Teneisha Johnson
Performance Fears (A Social Phobia) Try living for the applause!
Humans beings are fundamentally social animals.
For most of us, social ostracism, rejection, and public humiliation are as much to be feared and avoided as being bitten by a bull dog, falling from high places, or being trapped in an elevator.
This leads to the irony that some people are so afraid of being embarrassed in front of others that they avoid the very social situations that are so important to a complete life.
In the most common form of Social Phobia, the social anxiety is limited and confined to a fear about performance in very specific types of activities or social situations.
The person functions perfectly well so long as these situations can be successfully avoided.
One of the most common fear is public speaking.
The mere prospect of being called on in class or making a presentation at work is enough to cause a cold sweat.
You may be terrified of the public humiliation that will result from exposure of flaws, missteps, or inadequacies.
You might say something ignorant, foolish, or awkward; or stumble over your words; or show your anxiety by blushing, trembling, or sweating, or become frozen stiff by the paralyzing fear.
You are your own worst critic and imagine that everyone else will be watching you and judging you as harshly as you judge yourself.
This could happen to anyone – a Queen or King, a President or Prime Minister, a Beauty Contestant during the big event or that dreaded moment when they are asked that pivotal question or a world-class athlete etc.
The negative effects of intense anxiety on performance can lead to a vicious cycle that serves to perpetuate the problem.
For example, a saleswoman loses her train of thought because she is anxious during an important presentation, blows her punch line, and finally has to sit down feeling humiliated and foolish.
The next time she is called upon to give a similar presentation, she is preoccupied with worries that she will mess up once more, she then overprepares and over rehearses, and becomes so tightly strung that she is likely again to lose her concentration and get flustered.
I was very fortunate many years ago to be a part of the Grand Cayman Toastmaster Club and received very vital and effective training in Public Speaking.
For more information about Toastmasters visit: http://www.toastmasters.org/
Other common types of performance fears include using public restrooms will others are present, playing a musical instrument in a concert, being observed while working, signing your name in public, kissing in public, or even eating in a restaurant.
I guess it’s just the prospect of being under the watchful eyes of others that makes it so paralyzing, not the actual activity itself.
So long as there is no audience, you can comfortably give a speech in front of a mirror or effortlessly perform a piano piece.
Other phobias are more general. You may miss school or work because you can’t face the people, avoid asking someone out on a date, and may even not go to the party unless all of the other guests are people you already know.
At the extreme end of the spectrum are those who are enormously fearful of any situation that involves interacting with others.
The reclusive and painfully shy Laura in Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie is a poignant depiction of extreme social avoidance.
