Painfully Shy, Socially Phobic: An Inquiry Into the World of Social Anxiety

Reviews the book, Shy Children, Phobic Adults: Nature and Treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder (2nd ed.) by Deborah C. Beidel and Samuel M. Turner (see record 2006-20311-000). According to Hofmann, since the first edition of this book, a number of changes have occurred in the field of social anxiety disorder (SAD) research. The authors of this book were some of the first psychologists who studied the disorder. The team has made remarkable contributions to the field, ranging from psychopathology experiments to developing assessment instruments and treatment protocols. Their book is an authored, not an edited, text. It is therefore able to synthesize a large number of studies from different perspectives and sources. The result is an authoritative and comprehensive text that combines a scholarly review and hands-on clinical guidelines, illustrated with case examples and treatment-relevant materials. The book further strikes a balance between the adult and child clinical literature, as well as between psychological approaches and psychiatric treatments. Hofmann notes that in general, this is a first-rate text written by two of the foremost experts in the field of SAD. His critique primarily focuses on theoretical details that reflect some of the current controversies in the field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)