Recognizing Social Anxiety in Teens

Adolescence can be a difficult time for young people to navigate. Starting from the age of 13 on average, children begin to shift from a family-centric social sphere to a peer-centric one. This transition into finding compatible peer groups often require the implementation of several social skills including emotional regulation, effective communication, and situation-appropriate body language. Learning a variety of social skills can help improve interpersonal interactions but surprisingly, social performance has a lot more to do with anxiety than our social skill-set.

According to a 2004 study, “When individuals are not anxious they do not show deficits in social skills. Any deficits in performance seem to be largely restricted to situations in which they are anxious, which suggests that they are an anxiety response rather than an indication of a lack of knowledge or ability (Alden and Taylor, 2004).” When anxiety is effectively reduced, social skill deficits are largely mitigated. Adolescent social anxiety is significantly correlated with perceived lack of peer acceptance and a low level of friendship intimacy. In addition to these factors, negative self concept has been associated with social anxiety. Therapy that addresses the teen’s self-esteem as well as exposing them to social situations to practice their skills in a welcoming environment will have lasting positive effects.