Human History Hides a Dark Psychological Truth: Social Anxiety
You’re walking down the street, perhaps a sidewalk. Ahead of you is a person walking the opposite way. At a glance, you discern that they appear disheveled. A weathered older, larger, man. Wild hair and beard scattered like a bird’s nest. Their clothes are dirty, torn in places and only vaguely fit them.
They don’t walk with a predictable gate, but rather, appear to shuffle or shamble every few steps. You can’t tell if they are darker-skinned or if their skin has been tanned and leathered by the sun. You presume they are homeless. As your eyes catch a snapshot of this person, their eyes as if by accident, meet yours.
There is no longer the opportunity to pretend like you both do not exist; to ignore this person like you might try to ignore others like him. To make matters worse, the sidewalk is narrow. You are walking toward one another.
In a situation like this, it is not uncommon to experience a swelling of anxiety; an innate fear response that denotes our body's “fight or flight” response preparing for the possibility to escape danger.
But why would we judge this person? Shouldn’t we reframe from judging a book by its cover? Are you prejudiced by judging this person as homeless? Is your fear indicative of an underlying bias that you have? Does your anxiety…
