Product Description

This step-by-step guide to overcoming fear of social interaction provides a comprehensive overview and includes behavioral skill-building exercises that have been proven effective in most cases.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #98900 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 216 pages

Customer Reviews

Not very realistic advice...
Some of the advice in this book tells you to do things like "Speak up in meetings at work" and to "Make an impromptu speech or toast at a wedding or other celebration."
My god, if I could do those types of things I wouldn't be reading a book like this in the first place!
This book actually might be good if taken only as one part of a bigger program, but by itself it is kind of useless.

Great workbook for those serious about changing
First the book helps you get to know where your major problem areas are by conducting a self-assessment. Next it helps you to change your anxious thoughts such as: "when people look at me, they are thinking I am strange or weird" to a more rational thought like: "most people aren't thinking about me and even if they do they are not likely to think I'm strange". Then, they confront your fears head on through exposure while employing the techniques you've learned. As a person with social anxiety I can tell you exposure treatment is a frightening prospect but it does work. This book holds your hand through it but never coddles you. It's not easy but it is possible to feel better. I use this book between therapy sessions as a kind of crutch or reminder of what I'm suppose to be doing.

this book is so self explanatory
This book was really a waste of time. When I was done reading, I was no better off than when I started. The beginning is really interesting in that it describes what kind of feelings go on inside the mind of a shy person. I thought I was the only one in the world who felt these things, and it was interesting to see them expressed by someone else in a book. So I continued to read on to the parts where they tell you how to get better. It said to try stuff like writing in a journal every day and to "think positive", "be assertive", and "practice making small talk". Like I didn't consider that on my own! This book really did not need to be written. What they could have done was just take the beginning of the book and sell it on its own as a short story or something, since it is the only useful or interesting part. After the first part of the book, it's basically telling you to go see a psychiatrist or get medication or both. It starts to get repetitive and is basically filled with the same useless suggestions that any person could have thought of, but they keep re-wording them throughout the book. So save yourself some money and don't buy this book. If you're interested in reading the opening part of the book, see if you can find it in a library.