The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between stereotype confirmation concerns (SCC) and fear of negative evaluation (FNE). It is hypothesized that SCC will predict FNE, and that this effect will be moderated by race, such that SCC and FNE will be stronger among African Americans than among European Americans. A sample of 53 Caucasians and 41 African Americans were diagnosed with social anxiety. A hierarchical multiple regression was run to predict FNE with SCC, race, and the product of the two. The final model explained 27.9% of the variance in participants’ FNE. Race significantly moderated the effects of SCC on FNE; SCC had a stronger effect on FNE for Caucasian (b = .380, p < .01) than for African Americans (b = .140, p < .05). This study shows that it may be helpful in treatment of social anxiety to address stereotype confirmation concerns and to discuss social situations during which negative stereotypes become salient.

Thesis advisor: Donnah Canavan / This study examines the relationship between shyness/social phobia and other personality traits, as manifested in college students. Very few studies have compared shyness and social phobia, and even fewer have contrasted them. However, we believe that there are several important differences between the two. Mainly, one hypothesis is that social phobics long to be more extroverted and, thus, are more conflicted in many aspects of their personalities. Moreover, very few studies have found a conclusive link between shyness or social phobia and self-esteem. One of our main hypotheses is that there is a link between shyness/social phobia and low social self-esteem, although not necessarily overall self-esteem. We sought support for these hypotheses and others in the analysis of data obtained through a survey, composed of several standard questionnaires, as well as original material covering areas of self-image, behaviors, emotions, and personality traits. The results did indicate substantial differences between shyness and social phobia, with social phobics having higher levels of extraversion and, overall, more conflict within themselves. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2006. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Psychology. / Discipline: College Honors Program.

Adolescents with body image dissatisfaction experience more anxiety than their peers who are more satisfied with their body. This is problematic given that adolescents who experience these concerns have a greater likelihood of later developing other mental health disorders and have more disordered eating cognitions and behaviour. For this reason, I investigated how body image dissatisfaction, social anxiety, and fear of negative evaluation were related to one another. Participants included 527 adolescents (301 girls; aged 15 to 19 years; 83.1% White) who were accessed annually over 4 years (Grade 10 to one-year post high school) using the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, the Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation scale-II, and validated questions to assess body image dissatisfaction. A developmental cascade model was used to examine direct and indirect effects between the study variables. Results indicated two significant indirect paths; body image dissatisfaction to social anxiety via fear of negative evaluation and body image dissatisfaction to fear of negative evaluation via social anxiety. Direct effects included a reciprocal positive association between body image dissatisfaction and social anxiety in mid-adolescence and a reciprocal positive association between social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation across adolescence. Lastly, there was a positive association from body image dissatisfaction to fear of negative evaluation across adolescence. These results suggest that adolescents with low body image dissatisfaction are likely to experience greater fear and anxiety regarding social interaction. This study emphasizes the need to target adolescents with body image intervention programs to reduce the experience of psychopathology.

Sexual minorities must deal daily with their stigmatized identities. Specifically, depression and anxiety as well as psychological distress and self-stigma are common among people with stigmatized identities. Self-compassion has been linked to enhanced psychological well-being and less negative feelings toward the self. The aim of this study was to investigate selfcompassion as a potential buffer of the effects of sexual minority related rejection experiences on self-perceptions of stigma and psychological symptoms. Participants were randomly assigned to a self-compassion induction group versus 1 of 3 control groups (self-esteem only induction; expressive writing condition; true control) to examine whether self-compassion can be induced to reduce self-stigma, negative mood, and fear of negative evaluation. Results did not support hypotheses; analyses revealed nonsignificant effects for the self-compassion induction. However, results revealed a significant main effect for trait self-compassion predicting outcomes of decreased self-stigma, fear of negative evaluation, and negative mood, and increased positive mood.

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In anticipation of a future social interaction, socially anxious individuals (SAIs) may imagine themselves appearing stupid or foolish and predict and exaggerate the probability and costs of conveying these undesirable social images both on oneself (e.g., “I will feel stupid”) and on others impressions of oneself (e.g., “Others will think I’m stupid”). However, there is a paucity of research examining the latter bias; moreover, research regarding SAIs estimates of the probability and costs of conveying a positive impression (e.g., “I will feel smart”) has typically been neglected. Thus, the a novel questionnaire was created in order to develop a more comprehensive model of SAIs estimates of probability and costs. We expected that positive and negative, self- and other-related judgments will represent four distinct, latent constructs that will be related to trait social anxiety indirectly through fears of positive and negative evaluation per the evolutionary model of social anxiety. Structural equation modeling was used to test study hypotheses. The final sample included four hounded and seventy-four college students (307 males and 167 females). Results generally supported study hypotheses. After minor theoretically justified modifications, the hypothesized model provided good fit to the data, χ2(94) = 151.78, CFI = .99, TLI = .99, RMSEA = .04. All social appraisals (or judgments) with the exception of other-negative appraisals were indirectly related to social anxiety through fears of positive and negative evaluation. Contrary to expectations, other-positive appraisals were negatively related to fear of negative evaluation and other-negative appraisals were uncorrelated with fear of positive evaluation, providing partial incremental validity of the novel questionnaire used in this study. Results provide preliminary evidence that suggests future research should extend evaluation of SAIs anticipatory social appraisals beyond negative, self-related social impact. Implications, limitations, and future directions of the research are be discussed.

The present study investigated self-presentational predictors of shyness among university students via a mediational causal model, in which socially-prescribed perfectionism, perceived social skills, and perceived parental attitudes were proposed to interact with fear of negative evaluation and self-esteem to predict shyness. The sample consisted of 497 undergraduate students (287 females, 210 males) selected from Middle East Technical University by stratified random sampling. Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, Socially-Prescribed Perfectionism Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, Social Skills Inventory-Short, and Parental Attitude Scale were used in data collection. Pilot studies were conducted for assessing the reliability and validity of Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Revised Cheek and Buss Shyness Scale, and Social Skills Inventory-Short. Path analysis was utilized to test the causal model. The results revealed that shyness was positively predicted from fear of negative evaluation and socially-prescribed perfectionism / and negatively from self-esteem and perceived social skills. Fear of negative evaluation was predicted positively from socially-prescribed perfectionism and perceived strictness/supervision from parents, and negatively from self-esteem / whereas self-esteem was predicted positively from perceived social skills, perceived parental psychological autonomy and acceptance/involvement, and negatively from socially-prescribed perfectionism. These findings suggested that fear of negative evaluation partially mediated the relationship between shyness and socially-prescribed perfectionism / between shyness and perceived parental strictness/supervision / and between shyness and self-esteem. In addition, self-esteem partially mediated the association of shyness with socially-prescribed perfectionism / with perceived social skills / with parental acceptance/involvement / and with parental psychological autonomy. Findings are discussed within the self-presentational framework of shyness.

Researchers have examined how shyness influences broad aspects of relationships (i.e., quality, satisfaction); however, little is known about how shyness impacts sexuality, specifically, within committed relationships. This study examined associations between shyness and sexual frequency and sexual satisfaction within committed young adult relationships. Potential explanations for these associations (i.e., fear of negative evaluation and body esteem, consecutively) were also examined. Participants included 3,670 individuals (61.6% female) ages 30-35 from the United States who were in committed dating or marital relationships. Results revealed that shyness was negatively associated with sexual frequency and satisfaction among men and women. In addition, fear of negative evaluation via body esteem mediated these associations. The discussion considers the implications of shyness and the associated processes and sexual outcomes in young adulthood.

Cosmetic surgery is more widely accepted than ever. Appearance dissatisfaction and increased investment in appearance, or appearance orientation, have been linked to more favorable attitudes towards cosmetic surgery. Cognitive behavioral models of social anxiety were reviewed and integrated with existing theories of body image to provide a theoretical background for the exploration of influences on acceptance of cosmetic surgery. In this investigation, the relationships between subjective evaluations of appearance, appearance orientation (AO), fear of negative evaluation (FNE), and attitudes towards cosmetic surgery using the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale (ACSS; Henderson-King & Henderson-King, 2005) were explored in two samples of women. Sample 1 consisted of 327 undergraduate women (M age = 20.50, SD = 4.30); Sample 2 consisted of 102 female volunteers (M age = 34.04, SD = 9.18). In Sample 1, lower overall and feature-specific attractiveness and greater dissatisfaction with appearance were related to increased ACSS, and AO was positively correlated with FNE, which was strongly related to ACSS. In both samples, individuals with lower self-rated attractiveness and appearance satisfaction had higher FNE. In Sample 1, FNE partially mediated the relationship between AO and general attitudes towards surgery, social motivations for surgery, and consideration of future surgery. FNE did not mediate the relationship between AO and acceptance of surgery based on intrapersonal factors, nor was there evidence of mediation by FNE for any of the ACSS factors in Sample 2. Next, a reverse mediation model was tested to examine the initial hypothesized ordering of variables. In Sample 1, AO partially or fully mediated the relationship between FNE and the ACSS total and factor scores, calling into question the hypothesized ordering of predictors in our initial model. There was no evidence of mediation by AO in Sample 2. Lastly, a model in which FNE was hypothesized to strengthen the ability of AO to predict ACSS was tested. No evidence of a moderation effect for any of the factors of ACSS was found in either sample. The results of this investigation suggest that features of social anxiety may be a fruitful area for continued research that may inform a more thorough understanding of body image and its influences on attitudes towards, pursuit of, and satisfaction with cosmetic surgery. / Psychology

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