It's Very Tricky To Know What You Want Socially

Everyone has their own social goals and should be free to pursue them, even if they're something that doesn't make sense to everyone. One shy person may want to try and become more confident and outgoing. Another may decide they're happy how they are, and try to find ways to do their own thing and not be bothered for it.

The problem is that there's so much baggage in our culture about socializing that it's often very hard for people to have an accurate idea of what they want for themselves. You'd think people would have no problems knowing themselves, but in my experience that's not the case. I've come across plenty of people who were saying they wanted one thing, but it was blatantly obvious they were fooling themselves. Many of the points below have applied to me as well.

Maybe it's impossible to be 100% in touch with what you want, and be free of interfering influences. In the end we just have to weigh all the factors, make our choices, and correct the course if it turns out we went down the wrong path for a time. Hopefully the information below will give you more to think about.

There are two ways people can not know what they want socially. Most people probably have a mix of several of them. There are factors that can make someone think they want to change in some way socially, when deep down they really don't care about it. There are also a ton of factors that can make someone think they don't value some aspect of socializing, when they really do.

Things that can make someone mistakenly think they want to change

The theme in these is what society tells people about the value of socializing.

Buying into the constant message that being sociable is important

Society mainly tells people that being sociable and improving your social skills is a good thing, and that have bad interpersonal skills is a problem. It's not an evil conspiracy or anything, that's just how most people feel. Plus, it's not like there's nothing good at all about being better at socializing.

These messages may come directly from other people, or through more indirect sources like books or movies. Even when a message does go against the grain, it still implicitly reinforces what the dominant view is. You can't take it in a dissenting message without your mind automatically calling up what it's standing against.

Even if someone really doesn't care much about some aspect of socializing deep down, after getting this message so much, they may come to believe it. They may then spend years trying to become a type of person that's not a good fit for them. They may have also been told there's something defective and wrong with them for not fitting the norm.

Wanting to avoid rejection

Being ostracized from a group hurts on a primal level. Nobody likes that feeling, and will often try to go along with what the group wants to avoid it in the future. What I'm talking about here is when someone makes that decision on a more unconscious level. If someone purposely, pragmatically decides to change to avoid rejection, you could say they know what they want. If they make the decision without realizing it, then they may be going against what they really care about.

Wanting to win over the people who rejected them

It's human nature to want acceptance and approval. If someone's been given a hard time for being socially different, sometimes they can fall into this mind set where they want to prove themselves to the people who rejected them and win their approval. It's almost like if they can do that it will erase or balance out the sting of being ostracized earlier in life. You sometimes see this in families where a child will try to win over a critical parent.

Someone who's been picked on or ignored in the past may think, "If I can just become more like the kind of sociable people who rejected me, and get them to like me, then everything will work out." Having this mentality also involves buying into the societal message that the type of person who you want approval from is 'good' or 'better' than you. Setting off on this quest can take them farther and farther from what's really important to them.

Factors that can make mistakenly make people think they don't want something socially

There are a lot of these, and many of them are very legitimate and apply to a lot of people who think they don't care about their social skills. The main problem is that some people can rack up so many negative social experiences that they conclude they don't like aspects of it. The points below could be said to fall under a more general philosophy. I'm not saying this philosophy is right or wrong, but it goes like this: "Everyone has the ability to enjoy socializing deep down. It's inherently rewarding to people. If someone thinks they don't like it that's because of their baggage, not anything about socializing itself. If they gave it more of a chance they'd like it. They don't know what they're missing."

Some aspects of socializing people may believe they aren't interested in are:

Like I said, there are a lot of these. Here they are:

Mood

If someone is under the grip of a strong negative mood, and they think they want something, I have a hard time saying it's the 'real them' making that decision. Their emotions are getting in the way of their normal thought processes and skewing their priorities and the way they look at the world.

Anxiety

The symptoms of anxiety aren't pleasant, and our mind will lead us in all kinds of directions to avoid it. If something makes us anxious we'll often coming up with reasonable sounding explanations for why we don't like and don't want to do it, when it's really all due to nerves. For example, you may tell yourself you don't like going to parties because they're boring, when they just make you feel a little uncomfortable and out of your element.

At other times we're put off of something not because we have anything against that thing it itself, but because it's linked to something else that does make us a little nervous. For example, maybe you're fine with a certain activity, but are a little ill at ease around the types of people you'd have to interact with if you did it.

If something has caused someone anxiety for long enough, especially if it's medium to strong intensity, they may also come to despise it for the pain it causes them.

Depression

Even when people get a little depressed they start to see things in a more negative way. A depressed mood can also cause people to socially isolate themselves. They may start to believe that other people suck and that being social is a waste of time. They may also start to lose their self-confidence and cut themselves off from the world because of that.

Sometimes people are depressed for so long that they come to believe their thoughts, feelings, and preferences are coming from their 'true self' or core personality, when they're really just chronic symptoms. When they start to improve their mood they may find their outlook totally changes.

Lack of skill, familiarity, or experience

These points say that a reason people may not like socializing is because they don't know enough about it to see that it's actually good.

You've never had a good experience with it yet

Sometimes I think of younger guys who are sure they don't like socializing. Then I think about how their only experiences with it so far may have been with the jerks at their high-school, their mean spirited siblings, and their overbearing parents. Who's to say a whole new world won't open up for them once they go to college and meet some people who are more their style?

You don't have the skills to be able to enjoy socializing yet

Some things you'll like right away and enjoy even as a bumbling beginner. If someone is just getting into socializing, and doesn't have a good foundation of skills yet, they may not have the tools to 'unlock' its rewarding parts. For example, for someone who's inhibited around people and who doesn't have the ability to take a conversation in interesting directions, talking to someone may be a stilted, boring, awkward experience. If they became better at chatting they'd probably like it much more.

Of course, you could say this about a lot of things, and 'You may have fun eventually' is not a reason to take up every hobby or learn about every subject. A pragmatic perspective would be that socializing isn't as avoidable as a lot of hobbies though, and learning enough about it to get to the 'This is rewarding now' stage may be worth the trouble.

You're unpracticed enough that taking part mentally drains you

One way being around people may be unrewarding is that it can make your brain hurt. You don't feel stupid or anything, but you just feel drained after doing it for an hour or two. This could partially be because you're not skilled enough yet, so your mental resources are completely taxed when you do it. With more time a lot of the mental processes that now require so much of your energy will start to operate effortlessly in the background, and you'll be able to think more quickly, not become depleted, and enjoy yourself more .

You haven't built up a tolerance to its annoying aspects yet

There are many aspects of socializing that are irritating or illogical. If you're new, the annoying parts may stand out to you more than anything, and that's what may be putting you off. If you're not used to them they may catch you off guard as well. With more experience, and a realistic idea of what to expect, they may stop irking you as much, leaving you to take in the good stuff.

Self-image

A rigid, poor self-image

Sometimes people want to change their social skills on some level, but they've also come to believe that they're losers, or not capable of improving in that area. The idea that they could become more socially savvy or likable or less lonely doesn't seem possible to them. If they take steps to change, their mind may tell them, "Who are you kidding? You're not the type of person who's meant to have many friends. Don't even bother."

An identity as someone who's not into socializing

However it starts, some people base their identities and self-esteem around the fact that they don't like certain aspects of socializing. Even if it seems like they may want to change their minds, they may be reluctant to give up that self-image.

An identity as a victim

Some people may want to improve socially, but have also constructed an ego-salving narrative where the reason they're not doing well with people is because they're too amazing for all the idiots out there to appreciate. When they're not being social they don't have to challenge this view. Getting out there more may involve giving it up.

Wanting to avoid discomfort

Someone may think they don't want to improve their social skills when they really just want to avoid the discomfort that might involve.

General fear of leaving your comfort zone

Even if you believe it's a good thing, trying to improve your social skills will take you out of your comfort zone, or your cozy little rut. It may all seem vaguely scary.

Not wanting to put in the effort

Improving your social skills take time and effort. You have to put yourself in new situations, take time out of your schedule to be around people more, try out new things, read up on new skills to practice, analyze what you did right and wrong after the fact, and so on.

Wanting to avoid hassles

Improving your social skills and making friends changes your lifestyle. It may bring up a totally new set of problems and irritations that you haven't had to deal with before. Like whereas before you may not have had to to worry about making plans, because you never had any, now you have to deal with friends who are unreliable.

Not wanting to bruise your ego

When you're trying to improve your social skills you're going to experience failure and rejection at times. No one likes that and may preemptively try to avoid it. Working on your social skills also involves dwelling on areas you may not like about yourself. Normally you can ignore that stuff. When you're actively working on a problem you have to swim around in all those thoughts.

Feeling discouraged and frustrated

People often will decide they dislike some aspect of socializing if every time they try it, it ends in failure, and all the joys that come with that, such as feeling unskilled, rejected, left out, and so on.

Disliking what makes you feel incompetent

Disliking what you're not good at in other words. This is also something everyone does to one degree or another. Failing at something doesn't feel great. It hurts our self-esteem. It creates negative associations. If we're not successful at something, and our sense of self-worth depends at least a little on being good at it, it won't take long before we start to develop an aversion to it.

Disliking something because of one bad experience

Sometimes we're put off of something because there was one clear, memorable occasion where we had a bad experience with it (or a handful of bad experiences, same idea). From that point on, we haven't liked it. For example, someone may conclude they don't like clubbing because they went out one night, to a venue that totally wasn't their style, and which had an awful crowd.

Rejecting what you think you can't have

This is a pretty common defense mechanism. If someone cares about something deep down, but decides they're unlikely to get it, they may tell themselves, and everyone else, they don't really want it anyways.

Resentment and bitterness

People sometimes don't like certain aspects of socializing because they're closely tied to areas they're bitter about. Their resentful feelings tarnish something that's fine on its own.

An aspect of socializing is associated with people you don't like

X isn't bad, but all the jerks or morons you hate do it. So you become against it. Part of you even feels that taking part now would be letting them "win" in way.

You're envious of the people who do it

This is similar to the above, except you dislike that aspect of socializing not because it's associated with people you dislike because they're jerks, but because you envy them deep down.

You resent people giving you a hard time for not being good at something

As an example, some people dislike sports partially because they got a lot of crap for being bad at them when they were younger. They naturally resent the way that made them feel, and continue to carry a chip on their shoulder towards anything athletic.

Resentment over constantly being pressured to do a particular social activity

Maybe you originally had nothing against a certain aspect of socializing, but you just weren't drawn to it. That was before half the people you knew kept prodding you to take part. Besides from that being annoying on its own, you also didn't like the implication that everyone thought you weren't good enough the way you were. Now you hold a grudge and don't want to get involved.

Resentment over the entire world seemingly being obsessed with something you don't care about

When we're indifferent towards some aspect of socializing, but everyone else's lives seem to revolve around it, it's easy to see how after a few years you could develop a healthy level of bitterness. You'd just get sick of hearing about it, and constantly getting the unspoken message that it's one of the most important things in the world, and that anyone who doesn't care about it has something wrong with them.