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social anxiety

fear of social situations in which embarrassment may occur (e.g., making conversation, meeting strangers, dating) or there is a risk of being negatively evaluated by others (e.g., seen as stupid, weak, or anxious). Social anxiety involves apprehensiveness about one’s social status, role, and behavior. When the anxiety causes an individual significant distress or impairment in functioning, a diagnosis of social phobia may be warranted.

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Psychology term of the day

January 20th 2025

Imaginary

Imaginary

n. the realm of images: one of three aspects of the psychoanalytic field defined by French psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan (1901–1981). The Imaginary is that state of being in which the infant has no sense of being a subject distinct from other people or the external world and no sense of his or her place in human culture. After the infant’s entry into the Symbolic (the world of language, culture, and morality), he or she can return to the wholeness of the Imaginary only in fantasy. See also Real.