Q: What is the psychological/medical term to describe someone who is overly concerned what others think of them?
– Scott J.
A: That problem is often part of a social anxiety, or, for that matter, other phobic states. I do not know if there is a name for that precise condition, but it is common. Sometimes I can see parents engendering such a feeling in their kids. They tell them: “Don’t tell anyone Aunt Marie has been in the hospital. Don’t tell anyone how much money dad makes, don’t tell them that your brother was in the hospital, don’t tell them you did badly in anything…” Their children end up worrying about what strangers think. The underlying message is “keep everything private. It’s none of their business. If they know things about you, they can use it against you.” It is an unreasonable and unrealistic view of what others think or are likely to do.
– Dr. Neuman