The Fear of Being Seen & Heard

notebook and calling card the other clinic

The Fear of Being Seen & Heard

Social anxiety is more than shyness. It can feel like being under constant scrutiny — a fear of saying the wrong thing, being judged, or taking up too much space. For some, even speaking in a small group can feel exposing, or unbearable.

From a psychoanalytic perspective, social anxiety is not simply about other people. It often involves a more fundamental question: how am I positioned in the eyes of the Other? What do they want from me? What am I supposed to be?

This form of anxiety often emerges when something about the subject’s position becomes uncertain. Speech becomes risky. The gaze of the Other — real or imagined — is experienced not as neutral, but as demanding, judgemental or invasive. The person begins to organise their movements, their speech, even their presence, around avoiding exposure.

In therapy, the work is not to boost confidence through surface techniques, but to engage the structure behind the discomfort. Over time, speaking becomes possible again — not because the fear has been erased, but because the subject no longer relates to it in the same way. Social situations can lose some of their charge. The Other’s gaze, while still present, is no longer the same.

For more information on how our treatment for social anxiety visit the webpage below. 

Social Anxiety Therapy Dublin

Recommended Reading:

Fink, B. (1995). The Lacanian Subject

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