Social phobia, anxiety, terror--whatever you want to cal it, the phenomenon is incredibly common.
Shyness is a more colloquial term for behaviors and thought patterns among those suffering milder forms of this condition.
At the more extreme end of the spectrum is social anxiety disorder, a psychological illness described in the DSM IV.
The fact is, for too many of us, Garcin's summation at the end of Sartre's play No Exit is all too true: if you suffer from crippling panic whenever you enter society then, for you, hell is, indeed, other people.
Fear of social situations can take many forms, and cause a wide variety of negative effects, from simple inconvenience, to loneliness, depression and long-term underachievement.
One Problem, Many Forms The fear of other people can appear in many guises.
Many suffers of this condition don't look like they have a problem.
Because of how important and complicated social interactions are in our society, many people choose to socialize around or in spite of their phobias, increasing their sufferings.
For example, some shy people prefer to go out in large groups, and remain silent.
They hide their terror behind others' conversations, and dare not contribute to the plans and activities of the group.
Other phobics, by contrast, dread being perceived as dull and unintelligent in society.
To compensate for their feelings of inferiority and fear, these individuals make long, loud speeches, and--out of terror--don't listen to anything anyone else says.
Some people worry about being made the butt of jokes, and, to compensate, act rude and insult their companions, seemingly without provocation.
Dire Consequences Although their symptoms are different, all of these individuals ultimately suffer in the same way.
Because of a certain mental quirks, they find themselves unable to enjoy the company of other people.
As a result, they can become depressed and lonely, feeling as though no one in the world can know them in the least.
Plus, socially anxious people might develop a reduced ability to empathize with others.
People who are nothing but a source of fear (as they so often are for sufferers of social anxiety disorder), at some point cease to be perceived as human.
They cease to be perceived as anything more than threats.
Techniques That Work To Stop Social Phobia, Anxiety, And Dread Fear of other people can be a very frustrating problem to try to solve on your own.
Repeated socializing only worsens the problem.
You can't hope to conquer your fear by yourself into frightening situations again and again, without understanding them.
Indeed, repeated exposure to something you fear may cause you to dread that thing.
Traditional therapy doesn't always work either.
If you suffer from social anxiety, it's too easy to substitute your therapist for a group of actual friends.
Hypnotherapy and NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) are examples of techniques that, by contrast, can offer results.
With hypnotherapy and NLP you'll learn to isolate your negative thought patterns--the very thoughts that unconsciously enter your mind when you find yourself in others' company and your fears start rearing their ugly heads.
Once you learn to recognize your negative thought patterns, NLP can help you learn to change them, as well.
Soon, your social phobia anxiety will become a thing of the past.