Although the term social phobia was coined early in the twentieth century, it first found little resonance. A seminal paper authored by Marks & Gelder (1966) sparked off the modern interest in social phobia. It culminated in the creation of a clinical entity bearing that label in the DSM-III. Soon followed by the ICD-9, this formal recognition by influential institutions – respectively, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the World Health Organization – proved to be a watershed. Starting with a trickle – to stay with the water imagery – the stream of publications has turned to flood and continues unabated, threatening by its very abundance. For what does all this information amount to? Unfortunately, we cannot hope for knowledge to result from the accumulation of information ordering itself in a meaningful, intelligible way. The organization of the bits (of information) in different patterns while articulating the logic inherent in them and considering them critically is a task separate from the production of information. Has the wealth of research broadened and enriched our knowledge? Has it deepened our understanding? To answer these questions, we must pause, to take stock and consider. This is the main purpose of this book.

Is there really such a disease entity as the “diagnosis” purports to identify? Is social phobia a valid entity (as opposed to a fanciful albeit popular construction driven by various interests)? The vast majority of studies approach the reality of social phobia unquestioningly. Such a bold assumption, however, requires justification.