Cognitive Model of Social Anxiety

Self-Centered Attention (Self-Monitoring)

A distinctive component of social anxiety is the radical shift of attentional focus.

Upon entering a social situation, the person stops paying attention to the environment (what others are saying, what the place is like) and turns his or her attention to the self, becoming an object of his or her own observation.

This phenomenon, known as self-monitoring, involves constant surveillance of one's own physical symptoms (blushing, trembling, sweating) and behavioral performance ("Am I smiling too much?", "Does my voice sound funny?").

The person constructs a distorted mental image of how they believe others are viewing them, mistakenly assuming that their internal sensations (anxiety) are clearly visible to external audiences, which increases their insecurity.

Anticipatory Processing (Prediction of Failure)

Long before the social event occurs, anxiety is activated by anticipatory processing. The mind generates catastrophic predictions about what will happen.

For example, if someone is to attend a company dinner, days beforehand he or she will start thinking, "I'll draw a blank, I won't know what to talk about, and everyone will think I'm boring."

This negative mental script establishes a state of alertness and fear beforehand, so that the person arrives at the event already conditioned to expect the worst and looking for signs that confirm his or her predicted failure.

Post-Event Processing (Rumination)

Torment does not end at the end of the social interaction. Subsequently, post-event processing, a thorough and critical review of past performance, is activated.

The person mentally reviews every word and gesture, focusing exclusively on possible mistakes or awkward moments ("I shouldn't have told that joke", "They must have noticed I got stuck").

This rumination reinforces negative beliefs about his or her social incompetence and consolidates fear for future interactions, since the memory of the event is recorded not as it actually happened, but as a succession of failures magnified by one's own judgment.

Summary

Social anxiety is characterized by a radical shift of attentional focus to oneself. The individual constantly monitors him/herself, constructing a distorted image of his/her visible performance.

Anticipatory processing activates anxiety long before the event. The mind generates catastrophic predictions of failure, conditioning the person to expect the worst and feel fear.

Finally, post-event processing involves a critical and thorough review. The person ruminates on his or her mistakes, magnifying failures and reinforcing beliefs of future social incompetence.