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.