Archives

Uncategorized — 3 Comments
10
Feb 18

The Gift of Social Anxiety

Do you find enjoyment in meeting new people? Do you love to spark up random conversation? Do you enjoy large crowds? Do you love eating in front of others? Do you find that, if given the chance, you would jump on providing a speech in front of your peers? How about people that you have never met? Some readers may be answering yes to every question and some readers may be answering a mixture of yes and no. There are a few of you though that might be thinking, absolutely not, to all of the above. For the absolutely not crowd, you may not be saying this for lack of interest; rather, you may be saying this for fear of what could happen during those situations, specifically because they each involve putting you under a microscope in front of others. Every move you make is going to be watched, analyzed and potentially judged. Everything you do could go wrong and lead to potential embarrassment. You wonder if you are going to make a fool of yourself and if so, how will you ever recover? This is when you start to sweat, your mind starts racing and the only way to put an end to the madness is to avoid the situation in its entirety. In the most extreme cases, this could be better classified as social anxiety disorder, otherwise known as social phobia.

In the U.S., there are an estimated 7.1% of adults that have had social anxiety within the previous year, and an estimated 12.1% of adults have had social anxiety disorder at some point in their lives (National Institute of Mental Health, 2017). Per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, social anxiety disorder is manifested as a marked fear or anxiety about one or more social situations in which the individual is exposed to possible scrutiny by others, especially during social interactions, when being observed or when performing in front of others (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). While there are quite a few diagnostic criteria that must be satisfied, the general idea is that those with social anxiety disorder have an intense fear of social interactions. This intense fear can be accompanied by a high level of anxiety, negative physiological changes and ultimately, avoidance of the potential situation. Even worse, the simple thought of the situation can cause the same reactions. If you have ever found yourself in such a position, you may be asking yourself, why?

One potential explanation for having social anxiety relates to a theory known as the self-presentation theory (SPT). SPT was a framework based upon the idea that individuals attempt to manage or control the impression that others form of them; these impressions are important because they can dictate whether we receive a reward or punishment (Leary & Kowalski, 1995). The roots of social anxiety grow from this theory, specifically when we have a high self-presentational motivation, but low self-efficacy (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). If we have high self-presentational motivation, we are extremely concerned about what other people think of us; however, if we have low self-efficacy, then we are lacking in confidence of portraying a specific image to those same people (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). When those first two criteria are met, social anxiety then blossoms as a result of a third condition, negative outcome expectancies, or anticipated aversive repercussions that are a result of displaying an undesirable impression (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012). The more straightforward version of the above is that social anxiety is created because we want to provide a really good impression, believe that we lack the ability to do so and thus, expect a negative outcome due to pessimistic thoughts. According to Schlenker and Leary (1982), “Socially anxious individuals do not perceive themselves capable of controlling, in the fashion they desire, the impression-relevant reactions of others.” Given that we now have an understanding of one potential root of social anxiety, the next natural question becomes, is there a way to eliminate or reduce it?

Three different studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in social anxiety through three different methods. Clark et al. (2006) demonstrated that cognitive therapy and exposure therapy with applied relaxation were both effective treatments for social anxiety. Additionally, they demonstrated that while both are indeed effective treatments, cognitive therapy was superior, in that twice as many patients were classified as responders to treatment – those that no longer fit the diagnosis for having social anxiety disorder – versus those in exposure therapy with applied relaxation (Clark et al., 2006). Masia-Warner et al. (2005) implemented a school-based intervention program aimed at improving overall functioning of teenagers with social anxiety disorder. The intervention program they implemented focused on social skills training, exposure and realistic thinking. 67% of those participants in the intervention condition no longer met the diagnostic criteria for social anxiety disorder when assessed at the completion of the program. Schmidt, Richey, Buckner, & Timpano (2009) demonstrated that attention training, specifically focused on the disengagement of negative social cues, effectively reduced the number of participants that met diagnostic criteria by 72%, approximately 25 of 36 participants. The key in this study was to break the focus of attention on negative stimuli by replacing this with positive stimuli, thus breaking the cycle of social anxiety.

In all, if you find yourself struggling with severe social anxiety, the above results should demonstrate that there is hope. Hope for those that struggle through life due to severe social anxiety. Hope that we can effectively retrain ourselves to escape the constant cycle of social fear. Hope that we can implement interventions which can prevent or eliminate social anxiety during our early years. Hope that we can once again engage with others, without having excessive anxiety or negative physiological responses. To be freed from the chains of social anxiety allows us the ability to live life to the fullest; a dream for those of you, like me, that suffer from social anxiety.

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Clark, D. M., Ehlers, A., Hackmann, A., McManus, F., Fennell, M., Grey, N., . . .Wild, J. (2006). Cognitive therapy versus exposure and applied relaxation in social phobia: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(3), 568-578. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.74.3.568

Leary, M. R., & Kowalski, R. M. (1995). Social anxiety: Emotions and social behavior. New York: Guilford Press.

Masia-Warner, C., Klein, R. G., Dent, H. C., Fisher, P. H., Alvir, J., Albano, A. M., & Guardino, M. (2005). School-based intervention for adolescents with social anxiety disorder: Results of a controlled study. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33(6), 707-722. doi: 10.1007/s10802-005-7649-z

National Institute of Mental Health. (2017). Social Anxiety Disorder. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/social-anxiety-disorder.shtml

Schlenker, B. R., & Leary, M. R. (1982). Social anxiety and self-presentation: A conceptualization and model. Psychological Bulletin, 92(3), 641-669. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.92.3.641

Schmidt, N. B., Richey, J. A., Buckner, J. D., & Timpano, K. R. (2009). Attention training for generalized social anxiety disorder. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118(1), 5-14. doi: 10.1037/a0013643

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems (2nd ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

create an entry — 3 Comments
06
Feb 18

Art and Neuroscience

Have you ever been curious about why some people are perfectly content being a “starving artist?” Maybe, it’s because their core job of creating art is stress relieving and relaxing. I must admit that when I first heard of art therapy several years ago, I was skeptical. I, like many others, thought that the purpose of art therapy was primarily for children or simply an outlet of expression. This is likely because I perceived art and neuroscience to be complete opposites. Though, the benefits of creativity and artwork is commonly underestimated, and research has suggested that participating in different forms of art can have several beneficial effects on one’s brain.

How do two seemingly opposite fields such as freely driven art and the scientific study of the brain work together? Curiously, art therapy has the potential to be much more than this, as it offers a different approach from the traditional talk therapy. Konopka suggests in their journal article, that there are significant connections between art therapy and healing the brain. Konopka notes that “Art therapy has gained popularity because it combines free artistic expression with the potential for significant therapeutic intervention” (Konopka, 2014). Konopka also discusses that even further research is necessary to fully understand the potential of art therapy and its relationship to cognitive functioning.

Many people have experienced the positive effects of art therapy, and some claim that it has even contributed to changing their life. Some brain injury survivors attending art therapy, share their stories on a local PBS news station. One participant, Jennifer, shares that she is now able to “Reconnect with her cognitive functions and mobility that she lost from her [brain] injury” (PBS, 2016). This program also discussed how “recreational therapy such as Art and music can help heal the brain at faster and more complete rates” (PBS, 2016). Martin, who is an art therapist also shares how art therapy contributed to understanding and centering a young man who was threatening homicide (American Therapy Association, 2018).

Perhaps you do not have a traumatic brain injury, and this whole concept seems very specific and non-relatable. Perhaps, the idea of attempting to create something visually appealing may be intimidating. Regardless of your ability or need, art therapy may still have beneficial effects on the brain. Konopka notes that “for years, we recognized that art-making allowed one to re-frame experiences, reorganize thoughts, and gain personal insight that often enhances one’s quality of life” (Konopka, 2014).  Writer, Priscilla Frank discusses in their article various findings supporting the notion that just 45 minutes of artwork can reduce cortisol levels (Frank, 2016). In Frank’s article, they discuss how the act of engaging in an artful activity relieves the very common experience of stress (Frank, 2016). Frank suggests that if you are feeling the burden of stress, you will likely find relief in some old-fashioned arts and crafts.

From relieving stress to rewiring one’s brain after a traumatic brain injury, participating in art is beneficial. It is important to also note that there is certainly a difference between art therapy and personal participation in art. Art therapists are trained at the Master level and “work with people who are challenged with medical and mental health problems, as well as individuals seeking emotional, creative, and spiritual growth” (American Art Therapy Association, 2018). However, regardless of your needs, engaging in forms of artistic participation can have widespread beneficial effects on your brain. So the next time your feeling stressed or overwhelmed, it’s a good idea to engage in some creative expression.

 

References

American Art Therapy Association. (2017). About Art Therapy. Retrieved from Arttherapy.org: arttherapy.org/about-art-therapy/

American Art Therapy Association. (2017). Story Library. Retrieved from Arttherapy.org: arttherapy.org/story-library/

Frank, P. (2016, June 16). Study says making art reduces stress, even if you kind of suck at it. Retrieved from Huffingtonpost.com: huffingtonpost.com/entry/study-says-making-art-reduces-stress_us_576183ece4b09c926cfdccac

Konopka, L. M. (2014). Where art meets neuroscience: a new horizon of art therapy. U.S. National Library of Medicine. DOI: 10.3325/cmj.2014.55.73

PBS (Director). (2016). Art therapy helps patients with traumatic brain injury. Retrieved from PBS.org: pbs.org/video/njtvnews-art-therapy-helps-patients-traumatic-brain-injury/.

Uncategorized — No Comments
07
Oct 16

The Rejection: Hopelessness Theory of Depression

I’d like to use a case example to illustrate the hopelessness theory of depression in this blog post.

A 25-year-old man who had trained for years in animation and game design received admission to a Canadian university for a course in game design. He applied for a student visa to Canada, and settled in to wait for his paperwork to be processed. He bought his flight tickets and started to look for places to stay in Toronto, where he would be studying. The weeks passed, and his course start date came and went, but his visa didn’t come through. He went repeatedly to the consulate office to ask for expedition of the process, but got no answers. Thoroughly frustrated, he delayed his flight tickets twice, and still didn’t get his visa. Finally, he got his passport back in the mail. There was no visa stamp in his passport. His application had been rejected.

Thus ensued a period of major depression for this young man. He had applied for loans, bought flight tickets, and paid his tuition fees to the university. He was set to lose a large sum of money, and he had no backup plan of action. No job, no money, and seemingly, no future. He was in a situation where he felt he had no control over his future outcome. He had experienced a huge setback.

This life experience, wherein he had experienced such an unpredictable and uncontrollable setback, made the man feel thoroughly helpless, and as per Seligman’s (1975) learned helplessness model of depression, the man gave up his efforts to cope. Instead of looking for other options like a job in his hometown or further developing his portfolio, the man lay in bed and grew increasingly depressed.

Abramson, Seligman, and Teasdale (1978) proposed the attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness model of depression, which suggested that depression was caused by pessimistic attributions on the part of the person, leading to a negative outcome expectancy, that is, helplessness. The man believed that his visa was rejected because he was simply no good, had no luck, and was not meant to succeed in life. This belief was an internal, stable, and global attribution—the man believed that nothing would ever go well in life again, and that this setback was proof of his inadequacy.

The hopelessness theory of depression (HTD), as proposed by Abramson, Metalsky, and Alloy (1989), suggests that depression occurs in people with a negative attribution style, known as a pessimistic explanatory style or a depressogenic attribution style. The man believed that the cause of the aversive life event, the visa rejection, was internal (he was not good enough), stable (was absolute and forever-lasting), and global (he had no luck). Hopelessness, as defined as “the expectation that highly desirable outcomes will not occur and that one is powerless to change the situation” (Needles & Abramson, 1990, p. 156), thus set in.

The man began to show signs characteristic of hopelessness depression—low self-esteem, lethargy, and apathy (Abela, Gagnon, & Auerbach, 2007). He became more dependent on people around him, while at the same time attempting to isolate himself. This contradictory behavior naturally did not lead to positive outcomes for him. However, he was lucky enough to have plenty of social support, in the form of friends, who nudged him towards a more positive attribution style—what Needles and Abramson (1990) call an enhancing attribution style. He began to consider his future options in a more positive light. He reevaluated his professional outlook, judged himself to be a skilled animator and designer, and recognized that he had jobs that were open to him. He received a job offer, and he evaluated the cause of this offer in a stable, internal and global way—he was a skilled professional, and he now had a path open for his future. He also decided to reapply for the Canadian student visa, and had hopes for his acceptance.

References

Abela, J. R. Z., Gagnon, H., & Auerbach, R. P. (2007). Hopelessness depression in children: An examination of the symptom component of the hopelessness theory. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 31(3), 401–417.

Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Alloy, L. B. (1989). Hopelessness depression: A theory-based subtype of depression. Psychological Review, 96, 358–372.

Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E. P., & Teasdale, I. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49–74.

Needles, D. J., & Abramson, L. Y. (1990). Positive life events, attributional style, and hopefulness: Testing a model of recovery from depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 99, 156–165.

Seligman, M. E. P. (1975). Helplessness: On depression, development and death. San Francisco: Freeman.

Uncategorized — No Comments
25
Feb 16

Understanding Addiction

When considering the relationship between applied social psychology and health, one would be remiss in overlooking the topic of substance abuse. Addiction, while often incorrectly treated as an issue of poor self-control or will power, is at its heart a social problem. Therefore the solution to substance abuse problems in our society must consider a biopsychosocial approach.

In an article for The New York Times, Gabrielle Glaser focused on the work of Dr. Mark Willenbring, an addiction psychiatrist. Dr. Willenbring, unhappy with the current approach to treating addiction, developed his own center to assist addicts in achieving a healthier lifestyle (Glaser, 2016). In many ways his approach would fall under the category of a biopsychosocial intervention. A biopsychosocial approach is one that looks at health from the perspective of biology, psychology, and social factors (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012).

Dr. Willenbring first looks at addiction from a biological perspective. He educates his clients in the role that genetics plays on substance abuse. Not only is this scientifically accurate, it allows those dealing with addictions to recognize that despite what they may have been told in more traditional treatment programs, addiction is not simply a personal or moral failure. He also takes in to consideration psychological factors. During the initial diagnostic process, he screens patients for underlying mental disorders such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD, in order to determine if these factors may be hampering their recovery process. He also considers the social aspect of addiction. He recognizes the need for those in the recovery process to have healthy social groups to support their efforts. Dr. Willenbring uses a multifaceted approach including medication, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and group therapy sessions to tackle addiction like a disease instead of as a failure of character (Glaser, 2016).

Dr. Willenbring’s treatment protocols are considered by some to be controversial. As previously stated, traditional programs generally preach faith and complete abstinence. Dr. Willenbring, in contrast, approaches addition like a chronic disease that needs to be tended over time, but whose treatment plan must be based in empirically tested scientific data. He also believes that there has been a failure for existing programs to accept what the most current research is telling us about the treatment of addiction (Glaser, 2016). In many ways, this is an example of why it is so necessary for intervention programs to have an evaluation process. The evaluation process is essential in determining if the current intervention strategies are functioning as designed, and whether they are financially responsible investments (Schneider, Gruman & Coutts, 2012). Glaser’s (2016) article cites multiple sources that suggest that addiction is escalating in this country, and the traditional treatment of faith-based programs and in-patient treatment facilities, are perhaps not as effective or efficient, as they could be. One of the most recommended options for recovery is in-patient treatment in a rehab facility, yet despite the high cost, there is no reliable evidence that these facilities are any more effective than Dr. Willenbring’s inexpensive out-patient program (Glaser, 2016).

Applied social psychologists have an ethical obligation to find ways to promote affordable and evidence based intervention strategies for fighting addiction. The fact that hundreds of millions of dollars are being funneled in to programs that may not be meeting the criteria for being effective or efficient is a travesty. We, like the rest of the scientific community, must adjust existing programs to stay current to the best available research. If we do that, we can take significant steps in helping those suffering from addiction, as well as strengthen our communities in order to prevent future problems.

 

References

Glaser, G. (2016, February 22). For Mark Willenbring, substance abuse treatment begins with research. The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2016,          from http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/23/science/mark-willenbring-addiction-substance-abuse-treatment.html?ref=health&_r=0

Schneider, F. W., Gruman, J. A., & Coutts, L. M. (2012). Applied social psychology: Understanding and addressing social and practical problems (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
28
Sep 14

Pursuit of Happiness

What is happiness? Happiness, although experienced by many on several different occasions is a concept that cannot be equally defined across cultures. Modern psychological studies measure happiness on three levels. This is most commonly called the measure of “subjective well-being” and include an individual describing whether they feel good, bad, or satisfied with life (Chang, 2014). Countries can be ranked on this three measures of happiness.

Screen-Shot-2014-09-10-at-7.35.11-PM

As described in this particular article, in our Western culture we see happiness as one of the highest and most treasured human goods. This article definitely gave me quite a few things to think about in terms of the culture that we live in and the values that I was taught to hold as a child and even now as an adult. Growing up we always sought out the things that made us the happiest, most of us were told to do whatever we wanted with our lives as long as it made us happy. Growing up in this culture, it is hard to comprehend that in other cultures there is a certain level of fear that is held towards the feeling of happiness.

A man by the name of Mohsen Joshanloo, a published author who holds a PhD in Philosophy and Social Psychology, writes that there are many forms of fear that can be held towards happiness.  This can be shown by hate displays, anxiety, and looking down upon those who pursue happiness (Chang, 2014). When it comes to the Eastern culture it has been found that they tend to hold moral actions and social duties higher than the euphoric state of happiness (Chang, 2014).  A possible reason for this shift in attitudes about happiness can be thought that happiness is seen as fragile. I can recall several times in my life where my potential happy moment was overcome by sadness or disappointment over something so simple as a change in plans or even weather. This behavior leads me to wonder if the pursuit of happiness is healthy for our culture as a whole? Several clinical studies have been done to study the fear of happiness and they have found that the pursuit of happiness can actually help people to overcome depression, although not all people who hold a fear of happiness are at a risk for any mental illnesses (Chang, 2014). Although a study done by mental health researcher Paul Gilbert concluded that the fear of happiness had a strong positive correlation to depression and other depression-related beliefs (Chang, 2014).

Although cultures do hold different views of happiness, the positive psychological movement has become a pop-culture phenomenon in our Western society which has paved the way for an overproduction of self-help books. Learning such things made me analyze my own value placed on happiness and I have found that I fall in a small percentage of those who believe that unhappiness follows happiness, so I do hold a certain level of fear for the sensation. I feel that this has come from several situations in my childhood where I held high expectations of a good situation and became disappointed afterwards since it never met my expectations or that something incredibly bad always seemed to happen on the days that I was feeling good and happy. As with everyone else in this world I have gone through several bad moments in my life but the cure for this was always the pursuit of happiness, even if it was in something small like a walk outside or drawing a picture.

Happiness, a concept that has no one true definition, is something that helps us understand how complex and diverse the cultures of the world truly are.  Although not entirely universal, the sensation of happiness has been found to have an impact on our mental well being as well as our physical well being. It is hard to understand how an emotion can have such an impact on our mental condition or how it can make a major difference in our everyday lives.

 

 

 

Chang, Bettina. (September 2014). Hating Happiness. Pacific Standard: The Science of Society. Retrieved from http://www.psmag.com/navigation/books-and-culture/hating-happiness-who-is-afraid-different-cultures-western-psychology-research-91269/

Skip to toolbar