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Cited by 105Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychological Treatments and AssessmentsChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Self-focused cognition in social anxiety: a review of the theoretical and empirical literature

Open access
Norton, Alice R., Abbott, Maree J.·2016·Behaviour Change
DOI 10.1017/bec.2016.2
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Abstract

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterised by a marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations. Cognitive models suggest that self-focused cognitive processes play a crucial role in generating and maintaining social anxiety, and that self-focused cognition occurs prior to, during, and following social situations (Clark & Wells, 1995; Rapee & Heimberg, 1997). There is a substantial body of empirical evidence demonstrating that socially anxious individuals engage in self-focused cognition during and following a social or performance situation. A smaller but growing body literature suggests that a similar process occurs prior to such situations, and that these three processes are interdependent. Furthermore, the vast majority of research to date indicates that self-focused cognitive processes are detrimental, and that they generate and maintain social anxiety in a variety of ways. However, there remains considerable scope for research to further explicate the role of these processes in the maintenance of SAD, and to enhance interventions designed to ameliorate their negative effects.

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  • Changes in attention focus may constitute a highly relevant process mechanism of therapeutic improvement during and after exposure therapy.

    “even though changes in attention focus may constitute a highly relevant process mechanism of therapeutic improvement during and after exposure therapy (Gregory and Peters, 2017; Kampmann et al., 2019; Norton and Abbott, 2016; Wong et al., 2017; Hofmann, 2000)”

    From Virtual Reality exposure therapy in the treatment of public speaking anxiety and social anxiety disorder (2024) · cites this paper as Norton and Abbott, 2016

    The Clinical Implications section reports that reductions in self-focused attention mediate symptom reduction in CBT for social anxiety disorder, and the Self-Focused Attention section reports greater anxiety reduction when patients attend to external information during exposure. This supports attention focus as a possible therapeutic mechanism, but the review does not establish that it operates after exposure therapy or across exposure therapy more generally. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • Other evidence suggests a bidirectional relation between social anxiety and social victimization and rejection, potentially due to poorer social performance secondary to increased use of safety behaviors.

    “Other evidence suggests a bidirectional relation between social anxiety and social victimization and rejection, potentially due to poorer social performance secondary to increased use of safety behaviors (106, 160, 161).”

    From MDMA-Assisted Therapy as a Means to Alter Affective, Cognitive, Behavioral, and Neurological Systems Underlying Social Dysfunction in Social Anxiety Disorder (2021) · cites this paper as [106]

    The sections on self-focused cognitive processes and self-focused attention (pages unavailable) describe safety behaviours and impaired social performance in social anxiety. They do not establish that safety behaviours cause poorer performance or report a bidirectional relation between social anxiety and victimization or rejection. (LLM, conf=0.82)

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  • If revealing the authentic self is less likely to trigger shame, then defensive self-focused attention may also be reduced, resulting in a decreased need to regulate shame through avoidant, self-critical processes.

    “More broadly, if revealing the authentic self is less likely to trigger shame, then defensive self-focused attention may also be reduced (105–107), resulting in a decreased need to regulate shame through avoidant, self-critical processes.”

    From MDMA-Assisted Therapy as a Means to Alter Affective, Cognitive, Behavioral, and Neurological Systems Underlying Social Dysfunction in Social Anxiety Disorder (2021) · cites this paper as [106]

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2 of the 133 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. Bögels, S., Mulkens, S., & de Jong, P. (1997). Task concentration training and fear of blushing. Journal of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 4, 251-258.

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Authors
Norton, A. R., & Abbott, M. J.
Affiliations
The University of Sydney (AU)
Corresponding author
Norton, Alice R.
ORCID
Venue
Behaviour Change
Publisher
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Published
2016-02-17
Volume
33
Issue
1
Pages
44-64
ISSN
  • 0813-4839 (ISSN-L)
  • 2049-7768
DOI
10.1017/bec.2016.2
OpenAlex
W2334372409
Cited by
105
References
133
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 2
FWCI
11.86
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified)
Locations
Behaviour Change (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 › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
social anxiety disorder, cognitive models of anxiety, performance situations, social conditions, anxiety intervention

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