Social phobia, shyness and introversion: the fine line that separates them

Social phobia, shyness and introversion

Surely everything will be clearer to you if we start by defining each term. Shyness is a lack of skill in social relationships that can be motivated by insecurity or even lack of habit . In general, it is low self-esteem that makes you shy , fearful of social contact for fear of not being up to the task or for the need for approval from others.

For its part, introversion is a personality trait characterized by a preference for introspection and the search for solitude . It is not that you do not like being with people because you feel insecure, but because you prefer to be alone or with your inner circle because extended social relationships do not bring you satisfaction.

The social phobia is already an anxiety disorder , in fact it can be known as phobia or social anxiety disorder and is characterized by an excessive fear of social situations . Social phobia is more linked to shyness than introversion since it would be a kind of shyness taken to the extreme .

How shyness, social phobia, and introversion differ

All three share common traits , especially the avoidance of social events . Both social phobia and introversion can use shyness as an excuse and anxiety appears in both social phobia and shyness . That is where their similarities go, but if you want to know if you are a shy person, introverted or suffer from social phobia, you better look at their differences .

We can start with social phobia and its character as an anxiety disorder, which implies that you need treatment to overcome it. In addition, social phobia can appear suddenly without you having been a shy or introverted person before. The degree of anxiety caused by social phobia is so high that you can have a panic attack at a social event.

The shyness ,  meanwhile, is not a disorder, so it does not need treatment . If anything, it is convenient to learn to develop social skills and improve self-esteem so that you have more security in your social life. Also, shyness is usually a trait that you would like to change , you would like to be with people and behave naturally, but it costs you a lot.

And we move on to introversion, which is not really a problem for you, although others may consider it that way. If you are an introvert, you don’t suffer from not going to a party, for example. You do not go because you do not want to go, because you want more to be alone, or with your partner or with your family, but it does not generate a feeling of frustration or disability as it does with shyness.