Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T22:06:09.287Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The Role of Social Anxiety in Social Interaction Difficulties

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Roisin Hall
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Manchester, Swinton Grove, Manchester M13 0EU
David Goldberg
Affiliation:
University of Manchester, University Hospital of South Manchester, West Didsbury, Manchester M20 8LR

Extract

Social anxiety was found to be the most common complaint in a sample of psychiatric patients reporting social interaction difficulties. High social anxiety was shown to be associated with impairments to social behaviour in socially anxious psychiatric patients and non-psychiatric volunteers. A comparison was made of systematic desensitization and a form of social skills training in the treatment of social interaction difficulties associated with high social anxiety. This indicated that while both therapies were effective in the reduction of social anxiety, the training programme was the more effective in reducing problem behaviour, but desensitization appeared to lead to a wider generalization of improvement as indicated by increases in social participation.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1977 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Argyle, M., Trower, P. & Bryant, B. (1974) Explorations in the treatment of personality disorders and neuroses by social skills training. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 47, 6372.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bryant, B., Trower, P., Yardley, K., Urbieta, H. & Letemendia, F. J. J. (1976) A survey of social inadequacy among psychiatric patients. Psychological Medicine, 6, 101–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bryant, B., & Trower, P. E. (1974) Social difficulty in a student sample British Journal of Educational Psychology, 44, 1321.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Curran, J. P. & Gilbert, F. S. (1975) A test of the relative effectiveness of a systematic desensitization program and an interpersonal skills training program with date anxious subjects. Behaviour Therapy, 6, 510–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eysenck, H. J. & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1969) Personality Structure and Measurement. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.Google Scholar
Fenigstein, A., Sheier, M. F. & Buss, A. H. (1975) Public and private self consciousness: assessment and theory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 522–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldfried, M. R. (1971) Systematic desensitization as a training in self-control. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 37, 228–34.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goldsmith, J. B. & McFall, R. M. (1975) Development and evaluation of an interpersonal skill-training program for psychiatric patients. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 84, 51–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hersen, M., Eisler, R. M., Miller, P., Johnson, M. B. & Pinkston, S. G. (1973) Effects of practice, instructions and modelling on components of assertive behaviour. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 11, 443–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hersen, M., Eisler, R. M. & Miller, P. M. (1974) An experimental analysis of generalization in assertive training. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 12, 295310.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kretschmer, E. (1927) The sensitive delusion of reference. In Themes and Variations in European Psychiatry (eds Hirsch, S. and Shepherd, M.), 1974. Bristol: John Wright.Google Scholar
Marks, I. M. (1970) The classification of phobic disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 116, 377–86.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marzillier, J. S., Lambert, C. & Kellett, J. (1976) A controlled evaluation of systematic desensitization and social skills training for socially inadequate psychiatric patients. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 14, 225–38.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Matthews, A. M. (1971) Psychophysiological investigations of the mechanisms of desensitization treatment. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. University of London.Google Scholar
McFall, R. M. & Marston, A. R. (1970) An experimental investigation of behaviour rehearsal in assertion training. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 76, 295303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McFall, R. M. & Lillesand, D. B. (1971) Behaviour rehearsal with modelling and coaching in assertion training. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 77, 313–23.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McFall, R. M. & Twentyman, C. T. (1973) Four experiments on the relative contributions of rehearsal, modelling and coaching to assertain training. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 81, 199218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nichols, K. A. (1974) Severe social anxiety. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 47, 301–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paul, G. (1966) Insight versus Desensitization in Psychotherapy. Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Sarason, S. B. (1975) Anxiety and self-preoccupation. In Stress and Anxiety (eds Spielberger, C. D. and Sarason, S. B.). Hemisphere.Google Scholar
Shaw, P. (1976) The nature of social phobia. Paper read to the British Psychological Society, York.Google Scholar
Spielberger, C. D. (1972) Anxiety as an emotional state. In Anxiety: Current Trends in Theory and Research, Vol 1 (ed. Spielberger, C. D.). New York: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Spielberger, C. D. Gorsuch, R. L. & Lushene, R. E. (1970) Manual for the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Palo Alto, California: Consulting Psychologists Press.Google Scholar
Watson, D. & Friend, R. (1969) Measurement of social evaluative anxiety. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 33, 448–57.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.