The DOI matches its Crossref record; 23 of the 23 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Social phobia: The role of in-situation safety behaviors in maintaining anxiety and negative beliefs
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“These constructs produce a positive feedback loop that sustains social anxiety by preventing exposure despite repeated successful social encounters (Wells et al., 1995).”
From Can dialectical behavior therapy skills group treat social anxiety disorder? A brief integrative review (2024) · cites this paper as Wells et al., 1995
Citations
Cites
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Williams, J. B. W., & First, M. B. (2013) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780199975839.013.104 · Cited by 109,845
(1985) · Cited by 2,882
A cognitive model of social phobia
Adrian Wells, A. (1995) · Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) · Cited by 2,701
(1994) · Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) · Cited by 1,205
Social phobia : diagnosis, assessment, and treatment
Heimberg, R. G. (1995) · Guilford Press eBooks · Cited by 1,067
The importance of behaviour in the maintenance of anxiety and panic: A cognitive account
Salkovskis, P. M. (1991) · Behavioural Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s0141347300011472 · Cited by 780
Self-citationPrice, J. N. (1986) · Journal of Biosocial Science · doi:10.1017/s0021932000016369 · Cited by 715
Panic: Psychological Perspectives
Rachman, S., & Maser, J. D. (1988) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 520
Cognitive processes in social phobia
Stopa, L., & Clark, D. M. (1993) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(93)90024-o · Cited by 489
Self-citationPanic—Psychological perspectives
Lindsay, S. (1989) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/0005-7967(89)90021-1 · Cited by 477
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–300 of 546
Linguistic correlates of social anxiety disorder
Hofmann, S. G., Moore, P. M., Gutner, C. A., & Weeks, J. W. (2011) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699931.2011.602048 · Cited by 36
“Exposure interventions with specific instructions to abandon safety behaviours have been found to be more efficacious than exposure therapy without instructions to refrain from such behaviours (Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundA cognitive perspective in social phobia
Clark, D. M. (1997) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(97)87445-8 · Cited by 36
Self-citationSocial Mishap Exposures for Social Anxiety Disorder: An Important Treatment Ingredient
Fang, A., Sawyer, A. T., Asnaani, A., & Hofmann, S. G. (2012) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2012.05.003 · Cited by 34
“An important reason why SAD is maintained in the presence of repeated exposure to social cues is because individuals with SAD engage in a variety of avoidance and safety behaviors to reduce the risk of rejection (e.g.,Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundPrognostic indices with brief and standard CBT for panic disorder: I. Predictors of outcome
Dow, M., Kenardy, J., Johnston, D., Newman, M. G., Taylor, C., & Thomson, A. (2007) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291707000670 · Cited by 29
“Moreover, the presence of safety cues during situational and interoceptive exposure and drug-related attributions of improvement may have impaired adaptive cognitive reappraisal (Basoglu et al. 1994; Wells et al. 1995; Otto & Gould, 1996).”
BackgroundPenfold, K., & Page, A. C. (1999) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7894(99)80028-8 · Cited by 33
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder: model, methods, and outcome.
Otto, M. W. (1999) · PubMed · Cited by 32
Emotion Regulation in Social Anxiety Disorder
Goldin, P. R., Jazaieri, H., & Gross, J. J. (2014) · Social Anxiety · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-394427-6.00017-0 · Cited by 31
van Niekerk, R. E., Klein, A. M., Allart-van Dam, E., Hudson, J. L., Rinck, M., Hutschemaekers, G. J. M., & Becker, E. S. (2017) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-016-9821-x · Cited by 31
“As a result, socially anxious individuals engage in avoidance and safety behaviour, preventing opportunities in which the negative beliefs can be disconfirmed (Wells et al. 1995).”
van den Hout, M., Gangemi, A., Mancini, F., Engelhard, I. M., Rijkeboer, M. M., van Dams, M., & Klugkist, I. G. (2014) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.07.002 · Cited by 31
“That is, the absence of a negative outcome after confrontation with the feared stimulus may be attributed to the positive effects of the safety behavior rather than to the stimulus being innocuous (Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundSpeech and Anxiety Management With Persistent Stuttering: Current Status and Essential Research
Lowe, R., Menzies, R. G., Onslow, M., Packman, A., & O’Brian, S. (2021) · Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/2020_jslhr-20-00144 · Cited by 41
“With social anxiety disorder, a common safety behavior is avoidance, for example, avoiding eye contact with others, avoiding situations, or talking to specific people (Clark & Wells, 1995; Marks, 1969; Ohman, 1986; Wells & Clark, 1997; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundMethodThe relationship between the maladaptive self-beliefs characteristic of social anxiety and avoidance
Wong, Q. J. J., & Moulds, M. L. (2010) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2010.11.004 · Cited by 31
“In addition, there is evidence that individuals diagnosed with social phobia engage in more subtle forms of avoidance of a feared consequence (typically negative evaluation) by performing within-situation safety behaviours (Cuming et al., 2009; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundAppearing Socially Competent: The Effects of a Friend's Presence on the Socially Anxious
Pontari, B. A. (2008) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167208328063 · Cited by 31
“…they expect to incur, people high in social anxiety utilize self-presentation strategies that are protective (Arkin, 1981; Laux & Weber, 1991; Renner, Laux, Schütz, & Tedeschi, 2004; Shepperd & Arkin, 1990; Wolfe, Lennox, & Cutler, 1986) or “safe” (e.g., Clark & Wells, 1995; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundTully, S., Adrian Wells, A., & Morrison, A. P. (2017) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.2099 · Cited by 31
“(1996) showed that one session of exposure coupled with decreasing safety behaviours produced greater reductions in anxiety and negative beliefs than one session of exposure alone (Wells et al., 1996).”
BackgroundSocial anxiety and cognitive expectancy of aversive outcome in avoidance conditioning
Ly, V., & Karin Roelofs, A. (2009) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.015 · Cited by 30
“…we implemented a subsequent extinction like procedure to the paradigm containing aspects of exposure therapy with decreased safety behavior (Wells et al., 1995): encounter a feared situation (CS associated with US) with the believe that a feared outcome would occur (expectation of US),…”
MethodRector, N. A., Katz, D. E., Quilty, L. C., Laposa, J. M., Collimore, K. C., & Kay, T. (2019) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.102109 · Cited by 29
Doorley, J. D., Volgenau, K. M., Kelso, K. C., Kashdan, T. B., & Shackman, A. J. (2020) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2020.07.069 · Cited by 30
“impairments and negative cognitive biases across a wide range of social and evaluative situations (e.g., Clark and Wells, 1995; Kashdan et al., 2013; 2014; Kim, 2005; Mellings and Alden, 2000; Pineles and Mineka, 2005; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundInfluentialRubin, M., Minns, S. A., Muller, K., Tong, M. H., Hayhoe, M., & Telch, M. J. (2020) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2020.103706 · Cited by 30
Individual Day-to-Day Process of Social Anxiety in Vulnerable College Students
Campbell, C. G., Bierman, K. L., & Molenaar, P. C. M. (2015) · Applied Developmental Science · doi:10.1080/10888691.2015.1026594 · Cited by 36
Stapinski, L. A., Rapee, R. M., Sannibale, C., Teesson, M., Haber, P., & Baillie, A. (2014) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2014.05.004 · Cited by 29
Beyond DSM-5: an alternative approach to assessing Social Anxiety Disorder.
Skocic, S., Jackson, H., & Hulbert, C. (2015) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.12.006 · Cited by 34
Cognitive-Behavior Therapy and the Longitudinal Course of Panic Disorder
Otto, M. W., & Whittal, M. L. (1995) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/s0193-953x(18)30024-8 · Cited by 29
Chau, A. K. C., So, S. H., Sun, X., Zhu, C., Chiu, C., Chan, R. C. K., & Leung, P. W. L. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.931558 · Cited by 30
Kroczek, L. O. H., & Mühlberger, A. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-41155-9 · Cited by 48
Thompson, T., Zalk, N. V., Marshall, C., Sargeant, M., & Stubbs, B. (2019) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-019-0300-5 · Cited by 27
Voncken, M. J., Rinck, M., Deckers, A., & Lange, W. (2011) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-011-9408-5 · Cited by 30
The use of safety behaviours to manage intrusive memories in depression
Moulds, M. L., Kandris, E., Williams, A. D., & Lang, T. J. (2008) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2008.02.001 · Cited by 27
“Safety behaviours are central to cognitive conceptualisations of anxiety disorders (e.g., Ehlers & Clark, 2000), an emphasis that is supported by evidence for their role in disorder maintenance (e.g., Salkovskis, Clark, Hackmann, Wells, & Gelder, 1999; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundEmge, T. M., & Hope, D. A. (2009) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-0-387-09757-2_29 · Cited by 26
A HIGH-THROUGHPUT CLINICAL ASSAY FOR TESTING DRUG FACILITATION OF EXPOSURE THERAPY
Rodebaugh, T. L., Levinson, C. A., & Lenze, E. J. (2013) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22047 · Cited by 26
“[10–14] With the development of pharmacological agents that should acutely enhance learning from exposure, the opportunity presents itself to adapt such behavioral tests for rapid detection of the effects of agents of interest.”
Weeks, J. W., Menatti, A. R., & Howell, A. N. (2015) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.06.008 · Cited by 26
Weeks, J. W., Srivastav, A., Howell, A. N., & Menatti, A. R. (2015) · Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10862-015-9495-9 · Cited by 26
Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Social Phobia
Overholser, J. C. (2002) · Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy · doi:10.1023/a:1020534025102 · Cited by 24
“Clients need to confront the feared situations without relying on their usual responses to feel safe (Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundCOGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY FOR SOCIAL ANXIETY DISORDER
Radomsky, A. S., & Otto, M. W. (2001) · Psychiatric Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/s0193-953x(05)70264-1 · Cited by 27
Huang, W., Chen, B., & Hu, C. (2025) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1681504 · Cited by 30
Smith, G. M., Robertson, N., & Cotton, S. (2021) · Nordic Psychology · doi:10.1080/19012276.2021.1989708 · Cited by 33
Furukawa, T. A., Chen, J., Watanabe, N., Nakano, Y., Ietsugu, T., Ogawa, S., Funayama, T., & Noda, Y. (2008) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2008.08.003 · Cited by 25
O'Toole, M. S., Mennin, D. S., Hougaard, E., Zachariae, R., & Rosenberg, N. K. (2015) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.1926 · Cited by 24
Macdonald, S. A., Freeman, E., Pollick, F. E., & Brewster, S. A. (2024) · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction · doi:10.1145/3648615 · Cited by 28
“Reliance upon safety behaviours can be maladaptive and research has linked their use to worse therapy outcomes [15, 84, 106], with Wells et al. finding that socially anxious patients who underwent exposure experienced better outcomes when decreasing their use of varied safety behaviours [139].”
Dóci, E., Stouten, J., & Hofmans, J. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01344 · Cited by 31
“These two criteria have been found to be independent from each other, so that the leader’s position on one dimension does not predict the leader’s position on the other dimension (Fleishman, 1953; Weissenberg and Kavanagh, 1972).”
BackgroundThe Reduction of Fear of Movement-related Pain: Does Motivational Context Matter?
Volders, S., Meulders, A., Peuter, S. D., & Vlaeyen, J. (2015) · The Clinical Journal of Pain · doi:10.1097/ajp.0000000000000187 · Cited by 25
Wells, A., & Matthews, G. (1996) · Current Opinion in Psychiatry · doi:10.1097/00001504-199611000-00011 · Cited by 15
Gregory, B., Wong, Q., Marker, C., & Peters, L. (2018) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-017-9882-5 · Cited by 21
“2001), and by teaching patients to reduce their ruminative processing (Wong and Moulds 2009) and minimise safety behaviour use (Wells et al. 1995).”
BackgroundBuissonnière-Ariza, V. L., Wood, J. J., Kendall, P. C., McBride, N. M., Cepeda, S. L., Small, B. J., Lewin, A. B., Kerns, C. M., & Storch, E. A. (2018) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-018-3645-3 · Cited by 24
Concepts of Metacognition in the Treatment of Patients with Mental Disorders
Philipp, R., Kriston, L., Kühne, F., Härter, M. C., & Meister, R. (2019) · Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1007/s10942-019-00333-3 · Cited by 25
“Based on his experiences in the treatment of patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and the importance of worry for this disorder (Wells 1995), Wells follows Flavell’s definition as he describes metacognitions as thoughts or beliefs (Wells’ term for knowledge) about cognition and further…”
BackgroundCyberbullying Victimization and Social Anxiety: Mediating Effects with Moderation
Xia, T., Liao, J., Deng, Y., & Lin-li, L. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15139978 · Cited by 35
Okajima, I., Kanai, Y., Chen, J., & Sakano, Y. (2009) · International Journal of Social Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0020764008092191 · Cited by 27
“…I make a speech’) • 13 items were included in Inhibition of Emotional Expression factor (IEE) (e.g. ‘I tightly grip the glass or dish when I go to eat with anyone’) The contents of the scale conform to descriptions of safety behaviour in previous studies (Clark & Wells, 1995; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialRecent advances in the psychosocial treatment of social anxiety disorder
Hofmann, S. G. (2010) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.20771 · Cited by 23
“It has been shown that CBT with specific instructions to abandon safety behaviors are more effective than therapy without instructions to refrain from such behaviors.([11])”
BackgroundAltered time course of amygdala activation during speech anticipation in social anxiety disorder
Davies, C. D., Young, K., Torre, J. B., Burklund, L. J., Goldin, P. R., Brown, L. A., Niles, A. N., Lieberman, M. D., & Craske, M. G. (2017) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2016.11.014 · Cited by 21
“Exaggerated anticipatory anxiety can lead socially anxious individuals to avoid social situations or engage in safety behaviors, thus maintaining SAD symptoms by preventing new learning and reinforcing the maladaptive belief that social apprehension is warranted (Hofmann, 2007; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundGoetz, A. R., & Lee, H. (2014) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2014.10.003 · Cited by 22
“However, a number of investigations have also found detrimental outcomes for SBs (Deacon & Maack, 2008; Olatunji, Etzel, Tomarken, Ciesielski, & Deacon, 2011; Powers, Smits, & Telch, 2004; Sloan & Telch, 2002; Wells et al., 1995).”
(2013) · doi:10.22146/jpsi.7065
Applying DBT Mindfulness Skills to the Treatment of Clients with Anxiety Disorders
Gratz, K. L., Tull, M. T., & Wagner, A. W. (2007) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/0-387-25989-9_6 · Cited by 24
“Ost, 1996) and increased self-focused attention ( Wells et al., 1995 ).”
Mechanisms of Change in CBT Treatment
Teachman, B. A., Beadel, J. R., & Steinman, S. A. (2014) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118775349.ch40 · Cited by 22
Measurement invariance of the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale‐Self‐Report
Baroni, D., Caccico, L., Ciandri, S., Gesto, C. D., Leonardo, L. D., Fiesoli, A., Grassi, E., Lauretta, F., Lebruto, A., Marsigli, N., et al. (2022) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.23413 · Cited by 22
Reward Processes in Extinction Learning and Applications to Exposure Therapy
Rosenberg, B. M., Barnes‐Horowitz, N. M., Zbozinek, T. D., & Craske, M. G. (2023) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102911 · Cited by 22
Anxiety, self-discrepancy, and regulatory focus theory: acculturation matters
Levinson, C. A., & Rodebaugh, T. L. (2012) · Anxiety Stress & Coping · doi:10.1080/10615806.2012.659728 · Cited by 25
“In addition, previous research has found that individuals who are unable to reach their promotion goals effectively are at risk for depression (Scott & O'Hara, 1993 ; Strauman, 2002 ), and that a prototypical prevention behavior, avoidance, may maintain or lead to anxiety (Wells et al, 1995 ).”
BackgroundThe Effects of Alcohol on Safety Behaviors in Socially Anxious Individuals
Battista, S. R., MacDonald, D., & Stewart, S. H. (2012) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2012.31.10.1074 · Cited by 21
“Indeed, in treatment, an idiographic approach is typically used where clients identify the safety behaviors that are most relevant to them and then try to reduce using these behaviors during exposures (Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundResultDeveloping and disseminating effective psychological treatments: Science, practice and economics.
Clark, D. M. (2013) · Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne · doi:10.1037/a0031258 · Cited by 24
“Wells et al. (1995) provided a particularly clear demonstration that safety behaviours play a key role in maintaining social anxiety by asking patients to use, or avoid using, their usual safety behaviours during a stressful social interaction.”
BackgroundSelf-citationGeneral in-situation safety behaviors are uniquely associated with post-event processing
Mitchell, M. A., & Schmidt, N. B. (2013) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2013.11.001 · Cited by 21
“In-situation safety behaviors (Salkovskis, Clark, & Gelder, 1996) are used to “prevent or minimize a feared catastrophe” in the feared situation (Clark, 1999, p. 7) and prevent disconfirmation of maladaptive beliefs (Salkovskis, 1991; Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundInfluentialHendrikx, L. J., Krypotos, A., & Engelhard, I. M. (2020) · Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101601 · Cited by 20
Safety aid use and social anxiety symptoms: The mediating role of perceived control
Korte, K. J., Unruh, A. S., Oglesby, M. E., & Schmidt, N. B. (2015) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2015.06.006 · Cited by 24
The Safety Behavior Assessment Form: Development and Validation.
Goodson, J., Haeffel, G., Raush, D., & Hershenberg, R. (2016) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.22325 · Cited by 17
Blakey, S. M., & Abramowitz, J. S. (2018) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2018.03.001 · Cited by 20
Depersonalization Under Academic Stress: Frequency, Predictors, and Consequences
Schweden, T. L. K., Wolfradt, U., Jahnke, S., & Hoyer, J. (2018) · Psychopathology · doi:10.1159/000489468 · Cited by 20
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Social Anxiety Disorder: Supporting Evidence and Future Directions
Hambrick, J. P., Weeks, J. W., Harb, G. C., & Heimberg, R. G. (2003) · CNS Spectrums · doi:10.1017/s1092852900018630 · Cited by 21
Eysenck, M. W. (2004) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.10252 · Cited by 19
Watt, M. C., O’Connor, R. M., Stewart, S. H., Moon, E. C., & Terry, L. (2008) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.22.2.128 · Cited by 19
“…AS may result in the development of panic attacks or panic disorder (Schmidt, Lerew, & Jackson, 1997), IS may contribute to the development of health anxiety–related conditions including chronic pain (Carleton, Park, & Asmundson, 2006), and NES may result in social phobia (Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundExposure to social anxiety words: Treatment for social phobia based on the stroop paradigm
Masia, C. L., McNeil, D. W., Cohn, L. G., & Hope, D. A. (1999) · Cognitive and Behavioral Practice · doi:10.1016/s1077-7229(99)80083-2 · Cited by 20
Learning and “unlearning” fears: preparedness, neural pathways, and patients
Otto, M. W. (2002) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/s0006-3223(02)01719-5 · Cited by 19
Lampe, L. A. (2009) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1080/00048670903179111 · Cited by 18
Bò, E. D., Gentili, C., Castellani, A., Tripodi, C., Fischmeister, F., & Cecchetto, C. (2022) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2022.04.071 · Cited by 16
Toprak, E., Metin, A., & Ünalan, D. (2023) · Psychology in the Schools · doi:10.1002/pits.23080 · Cited by 23
Pengaruh Terapi Membatik terhadap Depresi pada Narapidana
Mukhlis, A. (2011) · Psikoislamika Jurnal Psikologi dan Psikologi Islam · doi:10.18860/psi.v0i1.1548 · Cited by 8
Goodwin, G. M., Holmes, E. A., Andersson, E., Browning, M. D., Jones, A., Lass‐Hennemann, J., Månsson, K. N. T., Moessnang, C., Salemink, E., Sánchez-López, Á., et al. (2018) · European Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.euroneuro.2017.10.036 · Cited by 18
“…mental or behavioural operations) in which patients engage to prevent imagined catastrophes from occurring (OCD; Deacon and Maack, 2008; PTSD: Dunmore et al., 1999; Social phobia: Kim, 2005; Wells et al., 1995; Salkovskis et al., 1999; Salkovskis et al., 2000; GAD: Woody and Rachman, 1994).”
BackgroundShort, N. A., & Schmidt, N. B. (2019) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.beth.2019.05.012 · Cited by 23
Jamani, N., & Clyde, Z. (2008) · The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist · doi:10.1017/s1754470x08000032 · Cited by 16
“…disorders such as panic disorder (Salkovskis et al. 1996; Thwaites & Freeston, 2005) and social phobia (Clark & Wells, 1995; Thwaites & Freeston, 2005), and empirical evidence supports the central role of safety-seeking behaviour in these disorders (Wells et al. 1995; Salkovskis et al. 1999).”
BackgroundCognitive Therapy for Delusions in Schizophrenia: Models, Benefits, and New Approaches
Cather, C., Penn, D. L., Otto, M. W., & GOFF, D. C. (2004) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/jcop.18.3.207.65650 · Cited by 15
“Similar to the prevailing cognitive-behavioral models of anxiety disorder (Wells et al., 1995) avoidance and safety behaviors are thought to play an important role in the maintenance of delusional beliefs by blocking exposure to disconfirmatory evidence (Morrison, 1998).”
BackgroundAuyeung, K. W., Hawley, L. L., Grimm, K. J., McCabe, R. E., & Rowa, K. (2020) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-020-10077-5 · Cited by 16
“Research supports the notion that social anxiety is derived in part from fears of perceived negative evaluation (Clark and Wells 1995; Rapee and Heimberg 1997; e.g., Burton et al.”
BackgroundJamal, Y., Islam, T., & Shahid, Z. (2022) · Kybernetes · doi:10.1108/k-11-2021-1093 · Cited by 13
Lee, A., Chan, W., & Ng, J. C. K. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-04130-7 · Cited by 13
“As a result, they typically engaged in avoidance behaviors, including excessive nodding, or looking for validation, expressing very little, or trying to divert attention by questioning others (Clark & Wells, 1995).”
BackgroundAlden, L. E., Auyeung, K. W., & Plasencia, L. (2014) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-394427-6.00018-2 · Cited by 17
Luzón, O., Harrop, C. E., & Nolan, F. (2009) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465809990191 · Cited by 14
Aurora, P., & Coifman, K. G. (2020) · Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10862-020-09844-1 · Cited by 18
“…with social anxiety often use in-situation avoidance behaviors (e.g., substance use, avoiding eye contact; using a cell phone; talking to specific individuals) to attenuate distress (Wells et al. 1995; Kashdan et al. 2008; Piccirillo et al. 2016; Clark and Wells 1995; Stevens et al. 2014).”
BackgroundThomas, S. A., Weeks, J. W., Dougherty, L. R., Lipton, M. F., Daruwala, S. E., Kline, K. V., & Reyes, A. D. L. (2015) · Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment · doi:10.1007/s10862-015-9488-8 · Cited by 16
“…behaviors much more frequently than other individuals during exposure to social situations, and 2) the use of safety behaviors during exposures impedes treatment gains (Hedtke et al. 2009; Helbig-Lang and Petermann 2010; Kim 2005; Schmidt et al. 2012; Taylor and Alden 2010; Wells et al. 1995).”
InfluentialSafety behaviors and speech treatment for adults who stutter.
Helgadottir, F., Menzies, R., Onslow, M., Packman, A., & O'Brian, S. (2014) · Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research · doi:10.1044/2014_jslhr-s-13-0041 · Cited by 13
Telch, M. J., Cobb, A. R., & Lancaster, C. L. (2014) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118775349.ch35 · Cited by 14
Social anxiety and work: a qualitative investigation in a low-income, minority sample
Himle, J. A., Weaver, A., Levine, D. S., Steinberger, E., Bybee, D., Vlnka, S., Miller, R., Laviolette, W. T., & Nicoll, K. L. (2020) · Social Work in Mental Health · doi:10.1080/15332985.2020.1742850 · Cited by 13
“Strategies like these, sometimes called “safety behaviors,” are theorized to interfere with the learning processes associated with exposure to anxiety evoking situations (Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundEffects of safety behavior fading on social anxiety and emotional disclosure
Stentz, L. A., & Cougle, J. R. (2022) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2022.104165 · Cited by 14
Kurtoğlu, M. B., Yücel, D., Coşkun, E., & Katar, K. (2024) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-024-06021-5 · Cited by 14
“The role of rumination after adverse experiences in the past in SAD becoming chronic has been proven by various studies (Abbott & Rapee, 2003; Wells et al., 1995; Mellings & Alden, 2000).”
Behind the mask: Stuttering, anxiety, and communication dynamics in the era of COVID‐19
Karimi, H., Jokar, A. H. R., Salehi, S., & Aghadoost, S. (2024) · International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders · doi:10.1111/1460-6984.13096 · Cited by 13
McKinnon, K., Bougoure, M., Zhuang, S., Tan, D. W., & Magiati, I. (2024) · Autism · doi:10.1177/13623613241287964 · Cited by 15
“Like autistic people, socially anxious people typically develop emotional, behavioural and/or social ‘strategies’ to avoid negative evaluation (Wells et al., 1995): these may include intense self-monitoring and a range of safety behaviours to endure or escape social interactions, such as avoidance…”
Perpetuating factors of social anxiety: a serial mediation model
Carnahan, N. D., Carter, M. M., & Herr, N. R. (2019) · Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1017/s1352465819000638 · Cited by 14
“The impact of safety behaviour usage While temporarily useful by reducing anxiety, SB use can lead to a misattribution of the absence of a feared catastrophe, consequently reinforcing the belief that one is staving off social danger (Wells et al., 1995).”
BackgroundMethodOren-Yagoda, R., & Aderka, I. M. (2021) · Journal of Anxiety Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102458 · Cited by 13
Goodson, J., & Haeffel, G. (2018) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.22635 · Cited by 14
Price, M. S., & Anderson, P. (2011) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2011.08.004 · Cited by 16
“Safety behaviors are maladaptive coping strategies that are used to ineffectively reduce anxiety when encountering a feared stimulus (Wells et al., 1996).”
Clinical Manual of Anxiety Disorders
(2004) · American Psychiatric Association Publishing eBooks · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9781615377138 · Cited by 13
Understanding and Treating Social Phobia
Curtis, R. C., Kimball, A., & Stroup, E. L. (2004) · Journal of Counseling & Development · doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2004.tb00279.x · Cited by 12
Funayama, T., Furukawa, T. A., Nakano, Y., Noda, Y., Ogawa, S., Watanabe, N., Chen, J., & Noguchi, Y. (2013) · Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences · doi:10.1111/pcn.12061 · Cited by 12
“Patients cannot learn to reduce their anxiety sufficiently in fearful situations.(4) Salkovskis et al.”
BackgroundKırca, B., Saruhan, V., Aydoğdu, B. N., & Avcu, A. (2023) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-023-04495-3 · Cited by 12
“As can be seen, the fear of negative evaluation triggers interaction anxiety and prevents social behaviors by creating discomfort in the person (Kashdan, 2004; Adams et al., 2011; Wells et al., 1995).”
InfluentialNicolaisen‐Sobesky, E., Paz, V., Constantino, F. C., Fernández‐Theoduloz, G., Pérez, A., Martínez‐Montes, E., Kessel, D., Cabana, Á., & Gradin, V. B. (2023) · Psychophysiology · doi:10.1111/psyp.14319 · Cited by 12
Erythrophobie: Störungswissen und Verhaltenstherapie
Chaker, S., & Hoyer, J. (2007) · Verhaltenstherapie · doi:10.1159/000105103 · Cited by 12
Hoffart, A., Borge, F., & Clark, D. M. (2016) · Journal of Experimental Psychopathology · doi:10.5127/jep.056116 · Cited by 12
Self-citation
Metadata
- Authors
- Wells, A., Clark, D. M., Salkovskis, P., Ludgate, J., Hackmann, A., & Gelder, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Venue
- Behavior Therapy
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 1995
- Volume
- 26
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 153-161
- ISSN
- 0005-7894 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2151136747
- Cited by
- 548
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 29 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 26 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 23 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 27
- FWCI
- 11.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Behavior Therapy (publishedVersion)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Assessments
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- social anxiety disorder, safety behavior, exposure therapy, anxiety maintenance
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review