--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Self-Consciousness In addition to the…" description: "\"“ Self-Consciousness In addition to the divisions of specific and generalized social anxiety, experts also identify two types of self-consciousness: pu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/heather-moehn-10554_anxiety_self-consciousness-in-addition-to-the-di_1844619.jpg" --- # Self-Consciousness In addition to the divisions of… ![“Self-Consciousness In addition to the divisions of specific and generalized social anxiety, experts also identify two types of self-consciousness: public self-consciousness and private self-consciousness. Although self-awareness and self-insight are positive traits in healthy personalities, in…” quote by Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/heather-moehn-10554_anxiety_self-consciousness-in-addition-to-the-di_1844619.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/heather-moehn-10554_anxiety_self-consciousness-in-addition-to-the-di_1844619.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e5c/heather-moehn-10554_anxiety_self-consciousness-in-addition-to-the-di_1844619.jpg) > ““ Self-Consciousness In addition to the divisions of specific and generalized social anxiety, experts also identify two types of self-consciousness: public self-consciousness and private self-consciousness. Although self-awareness and self-insight are positive traits in healthy personalities, in people with social anxiety this awareness becomes extreme and obsessive. Publicly self-conscious people are extremely aware of what others think of them. They worry about how they appear and the impression they are making. Many publicly shy people describe feeling distanced from an event in which they are participating. For instance, while they are speaking with someone, they are constantly evaluating and editing how they act and what they say. As a result, they feel they do not fully take part in any activities. Imagine you are going to a party with a popular group of people. If you are publicly shy, you would worry all afternoon about what you were going to wear and what others will think of you. When you finally walk into the party, you notice that two of the people you admire are wearing khakis and button-down shirts, and you immediately feel out of place in your jeans and T-shirt. You think everyone is watching you and wondering why you are there when it is obvious you don’t belong. When someone attempts to speak with you, you are so overwhelmed that you can stutter only a brief reply before running to the rest room. By contrast, if you are a privately shy person, you can appear at ease in social situations. At the same party, you might be able to tell jokes and be the center of attention, while internally you are in turmoil. Privately self-conscious people are more concerned about protecting how they feel than about how others view them. Sometimes, they try to hide their fears by being loud and talkative. Many comedians, actors, and singers are privately shy people. They are able to mask their feelings of inadequacy, but they feel phony and lack true self-confidence. No matter whether you have specific or generalized social anxiety or are publicly or privately shy, social anxiety has a strong impact on your life.”” [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Public self‑consciousness leads to excessive worry about others’ judgments, causing disengagement; private self‑consciousness masks inner turmoil while appearing confident. **In simple terms:** Public self‑consciousness makes people feel judged; private hides anxiety. Key Takeaway Balance self‑awareness with self‑acceptance. Themes psychology mental health social behavior Mood empathetic insightful Type educational supportive When to use this quote - social events - public speaking - performance arts - personal relationships Key Concepts self‑consciousness anxiety impression management Questions to Reflect On - How can one shift from public to private self‑consciousness? - What strategies reduce the feeling of being watched? A Different Perspective The description may not capture all individual variations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Center of attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/center-of-attention/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Feelings of inadequacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings-of-inadequacy/) [Self Awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness-3/) [Self conscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-conscious/) [Self consciousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-consciousness/) [Shy people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shy-people/) [Shy person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shy-person/) [Social anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-anxiety/) ## Related quotes > [“Aside from helping people with their homework, or anything else they needed, she really didn't know how to meet people. 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A demand that you yield your private consciousness to public manipulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/madison-avenue-is-a-very-powerful-aggression-against-private/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [When people generally are aware of a problem, it can be said to have entered the public consciousness. When people get on their hind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/when-people-generally-are-aware-of-a-problem-it-can-be-said-to-have/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“ Family Patterns In studies, many shy people report that their parents have a controlling nature. If your parents are overprotective and don’t allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/family-patterns-in-studies-many-shy-people-report-that-their-parents/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“Shyness is not necessarily a problem. 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P. Morgan did as a child have very severe feelings of inadequacy, perhaps his father did believe that he would not amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/perhaps-j-p-morgan-did-as-a-child-have-very-severe-feelings-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Journalism is an extraordinary and terrible privilege. Not by chance, if you are aware of it, does it consume you with a hundred feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oriana-fallaci/journalism-is-an-extraordinary-and-terrible-privilege-not-by-chance/) [Oriana Fallaci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oriana-fallaci/) ## More by Heather Moehn > [“ Group Therapy Group therapy has been very successful for treating social anxiety, and there are many benefits to it. Members are a source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/group-therapy-group-therapy-has-been-very-successful-for-treating/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Generalized Social Anxiety In contrast to people with specific social anxieties, you may be afraid in a wide variety of situations. You might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/generalized-social-anxiety-in-contrast-to-people-with-specific-social/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“As we discussed in chapter 2, there are three ways in which anxiety affects people: physically, mentally, and behaviorally. In this section, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/as-we-discussed-in-chapter-2-there-are-three-ways-in-which-anxiety/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Fear of Asking for Help If you have social anxiety, it is probably very difficult to ask a teacher or classmate for help.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/fear-of-asking-for-help-if-you-have-social-anxiety-it-is-probably/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Learning from Incorrect Information The messages that society sends you are not always accurate. 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For example, Jessica is deathly afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/exposure-therapy-exposure-therapy-also-known-as-desensitization-works/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Possible Problems with Journal Writing Be careful not to get too involved with your journal. In many published journals, writers such as Anais…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/possible-problems-with-journal-writing-be-careful-not-to-get-too/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Are you publicly or privately shy? If you are publicly shy, you will agree with the following types of statements that focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/are-you-publicly-or-privately-shy-if-you-are-publicly-shy-you-will/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ The History of Social Anxiety The fact that some people are shyer than others has been observed since ancient times. However, the medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/the-history-of-social-anxiety-the-fact-that-some-people-are-shyer/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“Shyness is not necessarily a problem. It can be a very nice aspect of your personality. Many introverted celebrities, such as Chelsea Clinton and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/shyness-is-not-necessarily-a-problem-it-can-be-a-very-nice-aspect-of/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy There are almost no pure cognitive or behavioral therapists. Instead, most therapists use a combination of both techniques. This is known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-there-are-almost-no-pure-cognitive-or/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Perfectionism People with social anxiety tend to be perfectionists. A degree of perfectionism is generally seen as a good trait. It makes people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/perfectionism-people-with-social-anxiety-tend-to-be-perfectionists-a/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“ Environment The biochemical and genetic explanations for social anxiety are fairly straightforward. However, they don’t explain why one person fears all social situations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/environment-the-biochemical-and-genetic-explanations-for-social/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [“Because you are reading this book, you probably know that social anxiety has a large impact on your life. It creates problems in school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/because-you-are-reading-this-book-you-probably-know-that-social/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) [Explore all 64 Heather Moehn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beyonce-knowles/i-get-nervous-when-i-don-t-get-nervous-if-i-m-nervous-i-know-i-m/) [Beyonce Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beyonce-knowles/) > [“Every invention comes through anxiousness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakesh-wadhwani/every-invention-comes-through-anxiousness/) [Rakesh Wadhwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakesh-wadhwani/) > [“Do Not Be Anxious 25 e “Therefore I tell you,  f do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-be-anxious-25-e-therefore-i-tell-you-f-do-not-be-anxious-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing happens on its own, you have to make things happen. If you really want to come out of your stressful situation than you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subodh-gupta/nothing-happens-on-its-own-you-have-to-make-things-happen-if-you/) [Subodh Gupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subodh-gupta/) > [“I guess if we're talking about my anxiety, the even truthier truth is it started way before that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-winfrey/i-guess-if-we-re-talking-about-my-anxiety-the-even-truthier-truth-is/) [Kerry Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-winfrey/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [“The suspense: the fearful, acute suspense: of standing idly by while the life of one we dearly love, is trembling in the balance; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-suspense-the-fearful-acute-suspense-of-standing-idly-by-while-the/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-walker/as-you-know-i-have-been-very-open-about-my-struggle-with-social/) [Summer Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-walker/) > [Anxiety is not to be managed it is a sin that needs to be repented of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-driscoll/anxiety-is-not-to-be-managed-it-is-a-sin-that-needs-to-be-repented-of/) [Mark Driscoll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-driscoll/) > [“I’ve always seen this in you, ever since you were a little girl — this hunger to love other people into their highest selves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-elisabeth/i-ve-always-seen-this-in-you-ever-since-you-were-a-little-girl-this/) [Jennifer Elisabeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-elisabeth/) [Browse all 4,944 Anxiety quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“ Self-Consciousness In addition to the divisions of specific and generalized social anxiety, experts also identify two types of self-consciousness: public self-consciousness and private self-consciousness. Although self-awareness and self-insight are positive traits in healthy personalities, in people with social anxiety this awareness becomes extreme and obsessive. Publicly self-conscious people are extremely aware of what others think of them. They worry about how they appear and the impression they are making. Many publicly shy people describe feeling distanced from an event in which they are participating. For instance, while they are speaking with someone, they are constantly evaluating and editing how they act and what they say. As a result, they feel they do not fully take part in any activities. Imagine you are going to a party with a popular group of people. If you are publicly shy, you would worry all afternoon about what you were going to wear and what others will think of you. When you finally walk into the party, you notice that two of the people you admire are wearing khakis and button-down shirts, and you immediately feel out of place in your jeans and T-shirt. You think everyone is watching you and wondering why you are there when it is obvious you don’t belong. When someone attempts to speak with you, you are so overwhelmed that you can stutter only a brief reply before running to the rest room. By contrast, if you are a privately shy person, you can appear at ease in social situations. At the same party, you might be able to tell jokes and be the center of attention, while internally you are in turmoil. Privately self-conscious people are more concerned about protecting how they feel than about how others view them. Sometimes, they try to hide their fears by being loud and talkative. Many comedians, actors, and singers are privately shy people. They are able to mask their feelings of inadequacy, but they feel phony and lack true self-confidence. 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