This person appears to have limited ability to manage interpersonal relationships in a comfortable and rewarding manner. He may conduct himself appropriately in social situations and at times, even make an initially favorable impression on other people. Nevertheless, as a consequence of inadequate social skills that may not be readily apparent, he tends to opt for superficial and transient relationships with others and to back away from involved or prolonged relationships out of concern that they will make more demands on him than he can handle. In addition, his social ineptness may make him vulnerable to experiencing embarrassment and failure in social situations and to being ignored or rejected by others who see him as a distant, guarded, and ineffective person. Individuals with this pattern of deficient coping can frequently benefit from treatment focused on interpersonal anxiety reduction and social skills training.