cial situations in which the individual may be scrutinized by others. In children the fear or
anxiety must occur in p eer settings and not just during in teractions with adults (Criterion
A). When exposed to such social situations, the individual fears that he or she will be neg-
atively evaluated. The individu al is concerned that he or she will be judged as anxious,
weak, crazy, stupid, boring, intimidating, dirt y, or unlikable. The individual fears that
he or she will act or appear in a certain way or show anxiety symptoms, such as blushing,
trembling, sweating, stumbling over one’s words, or staring, that will be negatively eval-
uated by others (Criterion B). Some individuals fear offending others or being rejected as
a result. Fear of offending others—for exampl e, by a gaze or by showing anxiety symp-
toms—may be the predominant fear in individu als from cultures with strong collectivistic
orientations. An individual with fear of tr embling of the hands ma y avoid drinking, eat-
ing, writing, or pointing in public; an individual with fear of sweating may avoid shaking
hands or eating spicy foods; and an individual with fear of blushing may avoid public per-
formance, bright lights,  or discussion about intimate to pics. Some individuals fear and
avoid urinating in public restrooms when other individuals are present (i.e., paruresis, or
“shy bladder syndrome”). 
The social situations almost always provoke fear or anxiety (Criterion C). Thus, an in-
dividual who becomes anxious only occasionally in the social situatio n(s) would not be di-
agnosed with social anxiety di sorder. However, the degree an d type of fear and anxiety
may vary (e.g., anticipatory anxiety, a panic attack) across different occasions. The antici-