Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Shari Steinman

Committee Co-Chair

Cheryl B. McNeil

Committee Member

Cheryl B. McNeil

Committee Member

Claire St. Peter

Abstract

Social anxiety is a common experience that ranges from mild, temporary distress to excessive, persistent, and impairing fear. The current study tested whether perfectionism is causally related to social anxiety symptoms and post-event processing using a contract-based manipulation to shift perfectionism. Participants (N = 67) completed measures of social anxiety and perfectionism prior to delivering a speech. Next, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 contract conditions: High Personal Standards (High PS), High Personal Standards with Evaluative Concerns (High PS+EC), and Low Personal Standards (Low PS). The following day, participants completed the measures of social anxiety and perfectionism again, as well as a questionnaire on post-event processing related to the speech. In line with hypotheses, results suggest that the contract manipulation significantly altered perfectionism, such that participants in the High PS+EC condition (but not the other two conditions) had an increase in perfectionism over time. Contrary to expectations, the contract manipulation did not affect social anxiety symptoms or post-event processing. Results suggest that focusing on evaluation concerns, rather than personal standards alone, may cause perfectionism. It is possible that a stronger manipulation, or a larger dose of the manipulation, is needed to see effects on social anxiety symptoms.

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