Conclusions

The preceding chapters have overviewed a variety of conceptual schemes and a considerable amount of research work involving social phobia. Four questions have been used to structure this undertaking. Where available, multiple perspectives towards providing an answer have been considered. However, overall conclusions still need to be drawn.

What is Social Phobia?

The answer to this question must necessarily blend conception with observation. Without a theoretical statement delineating the construct, how could we observe (measure) the manifestation of what is properly socially phobic and distinguish it from what is not? Without further studying individuals who are socially phobic, how could we tell if the conception is apt?

Oddly, in view of the claim that social phobia can be identified by criteria specified in classificatory systems and its severity measured by various instruments, few formulations and descriptive statements of social phobia are found. The measurement schemes are likely the product of implicit and mostly unarticulated notions of what the construct of social phobia might be. In measurement certain features are singled out and made prominent but the overall structure and the relationship among its constituting elements remain ambiguous. Are the features salient for measurement also theoretically vital? Are they the quintessence of social phobia? In confronting these issues we were adrift in a theoretical void. I attempted to fill the gap in fleshing out the construct of social phobia in chapter 1. So as to avoid needless repetition I shall restate the main points later on, in the integrative section.