# My Take on the Causes of Social Anxiety



## Catechumen (Aug 21, 2018)

This is partly based on the writings of British Psychotherapist Dr. J. A. Hadfield

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._A._Hadfield

He successfully treated many patients of various mental health problems using *Direct Reduction Analysis, tracing causes back to actual repressed incidents in childhood. Sadly, this type of therapy seems to have been superseded by quick-fix cures like cbt, perhaps because it was more lengthy, costly and needed a skilled operator.

Among his publications were:
*Psychology and Mental Health* (1950), I thought this work was so important that I personally scanned in the complete volume and uploaded it to the internet archive, you don't need to borrow it - you can download the complete pdf now:

https://archive.org/details/PsychologyAndMentalHealth
*Childhood and Adolescence* (1967)
*Dreams and Nightmares* (1954)

* I could only find online one therapist who was actually familiar with this type of therapy some years ago who was based in New Zealand

http://www.marlboroughcounselling.co.nz/psychotherapy.html

*1. PRE-DISPOSING CAUSES*
Two men join the Armed services and fight on the front line experiencing similar trauma, one develops shell-shock or PTSD and the other doesn't - why? Because the one who developed shell-shock had an earlier history of trauma in infancy. Examples of trauma in infancy might be a difficult birth, parental neglect, deprivation of love, molestation, neuro-developmental delay, etc.

If your house gets built on sand it will be liable to subsidence later. If your house is built on a firm foundation of love and support you will be more resilient. Early trauma is like a sleeping volcano just waiting to be triggered into a full-blown first panic attack.

*2. PRECIPITATING CAUSES*
These occur later and for social anxiety might be humiliating early experiences, such as ridicule by a parent, teacher, peers, rape, bullying or constant criticism by a caregiver, etc

*3. DEVELOPMENTAL INSTINCTS*
Throughout infancy a child will normally go through various developmental stages where instinctual urges are expressed in order to survive such as:
_Attention_ - i.e a baby cries when distressed to attract it's caregiver to help it.
_Self-assertion_ - e.g a child wants to explore it's near environment so will try and move about freely.
_Self-display_ - an infant will goof around and draw attention to itself.
_Sociality_ - the urge to to associate with others and to form social groups - _the herd instinct_. (An important throwback instinct, to be excluded from the tribe eons ago meant probable death).

*4. SYMPTOM DEVELOPMENT*
If these instincts, instead of being developed, are repressed for whatever reason they lie like sleeping tigers, waiting to be aroused. Later, as adolescents or adults, when put in a re-stimulating situation the tiger is aroused and instead of being welcome it is seen as a threat. One part of the psyche says 'go on you must draw attention to yourself' , an unconcious part says 'but it's dangerous - look what happened when I was five and I got thrashed and humiliated for doing whatever'. 
A conflict ensues - so to try and satisfy both instinct and super-ego a symptom develops eg. blushing, excessive sweating, etc. 
Depression often results at the frustration of these natural instincts.
Often moral issues underpin the symptoms such as guilt and shame. It's a very difficult problem to be left with.


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## Maslow (Dec 24, 2003)

Catechumen said:


> This is partly based on the writings of British Psychotherapist Dr. J. A. Hadfield
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._A._Hadfield
> 
> He successfully treated many patients of various mental health problems using *Direct Reduction Analysis, tracing causes back to actual repressed incidents in childhood. Sadly, this type of therapy seems to have been superseded by quick-fix cures like cbt, perhaps because it was more lengthy, costly and needed a skilled operator.


How did he treat them using "Direct Reduction Analysis?" How does that work? I mean, finding the cause of your problems is not the same as overcoming them, although it is necessary in order to overcome them. That's where I have a problem with CBT. They don't look at the root cause of anything.


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## Catechumen (Aug 21, 2018)

Maslow said:


> How did he treat them using "Direct Reduction Analysis?" How does that work? I mean, finding the cause of your problems is not the same as overcoming them, although it is necessary in order to overcome them. That's where I have a problem with CBT. They don't look at the root cause of anything.


Direct Reductive Analysis takes the symptom which the patient is complaining about as the starting point, e.g excessive sweating or whatever. If there is no obvious symptom then a recurring dream might be used. Then, with the patient lying in a reclined, relaxed position, Free-association is used to trace back and uncover repressed material. The symptom is returned to again and again, resistance is worked through in order to recover distressing material, working backwards through precipitaing circumstances, then predisposing circumstances where necessary.

Birth traumas and early infant problems have been shown to be key to neurotic behaviour.

It is not usually a fast process, but can take weeks or months.

Other treament teks like EMDR, Primal Therapy, Hypnoanalysis, Breathwork, Ayahuasca may also uncover traumas so I wouldn't say a certain tek is the only way to be healed.
Maybe graduated exposure will work as well in taming instinctual emotions.

By recovering the repressed memories and associated feelings and instinctual urges, the patient is reportedley freed of their neurotic behaviour. Hadfield uses the analogy of a shrapnel wound. It could be treated with a quick fix like putting a Band-Aid on, akin to persuasion or positive thinking, or surgery to remove the shrapnel (i.e Analysis) - this would take longer, be uncomfortable, but would radically cure the patient.
Another analogy used is someone saying you should _let sleeping dogs lie_ i.e let the trauma stay repressed, but sleeping dogs won't stay sleeping!


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## Catechumen (Aug 21, 2018)

I neglected to mention that there is some evidence that S.A.D can be linked to genetic traits and has a tendency to run in families. It has been claimed that children can 'model' (i.e copy) behaviours from Parents / Caregivers.


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## Catechumen (Aug 21, 2018)

*Recovering From "Cry It Out" Parenting as an Adult*

Psychology Professor 
*Darcia F. Narvaez Ph.D.*

claims she had social anxiety and it was related to her early upbringing:

*''Did your parents undercare for you? *Did you parents ignore your needs---letting you cry yourself to sleep as a baby? Did they frequently criticize and scold you and your siblings when you were young? Did they forget to show physical affection with hugs and cuddles? Did you live in a hostile environment for emotional expression? I did. My physical, mental and social health were affected....''

see https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/.../201112/recovering-cry-it-out-parenting-adult

*''Social Anxiety and Awkwardness*
Raised with minimal social nourishment meant that I was socially awkward. Shy and retiring as a child I also had difficulty looking people in the eye. Because of caregiver rejection of my needs in early life (allowing me to cry in distress repeatedly; ignoring my emotional needs), I developed distrust and an intuitive *avoidant* attachment--- holding people at arm's length and avoiding intimacy. As a result, I couldn't develop close friendships because I was afraid and unskilled, so I had a lonely childhood and adolescence. ''

There is still debate over whether letting babies 'cry it out' is detrimental, but isn't it surely a foundation to make a baby feel unloved?
I notice it is still recommended by some people on parenting websites.


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