ABSTRACT
Social anxiety is defined and described. Affected people experience intense anxiety before and during social occasions. It develops in adolescence or early adulthood, and is chronic and often associated with other psychological problems, notably depression. Few people are unfamiliar with feelings of apprehensiveness on some occasions, but clinicians and clinical researchers focus on the most extreme forms of social anxiety, often referred to as social phobia. The cognitive theory is described and evaluated and trends in treatment are described briefly.
