Skills and Strategy

Social Anxiety and Cognitive Behavioural Techniques.

Compiled by Edward Griffin

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Introduction and Definition

The term ‘Social anxiety’ was coined by Janet (1903) to describe people who feared being observed while speaking, playing the piano, or writing.  Social Anxiety nowadays is a term used to describe the excessive fear, nervousness and apprehension that people experience in social interactions (Butler, 1999).  People with social anxiety fear being judged negatively by other people or humiliated in front of them.

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The physical indicators of social anxiety are similar to those of other types of anxiety attack.  When social anxiety occurs, individuals can experience all the indicators of autonomic nervous system arousal (racing heart, sweating, clammy hands, trembling, stomach butterflies and feeling sick), and in some circumstances they can experience panic attacks and loss of consciousness.  This can cause considerable discomfort and embarrassment and often affect the person’s ability to act naturally or perform a task in front of people. 

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Performance anxiety (better known as stage fright) is one of the most common aspects of social phobia.  The performance situation triggers intense anxiety with the result of significantly hindering a person’s ability to perform a task in front of people that they would normally find simple performing alone.   

Cognitively, social anxiety often revolves around the feeling of being judged or being seen in a negative light by others.  People with social anxiety often have a fear of being humiliated in public.  When social anxiety arises, people’s minds go blank; they get confused and often think that they come across in a bad light.  In many cases it is not surprising that a person with social anxiety will often avoid many social...