Interpersonal processes in social phobia
Section snippets
Interpersonal perspective
Interpersonal models of psychopathology have emerged in a variety of contexts, each with its own domain of interest, theoretical viewpoints, and research methods (e.g., Segrin, 2001). Despite some differences, these models share the common assumption that good social relationships are intimately tied to an individual's psychological well-being and conversely that poor social relationships contribute to psychopathology. A central feature of the interpersonal perspective is the concept of the
Social anxiety disorder and social relationships
There is little doubt that people with social phobia have fewer social relationships than other people. They have been shown to have fewer friends, fewer dating and sexual relationships, and to be less likely to marry than people in the general population or even patients with other anxiety disorders (e.g., Hart et al., 1999, Sanderson et al., 1990, Schneier et al., 1994, Turner et al., 1986). The same patterns are found in children with social phobia and among nonclinical socially anxious
Self-perpetuating interpersonal cycles
Writers from many theoretical perspectives have observed that socially anxious people behave in ways that lead to negative social outcomes (e.g., Clark, 2001, Arkin et al., 1986, Rapee & Heimberg, 1997). Such observations suggest that people with social phobia may establish negative interpersonal cycles between themselves and others in which they adopt behavioral strategies that evoke negative reactions. To explore this possibility, we first look at the behavioral patterns associated with
Social skill deficit or self-protective strategy
If, as the research literature suggests, people with social anxiety and social phobia behave in ways that disrupt relationship development, the next question is why they do so. The traditional explanation for the dysfunctional behavior described above is that socially anxious individuals have social skill deficits; they failed to learn effective social behavior and their anxiety is in part a reaction to those deficits and the resulting negative responses (e.g., Segrin, 2001, Segrin & Flora, 2000
Cognitive processing of social information
Our next issue pertains to the process through which social cues influence behavior. Cognitive theorists propose that social cues set in motion a cognitive process that ultimately triggers social anxiety and dysfunctional social behavior. According to this view, social cues activate negative beliefs and assumptions about self and others (negative social schema), which leads to selective processing of threat-related information and biased interpretation of social events. Selective attention and
Social pathogenesis
The research literature provides persuasive evidence that there are heritable, biological processes that increase vulnerability to social anxiety (Kagan, Reznick, Snidman, Gibbons, & Johnson, 1988; see also, Kendler et al., 1999, Kendler et al., 1992). In particular, Kagan's seminal developmental studies demonstrated that, even within their first year, some children display autonomic hypersensitivity to environmental change that operates to inhibit behavior. The presence of behavioral
Self-perpetuating cycles
The association between BI and dysfunctional child-rearing styles begs the question of whether parental behaviors are causal factors in the development of social fears or responses to the child's temperament. In support of the latter possibility, research by Rubin et al. demonstrated that an inhibited temperament can elicit less effective parenting styles (Mills & Rubin, 1993, Rubin et al., 1999, see also Hudson & Rapee, 2000). Not only does parenting affect the child's social anxiety, the
Variability in social learning experiences
The second nascent theme in the social developmental literature pertains to variability in the dysfunctional interpersonal environments associated with BI, shyness, and social phobia. The literature points to at least three dimensions that characterize early social experiences in these individuals, parental over-protection and control, parental hostility and abuse, and lack of family socializing. Of these, over-protective, intrusive parental behavior has received the greatest research attention
Interpersonal processes in treatment
The literature reviewed above points to some interesting questions about the role of interpersonal factors in the treatment of social phobia. The first question is whether the interpersonal heterogeneity found in the developmental histories and social behavior of people with social phobia affects treatment response. Little research has addressed that question, but several studies indicate that some interpersonal patterns are associated with poor treatment outcome. For example, Alden and Capreol
General discussion
As one might expect, social anxiety is associated with fewer and more negative social relationships at all stages of life. Socially anxious people's interactions with their parents, schoolmates, friends, and partners are less satisfying and fraught with problems. At each level of development, we also find evidence that these people engage in behavior that elicits negative responses from others, including intrusive control and derision from parents, less intimacy from schoolmates, irritability
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