Social Phobia among Arts and Science College Students

Abstract

Social phobia, also called social anxiety disorder, is an anxiety disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations. People with social phobia have a persistent, intense, and chronic fear of being watched and judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions. Their fear may be so severe that it interferes with work, school, or other activities. While many people with social phobia recognize that their fear of being around people may be excessive or unreasonable, they are unable to overcome it. They often worry for days or weeks in advance of a dreaded situation. In addition, they often experience low self-esteem and depression. The present study consists of 250 college students studying in Arts and Science colleges situated in Namakkal District of Tamil Nadu, India. The present study reveals that the Arts and Science college students are having moderate level of social phobia and irrespective of sub samples of the Arts and Science college students are having moderate level of social phobia. The social phobia of female students is better than male students. The social phobia of urban area students is better than rural students. The social phobia of Government college students is better than private college students. The social phobia of arts group students is better than science group students.