The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Techniques for Overcoming Your Fears [Paperback]

Martin M. Antony (Author), Richard P. Swinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2000

Social anxiety disorder is the fear of situations that involve interaction with other people - ranging from anxiety that terrifies before a scheduled public appearance, to shyness that leads to withdrawal from contact at a casual social event. This workbook is designed to help the reader overcome these paralyzing social phobias and provides skill-building exercises for improvement of communication, public speaking and general anxiety. It also contains an intensive, self-directed treatment programme.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Martin M. Antony is Chief Psychologist and Director of an Anxiety Treatment and Research Centre. Richard P. Swinson is Professor and Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioural Nurosciences at McMaster University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications; 1 edition (November 30, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572242167
• ISBN-13: 978-1572242166
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #320,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

88 of 94 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great workbook for those serious about changing, November 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Techniques for Overcoming Your Fears (Paperback)

First the book helps you get to know where your major problem areas are by conducting a self-assessment. Next it helps you to change your anxious thoughts such as: "when people look at me, they are thinking I am strange or weird" to a more rational thought like: "most people aren't thinking about me and even if they do they are not likely to think I'm strange". Then, they confront your fears head on through exposure while employing the techniques you've learned. As a person with social anxiety I can tell you exposure treatment is a frightening prospect but it does work. This book holds your hand through it but never coddles you. It's not easy but it is possible to feel better. I use this book between therapy sessions as a kind of crutch or reminder of what I'm suppose to be doing.

61 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars this book is so self explanatory, June 26, 2005

By 

Asperger (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Techniques for Overcoming Your Fears (Paperback)

This book was really a waste of time. When I was done reading, I was no better off than when I started. The beginning is really interesting in that it describes what kind of feelings go on inside the mind of a shy person. I thought I was the only one in the world who felt these things, and it was interesting to see them expressed by someone else in a book. So I continued to read on to the parts where they tell you how to get better. It said to try stuff like writing in a journal every day and to "think positive", "be assertive", and "practice making small talk". Like I didn't consider that on my own! This book really did not need to be written. What they could have done was just take the beginning of the book and sell it on its own as a short story or something, since it is the only useful or interesting part. After the first part of the book, it's basically telling you to go see a psychiatrist or get medication or both. It starts to get repetitive and is basically filled with the same useless suggestions that any person could have thought of, but they keep re-wording them throughout the book. So save yourself some money and don't buy this book. If you're interested in reading the opening part of the book, see if you can find it in a library.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Resource!!, July 2, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Shyness & Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven Techniques for Overcoming Your Fears (Paperback)

A truly excellent resource! This book is full of valuable exercises for challenging the irrational thoughts and avoidance behaviors that fuel social anxiety. I particularly appreciated the creative examples of how one can confront and overcome social and performance fears in a gradual and manageable fashion. Of all of the resources that I've come across to date, this book has been the most helpful to me in terms of offering realistic and practical strategies!