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Social Fears

We describe behavior as maladaptive when it gets in the way of what we really want or need. For instance, if you are too shy to ask questions in class, that’s maladaptive because not asking questions can keep you from finding out what you need to know. If you are too shy to make friends, then your shyness is maladaptive because it is keeping you lonely. The question of how much worry is “too much” varies a lot depending on the person. Some people are introverts by nature—an introvert is a person who might like to be around people but finds the experience tiring or draining. Other people are extroverts —they actually gain energy from big gatherings and having lots of friends. Sometimes it may seem that our society only loves extroverts. But that’s really not true. Many of our greatest artists and thinkers have been introverts. As a society, we need all types of people, and only you know how much socializing is right for you. But we do all need one another to some extent. Remember, we are social animals—even the introverts! When intense worried feelings keep us from interacting with others, we call that experience social anxiety . For some people, the feelings are such a big problem that we say the person has social anxiety disorder . More about this in the next chapter. Social anxiety is a bit like an annoying friend who won’t leave you alone. The bad news is, you probably can’t force the friend to leave completely.

Research Project

Choose a type of social animal that’s interesting to you, such as wolves, ants, or whales. Write a report about the social organization of that species.