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Communication apprehension theory
Communication apprehension theory
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Palms sweaty, knees shaking, tongue tied, stomach in knots, forgotten words: if this has ever happened to you, chances are you are among the 80% of Americans who have a fear of public speaking (Charming Health 2015). At first this fear is normal and does not cause any major problems, however if it progresses into full blown communication apprehension then it can cause low self esteem, mental stress, and eventually prevent the person from completing a college course or a job interview. Fortunately there are ways to recognize when a fear of communicating with others or in public is just normal jitters and when it goes beyond that and develops into full blown communication apprehension, which can have crippling effects on the life of the person …show more content…
Communication Apprehension can lead to a subset or additional problem called Glossophobia, which is a fear associated with social situations.
Matthew Hinton:
Great topic!
COMMUNICATION
APPREHENSION
2
."Fear of social situations is a very natural fear as many people simply do not like getting in front of a group of people and speaking. This fear can turn into a phobia and can become so extreme that your career, relationships and even your life can be restricted. It is estimated that about 75 percent of the American population suffers with some form of Glossophobia. People who suffer with this phobia can experience extreme anxiety and or pain. This phobia causes an exaggerated emphasis to be placed on things rather than life itself, which in turn, limits focus on what is important in life. Sufferers of Glossophobia become so absorbed in this fear that they essentially detach themselves from society." (Glossophobia 2015)
According to the Website Charming Health, Communication Apprehension or CA has
"Two prime factors affecting communication apprehension are hereditary and the existing circumstances of the person. In other words, we can either be born with certain
Many times in life a person will feel awkward or insecure in a strange environment.
The very idea of spending time with people outside of school is exhausting and my heart begins to pound as I raise my hand to speak during class. Speaking in public, even if it’s just to answer a question in class, or carrying out tasks like ordering Chinese food can lead to tears or a sudden lack of ability to breathe. If I think I say something in a weird way or join a conversation I feel I should not have joined, I will remember the terror (because it is pure terror) that I felt in that moment basically
In order to treat the fear you must treat it with relaxation while in the presence of the feared situation. The first step in Wolpe’s study was to focus on relaxing your body. He recommended a process that involves tensing and relaxing various groups of muscles until a deep state of relaxation is achieved (Wolpe,264). The second stage was to develop a list of anxiety-producing situations that are associated with the phobia. The list would descend with from the least uncomfortable situation to the most anxiety producing event you can imagine. The number of events can vary from 5 to 20 or more. The final step is to desensitize, which is the actual “unlearning” of the phobia. Wolpe told his patients that no actual contact with the fear is necessary, and that the same effectiveness can be accomplished through descriptions and visualizations(Wolpe,265). Wolpe’s participants are told to put themselves in a state of relaxation which they are taught. Then, the therapist begins reading the first situation on the hierarchy they have made up. If the patient stays relaxed through the first situation the therapist continues to the next until the state of relaxation is broken. If they feel a slight moment of anxiety they are to raise their index finger until the state of relaxation is restored. The average number
Conquering phobias is a specialty of hypnotherapists. A phobia is a compulsive fear of a specified situation or object (Knight 2). A few types of phobias are fear of open spaces, fear of snow, fear of the cold, fear of marriage, fear of insanity, fear of being alone, fear of darkness, fear of disease, fear of beards, fear of birds, fear of being stared at, fear of bein...
Main Point 1: There are three main categories of phobias. The first category is Specific Phobias which are known as simple phobias. Specific phobias or simple phobias are usually fears about specific situations, living creatures, places, activities, or things. Examples of simple phobias is dentophobia (dentists), aerophobia (flying), claustrophobia (small spaces), and acrophobia (heights). The other two categories are Social Phobia and Agoraphobia. These two are known as complex phobias. The article “What is a Phobia?”, describes them as complex phobias because “they are linked to deep-rooted fear or anxiety about certain situations, incidents or circumstances, which make them more disabling than simple phobias.” Social phobia is also referred to as social anxiety disorder. Social phobia may be defined in which a person has an excessive and unreasonable fear of social situations. (Webmd.com) A person with social phobia finds being in social situations very difficult to handle with because of the lack of social skills or experiences that person may have. Going out to social events such as parties or functions may cause anxiety to a person with social phobia. There is that fear a person has of being embarrassed in public. People with this phobia may be afraid of a specific situation such as public speaking. Medicinenet.com defines “agoraphobia” as “a fear of being outside or otherwise being in a situation from which one either cannot escape or from which escaping would be difficult or humiliating.” The results of agoraphobia are anxiety and panic attacks. People with agoraphobia sometimes confine themselves inside their own home when symptoms are
Social phobias easily lead individuals to shunning situations where they feel they might be the focus of other people in the society, as they often feel unaccomplished and therefore assume that they will be the subject of the said populations (American Psychiatric Association, 2015). The fear of negative judgment imposed by other people in the society points at a situation where one ensures that they stay devoid of situations that involve socializing with other people in the society. This makes it almost impossible for individuals with these phobias to take up roles that require public participation (Randi and Irena, 2015). It ascribes to what one can view as the phobia of other people 's reaction to an individual. Fear of rejection by others is a good example of a social phobia. Social phobias can take the form of gelotophobia, which is the fear of other people laughing at an individual, or even glossophobia, which is the fear public speaking. Social phobias can easily limit an individual y ensuring that one avoids all situations that can lead to scrutiny or contact with the public. This is debilitating and can easily lead to harmful consequences that include the inability of an individual to perform their roles in the society or even the inability to take up work for fear of judgment by others (Bourne,
First, there must be an understanding that there is a difference between normal fear and a phobia. The two are very similar, but they have a distinct characteristic and description that sets the two apart. A normal fear is a feeling that everyone can fear and something very simple and is not complex to the mind. A normal fear is related to any common and daily situations that can occur in one’s life. It is normal and helpful to feel fear in dangerous and nerve-racking situations; this experience is quite normal. Some examples of a situation like this can be waiting for a grade on a test you weren’t quite ready for, driving a car for the first time, or even taking part in a rough contact sport where you can get hurt. To humans, fear is something that is adaptive. Being adaptive, it is serving us to protect us. Being adaptive can be seen as a “fight-or-flight” response. This means tha...
"Fears and Phobias." KidsHealth. Ed. Arcy Lyness. The Nemours Foundation, 01 May 2013. Web. 25 May 2014.
How has public speaking become so feared? “In a study [of 9,000 people] that concentrated on fears in a social situation, their top ranking fears were public speaking, speaking up in class, meeting new people, talking to people of authority, important exams or interviews, going to parties and talking to strangers”(Lucas, 2012, pg. 9). This question has always perplexed me, because I too suffer from a fear of speaking in public. But after reading chapter one of The Art of Public Speaking, I understand now that it is a blend of different subjects that make public speaking seem so unappealing. Stephen Lucas opens this chapter on the power of public speaking, by saying “Throughout history people have used public speaking as a vital means of
For the aforementioned reasons, there is no doubt that fears and shy had been controlled myself throughout the years. According to The People’s Almanac presents The Book of Lists by David Wallechinsky, Irving and Amy Wallace, one of the topic was titled “The 14 Worst Human Fears”, and the fear of speaking in public is the first fear of all fears (Richard I. Garber, 2009). This make me realized that it is perfectly normal to feel anxiety and fears to speak. Everyone, even an experienced speakers has some anxiety when speaking in front of a group of people. As for my experience and situation, I should have just fight the fears in me to throw my voice out asking questions in class otherwise I would might left behind a bit and need to struggle up for the subjects more than everyone does. Asking questions does not make you any stupid, it’s the source of
People with social anxiety may usually experience extreme distress in some of these situations: when they are being introduced to other people, being teased or criticized, being the center of attention, meeting important people or authoritative people, being watched while doing something, having to announce something in a public situation, embarrassing easily, or making eye contact. Social anxiety may be selective, though. A person may have an extreme fear of one occasion, such as public speaking, but be perfectly comfortable in any other situation.
All of us at one point in our life have had a fear of something, whether it’s public speaking, trying something new for the first time, or even presenting just like we're all going to be doing. I'm sure most of us will be nervous and we try our best to get rid of that feeling. Some people have Social anxiety which is known as social phobia. It is the fear of social interaction with other people and of being judged and looked down upon. It can also be a fear of embarrassment. This leads to feelings of inadequacy, self-consciousness, and depression. Social anxiety is an issue that affects many individuals as it should be taken more seriously and should not be considered as a weakness. Moreover, individuals with social anxiety should not be judged
We all have our fears, rather it be flying or driving. However, when a phobia is present the individual has extreme irrational fears that interfere with their quality of life. For example a fear of heights may limit an individuals living or employment choices. If this individual is offered the job of a lifetime, however, the office is located on the twentieth floor; they will refuse the job due to the fear of heights.
There are three kinds of phobias: simple phobia, social phobia, and panic attacks. Simple phobias, also called specific phobias, are fears of a specific thing, such as spiders or being in a closed place. Most simple phobias develop during childhood and eventually disappear. Specific phobia is a marked fear of a specific object or situation. It is a category for any phobias other than agoraphobia and social phobia. The categories of specific phobias are 1. situational phobias such as: fear of elevators, airplanes, enclosed places, public transportation, tunnels, or bridges; 2. fear of the natural environment such as: storms, water, or heights; 3. animal phobias such as: fear of dogs, snakes, insects, or mice; 4. blood-injection-injury phobia such as: fear of seeing blood or an injury, or of receiving an injection. (Wood 520).
Whenever I had something to say, I could not bring myself to say it. I also made short pauses before I replied to someone’s question. If I did manage to say something, however, I would always stutter my lines in a way that would annoy the person I was talking to. Even making eye contact proved to be difficult. Because of this unpleasant activity, social anxiety sufferers make sure to never develop any sort of conversation with anyone. Severe cases of social anxiety can cause improper communication with even your closest friends and family. I became distant from my loved ones as a result. I kept quiet, despite my strong desire to express my thoughts. Having the inability to communicate with people will only prove to be difficult when attempting to live a normal, everyday