Description of the Strategy

Social phobia is a disorder that affects approximately 2% to 8% of the general adult population. Although many people experience mild anxiety when giving speeches or going on job interviews, those with social phobia experience anxiety so intense that it impairs their functioning, leads to avoidance behavior, and/or results in maladaptive coping strategies. There are two types of social phobia. About 30% of those with social phobia report anxiety and distress only in performance situations, such as giving a speech. Individuals with this rather circumscribed pattern of fear are often referred to as having the specific, or nongeneralized, subtype. Those with the generalized subtype (the other 70%) report distress across a broad range of social situations, such as giving ...