Case study of social anxiety
Background
Ankit is a 22 year old male, he is a first year undergraduate politics student. Ankit moved to university six months ago, he is from a small town located 200 miles away. His family is very large, consisting of six children of which Ankit is the eldest. Growing up Ankit felt isolated, his mother was often preoccupied with his younger siblings, and his father worked long hours. His relationship with his mother was pleasant, though Ankit never felt worthy of her time and rarely approached her for advice. His father obtained a dominating position in the household, with a stern presence and often made Ankit feel inferior. Despite this, Ankit admired his father’s opinion and always wanted to please him.
Throughout his childhood his achievement at school was relatively consistent. At secondary school his academic abilities flourished. In retrospect, Ankit spent a lot of his spare time studying and although he enjoyed the company of others he rarely socialized. His father placed a great amount of pressure on Ankit to academically achieve. Yet despite Ankits achievements, his father never showed him any praise.
At university Ankit lives in a flat with seven other people who he shares a kitchen with. His flat mates spend their weekends drinking and going to parties. In contrast, Ankit abstains from using alcohol and illegal drugs and prefers to spend his weekends studying. Ankit has made one friend, they share the same classes and they both enjoy studying hard. The lecturer encourages audience participation and often asks questions to the class and next term it will be mandatory to present questions to the class. With this in hindsight Ankit contacted the university counselling service, who then referred him to myself. In the first meeting Ankit stood apprehensively in my office. His appearance was neat and he was very well mannered. Ankit agreed to the interview process on the basis it would remain confidential and then continue with the
Ankit is a 22 year old male, he is a first year undergraduate politics student. Ankit moved to university six months ago, he is from a small town located 200 miles away. His family is very large, consisting of six children of which Ankit is the eldest. Growing up Ankit felt isolated, his mother was often preoccupied with his younger siblings, and his father worked long hours. His relationship with his mother was pleasant, though Ankit never felt worthy of her time and rarely approached her for advice. His father obtained a dominating position in the household, with a stern presence and often made Ankit feel inferior. Despite this, Ankit admired his father’s opinion and always wanted to please him.
Throughout his childhood his achievement at school was relatively consistent. At secondary school his academic abilities flourished. In retrospect, Ankit spent a lot of his spare time studying and although he enjoyed the company of others he rarely socialized. His father placed a great amount of pressure on Ankit to academically achieve. Yet despite Ankits achievements, his father never showed him any praise.
At university Ankit lives in a flat with seven other people who he shares a kitchen with. His flat mates spend their weekends drinking and going to parties. In contrast, Ankit abstains from using alcohol and illegal drugs and prefers to spend his weekends studying. Ankit has made one friend, they share the same classes and they both enjoy studying hard. The lecturer encourages audience participation and often asks questions to the class and next term it will be mandatory to present questions to the class. With this in hindsight Ankit contacted the university counselling service, who then referred him to myself. In the first meeting Ankit stood apprehensively in my office. His appearance was neat and he was very well mannered. Ankit agreed to the interview process on the basis it would remain confidential and then continue with the