Attentional focus and causal attributions in social phobia: Implications from social psychology

Debra A. Hope, David A. Gansler, Richard G. Heimberg

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

93 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article reviews the social psychological literature on attentional focus and causal attributions as they apply to social phobia. Excessive self-focused attention is increased by physiological arousal, interferes with task performance under some conditions, increases the probability of internal attributions, and intensifies emotional reactions. Social anxiety is also associated with a reversal of the self-serving bias for causal attributions. Implications of these findings for the maintenance and treatment of social phobia are discussed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)49-60
Number of pages12
JournalClinical Psychology Review
Volume9
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 1989
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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