Social Anxiety [Paperback]

Mark R. Leary (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 4, 1997 | ISBN-10: 1572302631 | ISBN-13: 978-1572302631 | Edition: 1

Why does social anxiety occur, and why are some people more prone to it than others? Drawing on work on personality and social psychology, clinical and counselling psychology, communication and sociology, this book provides an overview of basic and applied research in the feelings of anxiety, shyness and embarrassment that are often the consequences of quite ordinary social encounters.; The authors examine the features of situations that elicit social anxiety, personality variables that Predispose People To Be Socially Anxious, The Cognitive And Emotional experience of social anxiety, its evolutionary and physiological underpinnings, and strategies for prevention and treatment. The book includes scales for measuring different manifestations of anxiety, as well as boxed material providing coverage of topics ranging from social anxiety among famous personalities to the implications of social anxiety for student achievement.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. Leary is an established expert and acknowledged master of the field, and Dr. Kowalski is an up-and-coming young star. Their work has extraordinary range and offers countless useful insights. Researchers, practitioners, and the curious public will all find smooth prose and great wisdom in this book. It is an integrative, important, state-of-the-art analysis of a common component of our shared human drama, our fears of what others may be thinking of us." --Rowland S. Miller, PhD, Sam Houston State University

"Leary and Kowalski provide an entertaining yet highly informative theoretical discussion of the causes, concomitants, and consequences of social anxiety. Their review of the vast literature on social and related anxieties is both thorough and scholarly. Social Anxiety is extraordinarily comprehensive and a delight to read. I recommend it highly to my social and clinical psychology colleagues." --James A. Shepperd, PhD, University of Florida

"This is a fascinating and authoritative work on social anxiety. Leary and Kowalski do a thorough and thoughtful job of covering the research literature on this important topic. It is a valuable resource for readers and therapists, as well as anyone who is curious about the basic human project of getting along with others. It is pleasant and easy to read, yet sophisticated enough for the expert. It covers the latest theories and research findings." --Roy F. Baumeister, PhD, E. B. Smith Professor of Psychology, author of Losing Control and Meanings of Life

About the Author

Mark R. Leary, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Wake Forest University. His research interests focus on social motivation and emotion, particularly processes involving self-presentation, social anxiety, and self-esteem. The author of a number of books, he is also Associate Editor of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

Robin M. Kowalski, PhD, has taught at Wake Forest University and Western Carolina University, where she is currently Assistant Professor of Psychology. Her research interests include social anxiety, social psychological factors in health and illness, gender and aggression, and complaining. Her research on complaining has received national attention, including an appearance on NBC's Today Show.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press; 1 edition (July 4, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572302631
• ISBN-13: 978-1572302631
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,809,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I can't believe I'm the first to review this great book, November 14, 2002

By 

Richard C. Jensen (San Diego, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Social Anxiety (Paperback)

The reason this book is the best of all anxiety books is because it's scientifically referenced. That means it's readable for students, patients, professors, and medical doctors. And there is some very interesting information in here. For example, blue-eyed people have more anxiety than green- or brown-eyed people, and this may be from a difference in neurotransmitters that help determine eye color! Hard to believe, isn't it. The reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars is because of their recommendations on pharmacology treatment of anxiety, or should I say, lack of recommendations. Throughout the whole book they have tried to be objective, stating that many different psychologists fight over the "proper" treatments for different anxious conditions, and that the authors want to give all sides equal time in the book. What they were not objective about is the fact that up to 50% of all anxious people will not be cured by psychotherapy alone, and do need (either temporarily or permanently) anxiolytic medication. And when they finally do mention anti-anxiety drugs, they mention some of the worst ones, including MAO inhibitors (NEVER TAKE THEM), and beta-blockers (can cause respiratory depression and severe low blood pressure). And when they mention benzodiazepines (valium-type sedatives), they say that the only side effects from them are sedation. Benzodiazepines are very important in the treatment of many different anxiety conditions, but the readers need to be warned that they can cause physical dependence---a truly important side effect. Finally, even though the book was published in 1995, they don't even mention SSRI's like Prozac and Zoloft at all. I can't believe they would recommend an MAO inhibitor and not an SSRI. SSRI's are just as effective for anxiety as MAOI's, but do not have any potentially lethal side effects. How does someone know if they need a benzodiazepine, and antidepressant, or both for their anxiety? The book The Failures of American Medicine details what anxiolytic drugs are appropriate for the various anxiety conditions, and is available here at Amazon.com.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Research Literature Review, August 24, 2004

By 

Dr. Signe A. Dayhoff "Social Effectiveness Gu... (New Mexico USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Social Anxiety (Paperback)

Rather than being a book on social anxiety from the clinical perspective, this compendium looks at the condition primarily from the social psychological perspective. In doing so, it covers the interpersonal basis of social anxiety and looks at how self-presentation, expectancies, self-efficacy, interpersonal behavior, and motivation contribute to the subjective aspects of social anxiety - physiology, cognition, and emotion. While it addresses the experience and treatment of this condition, it should not be thought of as a therapeutic workbook or guide to treatment. Instead, it is a thorough, thoughtful, and informative review of the theory of and research literature on the causes of this pervasive and painful problem.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Social Anxiety: Book Review, August 8, 2003

By 

Maria Horton (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Social Anxiety (Paperback)

I bought this book for purposes of continuing education. It is very well done from a scientific viewpoint and I believe many people can learn a lot from it. The limiting factor of this book, in my opinion, is its 1995 publication date. In this field 8 years does make a difference in research and application information available. I would really like to see this book updated by the excellent authors, especially the last chapter which is entitled "Chasing Away the Butterflies". This chapter essentially deals with treatment.