My child has intense stranger anxiety. Should I force them to get used to it?

Stranger anxiety is proof of development—it means "they've become able to tell apart people they feel safe with from those they don't." There's no need to force them onto strangers or to make them get used to it. As long as they can feel that a parent—their "secure base"—is nearby, a child can step out into the wider world little by little at their own pace. Don't rush them; watch over them.