Why The Root of Social Anxiety May Be The Fear Of Being Evaluated
Social anxiety disorder is often overlooked as someone just being shy or extremely introverted. But, when you actually deal with this kind of anxiety, you know that it’s much more than that.
Social anxiety can feel crippling. It can make you avoid certain situations and people and keep you from living to the fullest. But, it can be difficult to pinpoint a singular cause.
Recently, however, neuroscience research suggests that the root of social anxiety might be the fear of being evaluated. So, what’s the connection? How does worrying about how others might evaluate you cause such crippling social fear?
Worrying About a Negative Evaluation
It’s human nature to want your peers to accept you. Think about being a kid and how important it was to “fit in” and find a friend circle you meshed well with. Those desires never really go away. Even as adults, it’s essential to feel like you belong somewhere and that people won’t judge you.
For people with social anxiety, that feeling can become somewhat of an obsession. Instead of wanting to fit in or be evaluated in a positive way, you can only focus on the fear of a negative evaluation.
As such, you might develop social anxiety as a defense mechanism to keep you from going out, meeting new people, or inserting yourself in social situations.
Where Does the Fear Come From?
The fear of being evaluated often stems from low self-esteem. If you don’t think highly of yourself or you have a negative self-image, you’re more likely to worry about others negatively evaluating you.
The intense fear of social situations can severely reduce your quality of life. Even when you’re around people you love and trust, the fear of evaluation might always be in the back of your mind, never allowing you to stay focused on the present or even being able to enjoy yourself.
Digging Deeper
If the fear of evaluation is the root of social anxiety, what’s the root of low self-esteem? That issue is a bit more complicated. There are biological issues that can impact a person’s self-esteem. For example, if you were raised with parents who also struggled with a negative self-image, you might be more prone to seeing yourself in a negative light.
Typically, though, self-esteem issues are a reflection of environmental factors. As a child, things like familial conflict, bullying, or even abuse and neglect can impact how you see yourself. Low self-esteem is something that can start early in life and continue to grow as you get older.
It can also develop later in adulthood. Everything from friendships to romantic relationships can have an impact on your confidence. If you experience rejection in any of these relationships, it could cause the way you see yourself to shift into something negative. Unfortunately, the lower your self-esteem, the easier it is to develop social anxiety. It only takes one person to damage your opinion of yourself. From there, you can develop social anxiety as a way to protect yourself from never experiencing that kind of negative evaluation again.
What Can You Do?
If your fear of being evaluated has kept you from engaging in social interactions or putting yourself in settings with others, you don’t have to be a prisoner to anxiety for the rest of your life.
Understanding where your social anxiety stems from is the first step toward overcoming it. Thankfully, you don’t have to continue the journey alone. One of the best things you can do is to reach out for anxiety therapy. Therapy is a great way to better understand your anxiety, learn how to manage your symptoms, and take small steps forward so you can not only experience social settings, but eventually enjoy them.
