Flashforward imagery in speech anxiety: Characteristics and associations with anxiety and avoidance
Open accessAbstract
Speech anxiety (SA) is a highly prevalent social fear. Prospective ‘flashforward’ (FF) imagery of an upcoming social catastrophe may be a particularly important cognitive factor in SA persistence via eliciting anxiety and avoidance behaviors. Since earlier research on imagery and social anxiety has not strictly differentiated between types of negative imagery, the occurrence, precise features, and impact of FF imagery remain unclear. We therefore examined the phenomenological characteristics of FF imagery in SA and mapped the relationship between FF imagery features and anxiety and avoidance. Female participants who approached clinical levels of SA (N = 60) completed questionnaires on SA and avoidance behaviors, and rated anxiety and avoidance in anticipation of an actual speech. FF imagery and emotionally linked autobiographical memories were assessed with semi-structured interviews. All participants reported recurring FF images, which were experienced as vivid, distressing, field perspective images with accompanying negative feelings. Image distress and feelings of threat showed most consistent associations with SA and avoidance measures. Findings add to the conceptualization of SA, and support the clinical relevance of assessing FF imagery. Future experimental studies on FF imagery characteristics are necessary to test the proposed causal impact in SA persistence and to inform additional treatment targets.
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Negative imagery may recur in the form of prospective images of an imminent social catastrophe.
“Such negative imagery may also recur in the form of prospective images of an imminent social catastrophe (e.g., Thunnissen et al. 2022).”
From Negative Flashforward Imagery in Adolescent Social Anxiety Disorder: A Pilot Study of Imagery Reports and a Short EMDR Intervention. (2024) · cites this paper as Thunnissen et al. 2022
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Thunnissen, M. R., de Jong, P. J., Weijermans, J., Vet, L. J. J., Rijkeboer, M. M., & Nauta, M. H. (2024) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.3063 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Thunnissen, M. R., Nauta, M. H., de Jong, P. J., Rijkeboer, M. M., & Voncken, M. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Maastricht University (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Thunnissen, Marjolein R.
- Venue
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2022-10-04
- Volume
- 13
- Pages
- 975374-975374
- ISSN
- 1664-1078 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC9577331
- OpenAlex
- W4301397217
- Cited by
- 12
- References
- 14
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 2.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Psychology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Research Publications (Maastricht University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
- Universiteit Maastricht
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Communication in Education and Healthcare
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Stuttering Research and Treatment
- Keywords
- speaking anxiety, social anxiety, avoidance behavior, anticipatory anxiety, autobiographical memory, image vividness, threat perception
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