Why do young people often label themselves as ＂social fear＂

　　Why do young people often label themselves as "social fear"

　　In the past two years, the word "social fear" has frequently entered the public eye, and more and more post-90s and post-00s think they are "social fear". Some time ago, in an online survey initiated by Guangming Daily’s "Youth Talk", 2,532 netizens who participated in the voting gave an amazing result-only 69 people thought they had no social problems, and 97% of the participants avoided or even feared social interaction.

　　Before the popularity of "social phobia", the author’s understanding of not being good at communication and being afraid of socializing remained at the cognition of "introversion". However, after reading some articles about "social fear", the author finds that "social fear" tends to be generalized, and even inferiority and introversion are included in the category of social fear.

　　Social phobia, that is, social phobia, also known as social communication disorder, belongs to a kind of mental illness and anxiety disorder in medicine, and has direct external manifestations in clinic. The Chinese Classification Scheme and Diagnostic Criteria for Mental Disorders defines it as an excessive situational fear, that is, individuals are afraid of being examined in public performances and social occasions, and they are afraid that they will make a fool of themselves and be embarrassed by their behavior.

　　But specifically, not all situations of social phobia can be called social phobia. For example, a shy person will have some nervousness and anxiety about social activities, and even some avoidance behavior, but this influence is only temporary and present, and will disappear once he leaves the immediate situation. People who are really afraid of society have a deeper degree of fear, which lasts longer and is accompanied by autonomic nervous symptoms, which obviously affects social functions.

　　The author has noticed that some articles simply sum up the external manifestations of social phobia as follows: I don’t like toasting on the wine table, I don’t dare to say hello when I meet acquaintances, I don’t dare to speak in public, I don’t dare to call the waiter loudly when I check out in a restaurant, I am ashamed to let the driver stop when I arrive at the station by bus, and I can only watch helplessly and miss the station, and I would rather order takeout than communicate face to face with the boss …

　　To tell the truth, the author is an introverted person. I experienced some of the above situations when I was a child, but with the growth of age, some of them gradually disappeared. Take public speaking for example, many people will get stage fright, even nervous and sweaty palms. I remember when I was in primary school, a teacher asked me to sing in front of the podium. As a result, I stood in front with my head down and didn’t dare to say anything. At last, my tears fell. However, during my college years, I took part in some speech contests and hosted many outdoor large-scale activities. In other words, no one is a natural speaker, and some social skills need to overcome psychological barriers actively and exercise slowly.

　　You know, the division of introversion and extroversion put forward by Swiss psychologist Jung did not label introverts negatively. On the contrary, introverts also have character strengths that extroverts do not have. In addition, everyone will have some inferiority complex at heart.

　　Furthermore, people who are afraid of society may feel inferior and introverted, but those who feel inferior and introverted are not necessarily afraid of society. Just because young people have social problems and are afraid of socializing doesn’t mean they suffer from social phobia. The social phobia mentioned in medicine needs professional clinical diagnosis, and most of the social phobia of young people at present has not reached the pathological level.

　　What is more worth asking is why young people often label themselves as "social fear". In my opinion, apart from the generalization and superficial understanding of the professional concept of "social fear", there are some social reality factors that cannot be ignored.

　　On the one hand, there are some so-called social activities in our daily life, which really bring us a lot of trouble. For example, in the WeChat era, seeking praise, voting, forwarding and bargaining in the circle of friends has brought spiritual "kidnapping" to many people; In the work group, the "flattery" of speaking to leaders is not what introverts are good at; After work, many young people in the workplace have a lot of helplessness because of the irresistible wine and false social interaction …

　　On the other hand, the convenience and virtualization of the network have become a "safe haven" for many introverted people to avoid social troubles. Many young people under the banner of "social fear" are more comfortable and comfortable in the network. After all, it is human nature to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. It is suggested that young people step out of their "comfort zone" and take the initiative to have face-to-face communication. It is simple to say, but it is really necessary to go through this hurdle in their hearts.

　　Medically speaking, "social phobia" generally only occurs between the ages of 17 and 30, so it is not difficult to understand why this word is popular among young people. Of course, we should also understand that behind the generalization and labeling of "social fear", there are both young people’s frankness about their fear of socializing, and their lack of social communication skills, which has played a protective umbrella role, and even mixed with some "old" social rules, expressing a real psychological appeal to avoid socializing.

　　Paul Hu (Ph.D. student of Nanjing Normal University Source: China Youth Daily