[Hopefull]

I complained to my T about being unable to recognize and remember people's faces. She expressed the theory that it might be social anxiety. I have had her use that phrase more than once.
I decided to do a project at school about it and she darn near fell all over herself trying to help me with my homework by suggesting a book to me and offering to let me borrow her copy. This puzzled me because she has only named a book to me three times. One time it was a book on self-esteem which I couldn't get my hands on. The second one she named to me but did not go so far as to write it down and give me the paper. I have been talking to her since February. So it seems odd to me.
Is it possible that my face recognition problem is social anxiety? Does any of you with social anxiety problems have trouble recognizing and recalling people's faces?
As a way to test some information that I found on-line, I tried to write up a social anxiety hierarchy. Have any of you done that? What do you do with the anxiety hierarchy? What do you do in therapy when working on social anxiety? Do any of you do group therapy or attend a support group? What is that like? I attended an anxiety/panic group earlier this week. It was very interesting. But, I don't feel that I worry myself silly anymore. I just get nervous about what people think of me at work. I am not sure if I was a good match for the group. I might try to find a depression and anxiety group.

[lenjan]

I don't have trouble recognizing people when I see them, for the most part -- sometimes, but not often -- but I have terrible trouble trying to conjure up the face of people I know even really well when I'm not around them. I mean, if you asked me to describe my last T, who I saw twice a week for almost three years, I could tell you he's tall and thin, but I couldn't tell you what else he looks like without seeing him.

I've never been told I have social anxiety, just the regular kind, but I'll be interested to hear what you find out!

Candy

I have a problem recognizing people. many times people can walk up to me and start talking and I have no idea who they are. But my problem isnt from social anxiety its because I have DID - Dissociative Identity Disorder. Im not always aware of meeting people when I do.

there have also been times when I have met someone out of context of where I met them for example a doctor in the mall, a therapist in a store and so on and have not recognized them but I was told this was a part of my DID. in that because they are out of the element where I normally see them my dissociated mind does not always make the connection of that doctor in the mall is also the doctor that gave me my physical in which I was spacey during.

I do also have social anxiety but no therapist has ever told me that my inability to recognize people was part of that. Even those therapists that did not know I have DID did not tell me that not recognizing people was social anxiety kind of stuff.

Anyway I hope you find the answers you are looking for. Take care.

Sure not recognizing faces can be social anxiety. Your mind draws a blank because it is preoccupied with... things like what people think of you at work. It isn't uncommon for people to do that sometimes. It sounds like it is bothersome to you because it happens frequently.

Keep going to the group with an open mind and see what it has to offer!

ECHOES

[Perna]

I would do your project for school with an experiment or two and that might help you see if you have social anxiety or not. If you have social anxiety, some of the face recognition problem could be because you are not looking at the other person long enough for their face to "register."

I would go to a store with multiple clerks (grocery store) and buy something and gaze at the clerk as you are checking out, not just when people in front of you are checking out but when you get to her; say "hi" and tell her "plastic's fine" :-) mention something about the weather, that sort of thing while actually looking at her. Make sure you look at her for at least 10-20 seconds and are thinking about her looks; length and color of hair, even color of eyes, whether she wears glasses, has any marks or other distinguishing features on her face, how tall she is, etc. Then, I'd go back in a week and "look for" her/her line at the store (buy something else).

If you have trouble looking at her at all, you could have social anxiety. If you have trouble just greeting her and talking about the weather while looking/smiling at her, you could have social anxiety. If the idea of doing social experiments gives you the willies :-) you could have social anxiety.

Lots of people have trouble looking other people in the eyes. You can imagine how that would make it difficult to remember them if you don't properly look at them in the first place? You can practice that and that will help you recognize the people later.

I often think up ways to help myself with that and with just having little chats with people, especially store clerks. I make a decision to smile at someone while looking them in the eye and greet them. That's very hard sometimes! But the more you do it the easier it becomes. Sometimes I go for a walk in a busy area and decide to look at everyone that passes and greet them with a "hi" (or "hey"), female AND male. Meeting the eyes of strangers is very hard. Sometimes I sit on a park bench or ride a bus/subway and pretend I'm a spy or have witnessed an accident/crime and have to describe a person to the police. That too could be some of your problem; I didn't have the "words" to describe things. Just sitting on a bench in a mall and describing people, making up stories about their life can be loads of fun. Associate obvious features/clothing with jobs, etc. raincoats=detective or spy, workboots=construction worker, etc. Work up to faces, big nose, "that guy looks like Jimmy Durante/Bob Hope/Jay Leno, that sort of thing. Being able to use words and associate like that so when you meet someone new it "sticks" is essential. You not only have to look long and and hard enough to see but you have to be able to describe what you see to yourself so you see the person's "uniqueness" and can identify it later.