““ Learning from Negative Experiences Many people with social anxiety can remember certain events that contributed to their fears. Martin knows exactly why he is afraid to speak in class. When I was in seventh-grade science class, the teacher had each student read aloud a paragraph from the textbook. It was a chapter on different types of organisms. When it was my turn, I accidentally said “orgasm” instead of “organism.” Everyone howled with laughter, including the teacher. I felt so embarrassed. My face was bright red and I wanted to hide. Kids teased me about it for a long time. Ever since then, I am terrified about reading anything aloud. Sometimes, I am even afraid of simply speaking. This event, together with Martin’s biochemistry and genes, set him up to have a form of social anxiety. People who don’t have the same heightened sense of awareness or the same chemicals rushing through their bodies may not have been upset by this event. They may have laughed with the class or even have been able to make fun of themselves.””
