Creative Thinking Project: Addressing Social Anxiety in Young Adults

This project, titled "Creative Thinking Project: Addressing Social Anxiety in Young Adults," examines the pervasive issue of social anxiety among young adults. The project begins by defining social anxiety, exploring its causes, and highlighting its prevalence, particularly in the context of the digital age. It then presents background research, drawing on existing literature to provide a comprehensive understanding of the disorder. The core of the project involves an observation of a young woman exhibiting signs of social anxiety in a public setting, followed by an analysis of the observed behavior. The project then proposes a solution in the form of a mobile application designed to connect individuals with social anxiety and facilitate their engagement in social activities, ultimately aiming to improve their mental health and social interaction skills. The project concludes with a reflection on the importance of mental health awareness and the need for support systems for those experiencing social anxiety.

Running head: CREATIVE THINKING
Social Anxiety
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author’s Note

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Stage 1 - Exploring the issue
Social anxiety is a common phenomenon where a person socially exclude themselves for the fear
of getting judged, rejected or negatively evaluated. It is one of the largest mental health care
problem in the world. The people who suffer from this type of disorder or phobia are afraid to
speak in public, avoid social groups and isolate themselves from the gazes of other people. They
also experience several physical problems like rapid heart rate, sweating, nausea, trembling, etc.
In this project, I would like to emphasis on the social anxiety of the young adults. I will also try
to shed light into some remedies for them which would help them bringing out from the phase of
social exclusion.
Background research
After doing a background research on this particular aspect, it has been found that the young
adults have been exposed to any incidents in their past that has left an impact on their minds. It
could be any negative past experiences or toxic environment where the child has faced severe
trauma, be it due to parental conflict, environment rejection, abusive or bullied experience, and
experiences restricted to certain cultural background. Apart from these reasons, the person might
also face social anxiety due to lack of socializing skills, low communicating skills or negative
beliefs. All these factors prompt the person in concern to develop a social phobia that leads to
anxiety thereby resulting in exclusion. Sometimes, it can be very difficult for people to cope
with, as a result develop depression. According to (Leigh & Clark, 2018), social anxiety is the
third most common mental health issues after depression and substance abuse. Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has stated that 9.1% of the young adults have social

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anxiety disorder, while 1.4% have severe impairment. In the recent times, the rate of social
anxiety among the young adults have significantly increased especially due to the usage of
internet, most specifically the social media. It has been observed that the social media has been
largely responsible for the social exclusion despite connecting people from all over the world. It
has made people conscious of their appearance, their fear of getting judged by people, etc. In
Australia, 11% experience social anxiety where the condition arises mostly during adolescence.
Most of the people experiencing this disorder are below the age of 25.
Young adults in Australia are the largest group of people who experience this particular phobia
which push them towards depression and suicidal tendencies. Almost one-fifth of the young
people face very high level of psychological distress which is a matter of major concern.
Beyond Blue is an online support service in Australia which focusses on the adolescents and
help them in overcoming their depression. They have expanded their community with the
objective of helping these young adults to get over socially awkward situations and to get out of
their shells.
Black Dog Institute is another depression forum where the young adults can communicate and
seek their treatment.

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Stage 2 – 500 – Observing the situation and analysis
The intensity of social anxiety among the young adult has grown to a significant aspect. On this
note, I have carried on an observation in a public place in the country, the experience of which I
will narrate in this section.
Where The scene took place outside the airport
premises.
When Early in the morning
What and Why In the airport, there was a bunch of youngsters
probably out for an excursion. This girl who

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was 17-18 years old was sitting isolated from
the entire group. In the morning, I found her
lying in this manner excluded from her group.
It seems that she has social anxiety due to
some reasons which barred her from mingling
with her peer groups.
Who The person I observed was a girl of around
17-18 years of age who had social anxiety and
therefore chose to sleep elsewhere other than
her group. Throughout the evening I observed
her while I was waiting for the airplane, and
found herself to be aloof from the rest of her
group.
What On the basis of the observation, it was clear
that the girl was facing embarrassment due to
some reasons. Despite her group trying to
involve her with them, she seemed to be
distant and thinking of something else. It
seemed to me that she had some kind of
embarrassment due to which she could not
mix with her friends.
This observation taught me that the mental
health should not be taken lightly, as the
The possible solution for this kind of scenario
is that everyone should be aware of the

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person suffering from this might face terrible
situation. The girl whom I observed looked
pretty insecure regarding any matter that
prompted her to avoid other people. Her
loneliness was very pathetic that forced her to
get separated and sleep in a place like that.
presence of mental illness which prompts the
people to behave awkwardly. Moreover, it
should also be taught that they should not be
judged due to their inability to interact with
people. The universities should take
initiatives for spreading the word and help the
people with social anxiety. They should also
focus on grooming the people and give them
the necessary training for gathering
confidence which will ultimately relax their
minds. Eventually, by honing their social
skills they will improve themselves and shed
away their inhibitions that are restricting them
to act freely.

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Stage 3 – 400 (ppt.)
Stage 4 – Developing the modified idea
Stage 6 – Project summary and reflection
The project focuses on one of the most crucial issues concerning mental health – social anxiety.
It deteriorates the standard of living and therefore, needs urgent medical attention. As mental
health awareness is rising globally, it is important to address these issues and help young adults
to deal with their complex emotions. Important healthcare organization should be developed so
that these people who experience social anxiety can hold a hand during their times of distress. In
addition to that, I propose a solution of developing an application which will help them to seek
medical health in just a click. This app should be designed in a way where socially awkward
people can meet likeminded friends. Moreover, this social platform would require them to meet
in public which would help them to get out of their comfort zone. The social communication

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skill will also be strengthened in this manner. These gathering should also focus on comforting
the anxiety attack and help them ease.

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References
Alfano, C. A., & Beidel, D. C. (2011). Social anxiety in adolescents and young adults:
Translating developmental science into practice. American Psychological Association.
Beesdo‐Baum, K., Knappe, S., Fehm, L., Höfler, M., Lieb, R., Hofmann, S. G., & Wittchen, H.
U. (2012). The natural course of social anxiety disorder among adolescents and young
adults. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 126(6), 411-425.
Leigh, E., & Clark, D. M. (2018). Understanding social anxiety disorder in adolescents and
improving treatment outcomes: applying the cognitive model of Clark and Wells
(1995). Clinical child and family psychology review, 21(3), 388-414.
Mick, M. A., & Telch, M. J. (1998). Social anxiety and history of behavioral inhibition in young
adults. Journal of anxiety disorders, 12(1), 1-20.
Pepper, K. L., Demetriou, E. A., Park, S. H., Song, Y. C., Hickie, I. B., Cacciotti-Saija, C., ... &
Guastella, A. J. (2018). Autism, early psychosis, and social anxiety disorder:
understanding the role of social cognition and its relationship to disability in young adults
with disorders characterized by social impairments. Translational psychiatry, 8(1), 233.
Weinstein, A., Dorani, D., Elhadif, R., Bukovza, Y., Yarmulnik, A., & Dannon, P. (2015).
Internet addiction is associated with social anxiety in young adults. Annals of Clinical
Psychiatry, 27(1), 4-9.