Shyness and social anxiety, when present may play a vital role in the quality of life of an individual. It is a common mistake to think that they are one and the same, but that is not the case. If you are shy, you may have social anxiety. If you have social anxiety you may exhibit shyness. One is a subset of another in that being shy is a subset of social anxiety.
A good example to use is a young girl being introduced (by her parents) to a young boy. The young girl may exhibit shyness in the form of being unable to talk to the young boy. If she suffered from social phobia, she would first refuse to even meet the boy, then on being made to, she would say nothing to him, and then she would make an excuse to leave as soon as possible. In that manner, one can say that shyness is a milder form of social anxiety.
That, however, may not be entirely accurate since being in a subset varies only in degree when compared to the whole. Therefore, for a diagnosis of social anxiety to be made, someone must display more characteristics of social anxiety than just shyness. Perhaps, aside from avoiding the boy, the young girl should also manifest physical symptoms such as trembling or the inability to speak.
If the young girl in the example was only shy, that it is unlikely that she would be a social anxiety sufferer. Shyness is different from social anxiety in that it can be treated with constant exposure and repetitive contact with groups of people. The same can also be effective in social anxiety. It is really a case of taking one step at a time and only moving on to the next step when the sufferer feels comfortable with the last one.
In the end, shyness and social anxiety are not permanently debilitating conditions. If shyness or social anxiety are a problem for you then you should not hesitate to ask for help. There are a range of methods of treatment available, all of which have been proven to work.
More : Shyness And Social Anxiety Or Overcoming Social Anxiety