Usually characterized as shy, inhibitive and submissive, are people who suffer from social anxiety. However, a new study suggests that there is a subset of socially anxious people who act out in aggressive, risky ways-and that their behavior //patterns are often misunderstood.
In the new study, psychologists Todd Kashdan and Patrick McKnight at George Mason University found evidence that a subset of adults diagnosed with Social Anxiety Disorder were prone to behaviors such as violence, substance abuse, unprotected sex and other risk-prone actions.
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The various ways that stress exposure leads to fear and through which fear extinction resolves these fear states may actually have a molecular basis.
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"We often miss the underlying problems of people around us. Parents and teachers might think their kid is a bully, acts out and is a behavior problem because they have a conduct disorder or antisocial tendencies," Kashdan said.
"However, sometimes when we dive into the motive for their actions, we will find that they show extreme social anxiety and extreme fears of being judged. If social anxiety was the reason for their behavior, this would suggest an entirely different intervention," Kashdan added.
Anxiety Disorder Patients Tend to Over-React, Study Finds
People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are less able to respond to any negative emotions they may feel, concludes a new Stanford University School of Medicine study.
People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) are less able to respond to any negative emotions they may feel, concludes a new Stanford University School of Medicine study.
"In the adult world, the same can be said for managers, co-workers, romantic partners and friends. It is easy to misunderstand why people are behaving the way we do and far too often we assume that the aggressive, impulsive behaviors are the problem. What we are finding is that for a large minority of people, social anxiety underlies the problem," Kashdan said.
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The new research has been published in Current Directions in Psychological Science.
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Adolescent Depression, Anxiety Disorders are Two Distinct Problems
Adolescent depression and anxiety disorders are actually two distinct psychiatric disorders, says an expert at Utrecht University.
Adolescent depression and anxiety disorders are actually two distinct psychiatric disorders, says an expert at Utrecht University.
TRI
