Are there different types of social anxiety? What to know

Are there different types of social anxiety?

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR) currently recognizes one subtype of SAD, known as “performance-only” SAD.

However, while the main type of SAD generally causes similar symptoms in all people, the presentation can vary significantly. As a result, some have suggested there are more subtypes than this.

According to a 2020 study, past research has proposed others, such as:

• generalized social anxiety
• nongeneralized social anxiety
• interaction anxiety
• performance or observational anxiety
• stranger-authority anxiety
• anxiety about eating or drinking while observed

Some argue that having more defined subtypes could be a useful tool for research, helping to describe the specific ways social anxiety manifests.

But there is some debate about whether the types are truly distinct or helpful. Some types overlap, and many are not mutually exclusive. A person could have anxiety that is both generalized and performance-related, for example.

Instead, these types may represent a spectrum of social anxiety symptoms and degrees of severity.

Generalized vs. nongeneralized social anxiety

One older way of categorizing social anxiety is into generalized and nongeneralized types.

Generalized social anxiety

Generalized social anxiety refers to social anxiety that occurs across most social situations. It is a concept that comes from an older edition of the DSM. Today, it falls under the umbrella of SAD.

Generalized social anxiety is more pervasive than some other proposed types. The symptoms include:

• pronounced anxiety in one or more social situations
• fear of negative evaluation by others
• avoidance of anxiety-inducing situations
• negative effects on aspects of life such as work or relationships

People with SAD may also talk more quietly or make less eye contact with others. Usually, it emerges before the age of 20 years — often in childhood.

Nongeneralized social anxiety

In contrast to generalized social anxiety, nongeneralized social anxiety occurs only in some situations. These may be situations that involve an element of performance, such as job interviews.

Alternatively, some may find they only experience social anxiety when talking to strangers instead of friends or when talking in groups instead of one-to-one.

The concept of performance-only SAD has replaced nongeneralized anxiety.

Performance-only anxiety

According to the DSM-5-TR definition, performance-only SAD is when a person only experiences anxiety during public performances, such as when giving speeches or performing on stage. They do not experience symptoms at other times.

This subtype overlaps with the concept of nongeneralized SAD, although performance-only SAD is more specific.

This subtype is not popular with all researchers. A 2020 study mentions that it “may not do justice to the complexity” of SAD.

Interaction vs. performance anxiety

Another way of categorizing social anxiety is based on what precisely a person is afraid of. They may fear socializing itself or the potential outcome of socializing, such as negative judgment or embarrassment.

Previous researchers sometimes called the former “social interaction anxiety” and the latter “performance anxiety” or “observational anxiety.”

Performance anxiety

While performance-only SAD only occurs during public performances, performance anxiety more generally can occur in any situation where a person feels others are judging or watching them, whether they are or not.

This could include many different scenarios, such as when:

• telling a story or joke to a group of people
• eating or drinking in public
• performing tasks in front of others
• playing games with others

The anxiety revolves around what others think of the person. They may anticipate negative reactions or feel that people are paying attention to them when they may not be.

However, a general fear of scrutiny is an integral part of the current definition of SAD, so doctors generally do not consider it a separate subtype today.

Social interaction anxiety

In contrast, social interaction anxiety is a fear of social interaction itself. A person with this type would feel worried about having to see or speak to people at all, regardless of whether they receive a positive or negative reaction.

However, it is unclear how many people have this type of social anxiety. A 2017 study of adolescents found that few of the participants exclusively fulfilled the criteria for just one subtype, with most having a mixture of fears around interaction, performance, and observation.

This calls into question whether this subtype is a useful concept. Further research is necessary.

Specific social phobia

In some older research, scientists mention a type of social anxiety known as specific social phobia (SSP). This describes a fear of specific aspects of socializing or of specific people.

For example, a person could have a phobia only of strangers or only of authority figures. Others might specifically fear sweating or blushing in public.

The idea behind SSP is that these fears more closely resemble phobias than generalized SAD. However, the concept has not received much research attention in recent years.

Summary

There has been much debate among researchers over the years about whether different types of social anxiety exist and, if so, what they are.

Currently, though, the DSM-5-TR only recognizes social anxiety disorder along with one subtype, known as performance-only anxiety. This replaced a previous distinction between generalized and nongeneralized SAD.

In the past, researchers have also proposed other types of social anxiety, but there is no consensus on whether these categories are valid or useful.

People with persistent social anxiety of any type should contact a doctor or therapist for support and treatment, if they can.

Learn where to find free or low cost therapy along with other affordable mental health care options.