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Essay On Social Anxiety

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Anxiety, Relationships, and What to Do
Introduction
Social anxiety disorder is one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States. Chances are you know somebody who has dealt with this issue (Kessler, etc., 2005) because it causes one-third of the population to experience distress or disability. It can affect quality of life by generating fear of social situations and resulting in social withdrawal. One of the most central aspects of human life is having close relationships — particularly romantic relationships. Social anxiety is associated with difficulty forming and maintaining close relationships (Lampe, etc., 2003). Despite the disorder 's high prevalence, its effects on relationships are not yet fully understood. Many …show more content…

Overcoming the Barriers At a glance, the research may seem to paint a bleak picture, but there is reason for optimism. Firstly, not all socially anxious individuals have difficulties in their romantic relationships. Secondly, the better that relationship scientists and clinical psychologists understand these phenomena, the clearer the solutions can become; indeed, some are already becoming visible for those who experience difficulty. A big part of the way social anxiety affects the quality of relationships appears to be related to trust and support. This gives us a good place to start when we 're trying to improve our relationships (Simpson, 2007). The low levels of trust of socially anxious individuals are linked to the symptoms and cognitive effects of the disorder itself: Other people are often viewed as overly critical or even hostile, regardless of any evidence. How much we can trust others depends on how much we can view them as having our best interests at heart (Simpson, etc., 2007). To combat this and view a romantic partner as trustworthy, couples need to work together. The way social anxiety affects perceived support is somewhat complex. Socially anxious people seem to have trouble noticing the support their romantic partners provide. This comes back to the fact that social anxiety makes it very difficult to view others as benevolent or as having good intentions (Simpson, 2007). It creates a

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