Imagery and the self in social phobia

Abstract

Current cognitive models (Clark & Wells, 1995; Rapee & Heimberg, 1997) emphasise the importance of negative self-images in the maintenance of social phobia. Although evidence suggests that in social phobia these images influence some cognitive, affective and behavioural responses in social situations, it is unclear how they exert their effect. The literature review examines the proposition that these images function as self-representations that have their roots in autobiographical
memory. The role of self-images, within a theoretical model of self and autobiographical memory is explored (i.e., the Self-Memory System; Conway & Pleydell-Pearce, 2000). A possible relationship between self-images and the working self (i.e., the current self-view) is discussed as a useful framework within which the effects of negative self-images in social phobia could be understood. Research is proposed which will begin to empirically test this relationship. The empirical paper investigates the effect of positive and negative self-images on difference aspects of the self. Negative self-images were associated with a weaker positive implicit selfesteem bias, and less positive and more negative explicit self-esteem, in both high and low socially anxious participants. Negative self-images were also associated with reduced self-concept clarity, but only in low socially anxious participants. Following social threat activation, the increase in self-esteem associated with positive selfimagery was still evident. Findings provide some support for a relationship between self-imagery and specific self-evaluative components of the self. The potential contribution of this relationship to the persistence of social phobia is discussed.

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