Is social anxiety inherent in AS, or merely a consequence?

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LookTwice
Velociraptor
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24 Sep 2012, 9:46 pm

Social anxiety is learned, but that learning is heavily influenced by how you perceive your environment and how you filter information and construct meaning out of it.

Genetic influence:
There is a strong correlation between introversion, sensitivity to outer stimuli (which largely depend on your genetic disposition) and social anxiety (but no equivalence), meaning: social anxiety isn't a consequence of autism, but it is likely more prevalent in people with autism if you assume that autistic people are also more introverted. (I'm not aware of studies linking autism directly to anxiety, but I guess they exist as well)

Environmental influence:
People with autism are more likely to unwittingly violate rules and social contracts which can lead to more negative feedback which then can excessively reinforce the normal anxiety patterns that are part of the human behavioral model.

So, in conclusion, it's possible to be autistic and have no anxiety issues, but I'm pretty sure the probability of developing social anxiety is higher if you're autistic.


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BrisMike
Tufted Titmouse
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24 Sep 2012, 9:54 pm

yellowrah wrote:
i was dx with social anxiety 2yrs ago, i have a fear of people cos i cant talk or connect with them, it brings me alot of distress and anxiety because i am aware of this i feel very self concios , im scared to be in social situations cos i no i cant perform or talk and it upsets me to think people think im rude or weird , which ive been called many years

i was diagnosed with aspergers last week,, i feel my social phobic disorder actually is the result of my undiagnosed aspergers for so many years, ive always been shy but when i got to about 13-14 it became a phobia, a real intensive fear


I agree with your post. I think it also depends on the situation. As someone else wrote, we have a choice when we are older not to be part of every social group like at school.

That is one of the not so good things; people think you are rude when you play with your iPhone or say nothing, but often that's just because you want to get out of the situation.