Shyness and social phobia: a social work perspective on a problem in living.
Social phobia is classified as an anxiety disorder in psychiatric nomenclature. It represents a fear of performance or social interaction that significantly interferes with a person's social or occupational functioning. The author takes issue with the fact that social phobia is considered by many professionals to be a mental illness that is often treated best with medication. Social phobia can be conceptualized from a social work perspective as an extreme shyness that can be overcome with cognitive learning and behavioral rehearsal. This article reviews the biopsychosocial causes of social phobia and presents a summary of cognitive and behavioral interventions with empirically demonstrated effectiveness.
Walsh
Joseph
J
School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23284-2027, USA. jwalsh@atlas.vcu.edu
D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000145:classification / Q000209:etiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012792:Shyness; D012949:Social Work, Psychiatric / Q000379:methods*