Abstract
An historical ontology is conducted to identify conditions that led to the emergence of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in the late 20th century. Using Hacking’s (1998) ecological niche framework, SAD is analyzed in terms of four interrelated vectors (medical taxonomy, observability, cultural polarity, release) against the backdrop of neoliberal enterprise culture and its accompanying conception of the ideal self as confident, bold, and striving. The analysis suggests SAD has flourished as a consequence of a complex array of interrelated sociocultural and historical factors that have enabled social discomfort to be viewed as pathological while promoting its occurrence.
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