with certain kinds of psychotherapy or medications, and thus it is the focus of much clinical research.

This book weaves together research findings gathered by renowned minds across various disciplines, and chapters deal with both theory and research. Thorough exploration is given as to how to define what constitutes social anxiety, assessment of the condition and its relationship to other psychological disorders, the biological basis, and treatment approaches are all explored in full. Coverage includes key issues not discussed fully by other existing books, including related disorders of adult and childhood, relationship to social competence and assertiveness, relationship to perfectionism, social skills deficit hypothesis, comparison between pharmacological and psychosocial treatments, and potential mediators of change in the treatment of social anxiety disorder.

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