The association of high social anxiety and perceived responsiveness with self-disclosure
| dc.contributor.author | Petty, Sarah | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Morry, Marian (Psychology) Furer, Patricia (Clinical Health Psychology) | en_US |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Walker, John (Psychology) | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-09-12T15:41:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-09-12T15:41:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2017 | |
| dc.degree.discipline | Psychology | en_US |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Arts (M.A.) | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Friendships of individuals high in social anxiety are characterized by low intimacy and closeness (Weisman et al., 2011). Past research suggests that these impairments may be due to the low levels of self-disclosure associated with high social anxiety, however the mechanism behind this behavior has not been studied (e.g. Cuming & Rapee, 2010). Cognitive models of social anxiety posit that social anxiety is developed and maintained through cognitive distortions (Clark, 2001). Low perceived responsiveness during social interactions might be a cognitive distortion leading to reduced levels of self-disclosure for individuals high in social anxiety. The present study’s objective was to test the role of perceived responsiveness in the relationship between social anxiety and self-disclosure. Two hundred and twenty-two undergraduate students were recruited to fill out an on-line survey. Participants completed a measure of social anxiety. Following this, participants identified a close friend and answered questions about this close friend including perceived responsiveness and self-disclosure in this relationship. Participants completed the same procedure for an identified acquaintance. Reduced perceived responsiveness was found to mediate the relationship between high social anxiety and low self-disclosure for close friendships, but not for relationships with acquaintances. As self-disclosure contributes to intimacy in friendships, it was important to identify and test this pathway. Findings suggest the importance of perceived responsiveness in the close friendships of individuals with high social anxiety, and have implications for the treatment of social anxiety. | en_US |
| dc.description.note | October 2017 | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/32577 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.rights | open access | en_US |
| dc.subject | Social anxiety | en_US |
| dc.subject | Perceived responsiveness | en_US |
| dc.subject | Self-disclosure | en_US |
| dc.subject | Friendship | en_US |
| dc.title | The association of high social anxiety and perceived responsiveness with self-disclosure | en_US |
| dc.type | master thesis | en_US |
| local.subject.manitoba | yes | en_US |