Guest Posted December 17, 2006 Posted December 17, 2006 I always had some fear of joining a group. The army is a good example, although that's not what I had in mind. I'm talking about groups of friends, or social circles, where you're in daily contact with them and you become a part of their life and vice versa. If I become an 'insider' in a group, I feel this fear that my moods will fluctuate between extroverted and introverted, but I don't know when or where it will happen, and I won't be able to escape when it does. Usually my introverted side has a darker element to it, so it's really inappropriate for me to act that way say, at a friends birthday party for example. I do think it stemmed from shyness early on. But when I feel fine and outgoing, I'm perfectly fine. It's during these times that I make new friends or start relationships. I just don't feel like I can sustain that feeling though. And I need to know I can escape into my own world, and yet it would be totally appropriate for me to do so. Obviously if my friend's having a party and that's when I feel a need to escape, that wouldn't be appropriate. Would this constitute agoraphobia? Or is it something else. I always thought I might just be shy or have social anxiety, but that answer never satisfied me, because sometimes I feel perfectly fine and extroverted.
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