Cognitive vulnerability to social anxiety

This paper discusses factors that might affect vulnerability to social anxiety and clinically significant social phobia. The paper begins by describing the "cognitive signature" of socially anxious individuals as illustrated by studies on attentional, memory, and interpretation/judgement biases. These studies collectively suggest that socially anxious individuals and those with social phobia tend to interpret social information in negative ways, likely contributing to the maintenance of social anxiety over time. The paper then reviews factors that might influence the development of this cognitive style, including temperament, early attachment, and factors related to family, peers, and other life events. Implications for prevention and treatment of social anxiety and social phobia are also discussed.