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Martin KE, Kudryk SM, Moscovitch DA. Effects of social anxiety and self-schemas on the impact and meaningfulness of positive versus negative social autobiographical memories. BRITISH JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2025; 64:281-296. [PMID: 39282694 PMCID: PMC12057315 DOI: 10.1111/bjc.12504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 09/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/08/2025]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Social anxiety is characterized by maladaptive self-schemas about being socially undesirable. Self-schemas are deeply held beliefs which are derived from negative autobiographical memories of painful social experiences. In contrast to the plethora of past research on negative memories in social anxiety, almost no research has investigated objectively positive social autobiographical memories. In this preregistered study, we examined the effects of social anxiety and self-schemas on the appraised impact and meaningfulness of retrieved positive versus negative social autobiographical memories. METHOD Participants recruited via Prolific (final n = 343) were randomized to one of two conditions in which they were instructed to retrieve, orally narrate, and appraise a positive or negative social autobiographical memory of a specific experience from their personal past where they felt either valued or unvalued, respectively. RESULTS Results demonstrated that participants rated their positive memories as more impactful and meaningful than negative memories overall, but this effect was reversed for participants who endorsed having either stronger negative self-schemas or greater social anxiety symptoms, for whom negative memories were more impactful. Additionally, participants who endorsed having stronger positive self-schemas rated their negative memories as significantly less impactful and their positive memories as nearly more impactful. CONCLUSION Together, these results elucidate how self-schemas and social anxiety are related to autobiographical memory appraisals, paving the way for future research on memory-based therapeutic interventions for social anxiety disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie E. Martin
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and TreatmentUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Sophie M. Kudryk
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and TreatmentUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and TreatmentUniversity of WaterlooWaterlooOntarioCanada
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Shechter Strulov T, Aderka IM. Dating in social anxiety disorder: A daily diary study. J Anxiety Disord 2024; 107:102927. [PMID: 39270372 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2024.102927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2024] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 09/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/15/2024]
Abstract
Romantic relationships are vital for health, well-being and quality of life, and an increasing percentage of romantic relations begin via use of dating apps and subsequently progress to dates. In the present study we examined dating application use and dates among individuals with SAD (n = 54) and without SAD (n = 54). Our sample included young adults (age range 18 to 33) who were not in a romantic relationship at the time of the study. For both individuals with SAD and without SAD, half of the participants were men, and half were women. We used a daily diary measurement in which participants reported on their dating application use and dates, as well as on concomitant emotions and perceptions for 21 consecutive days. We found that individuals with and without SAD did not differ in the frequency/duration of application use nor in the number of dates attended. However, individuals with SAD experienced dates as more negative compared to individuals without SAD (Cohen's d = 0.65). Interestingly, individuals with SAD did not significantly differ in their experience of dates as positive compared to individuals without SAD. Moreover, use of dating applications/going on dates were associated with increases in shame (Cohen's d = 0.59) and embarrassment (Cohen's d = 0.45) and this was found to a greater extent among individuals with SAD compared to individuals without SAD (Cohen's d = 0.50, 0.39 for shame and embarrassment respectively). Findings are discussed in the context of cognitive behavioral models of SAD and implications for treatment are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Idan M Aderka
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel.
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Moscovitch DA, White K, Hudd T. Hooking the Self Onto the Past: How Positive Autobiographical Memory Retrieval Benefits People With Social Anxiety. Clin Psychol Sci 2024; 12:882-902. [PMID: 39309219 PMCID: PMC11415290 DOI: 10.1177/21677026231195792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Do people with social anxiety (SA) benefit from positive memory retrieval that heightens self-relevant meaning? In this preregistered study, an analog sample of 255 participants with self-reported clinically significant symptoms of SA were randomly assigned to retrieve and process a positive social-autobiographical memory by focusing on either its self-relevant meaning (deep processing) or its perceptual features (superficial processing). Participants were then socially excluded and instructed to reimagine their positive memory. Analyses revealed that participants assigned to the deep processing condition experienced significantly greater improvements than participants in the superficial processing condition in positive affect, social safeness, and positive beliefs about others during initial memory retrieval and in negative and positive beliefs about the self following memory reactivation during recovery from exclusion. These novel findings highlight the potential utility of memory-based interventions for SA that work by "hooking" self-meaning onto recollections of positive interpersonal experiences that elicit feelings of social acceptance.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Kendra White
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Taylor Hudd
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo
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Moscovitch DA, Moscovitch M, Sheldon S. Neurocognitive Model of Schema-Congruent and -Incongruent Learning in Clinical Disorders: Application to Social Anxiety and Beyond. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 18:1412-1435. [PMID: 36795637 PMCID: PMC10623626 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221141351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Negative schemas lie at the core of many common and debilitating mental disorders. Thus, intervention scientists and clinicians have long recognized the importance of designing effective interventions that target schema change. Here, we suggest that the optimal development and administration of such interventions can benefit from a framework outlining how schema change occurs in the brain. Guided by basic neuroscientific findings, we provide a memory-based neurocognitive framework for conceptualizing how schemas emerge and change over time and how they can be modified during psychological treatment of clinical disorders. We highlight the critical roles of the hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and posterior neocortex in directing schema-congruent and -incongruent learning (SCIL) in the interactive neural network that comprises the autobiographical memory system. We then use this framework, which we call the SCIL model, to derive new insights about the optimal design features of clinical interventions that aim to strengthen or weaken schema-based knowledge through the core processes of episodic mental simulation and prediction error. Finally, we examine clinical applications of the SCIL model to schema-change interventions in psychotherapy and provide cognitive-behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder as an illustrative example.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute and Department of Psychology, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
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5
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Emotions in social anxiety disorder: A review. J Anxiety Disord 2023; 95:102696. [PMID: 36878132 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2023.102696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 02/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Extant cognitive behavioral models of social anxiety disorder (SAD) have primarily focused on cognitions and behaviors that maintain the disorder. Emotional aspects of SAD have been investigated but have not been sufficiently integrated into current models. To facilitate such integration, we reviewed the literature on emotional constructs (emotional intelligence, emotional knowledge, emotional clarity, emotion differentiation, and emotion regulation), and discrete emotions (anger, shame, embarrassment, loneliness, guilt, pride, and envy) in SAD and social anxiety. We present the studies conducted on these constructs, summarize the main findings, suggest areas for future research, discuss the findings in the context of existing models of SAD and attempt to integrate the findings into these existing models of the disorder. Clinical implications of our findings are also discussed.
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Hudd T, Moscovitch DA. Reconnecting in the Face of Exclusion: Individuals with High Social Anxiety May Feel the Push of Social Pain, but not the Pull of Social Rewards. COGNITIVE THERAPY AND RESEARCH 2021; 46:420-435. [PMID: 34421156 PMCID: PMC8369445 DOI: 10.1007/s10608-021-10263-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Background Previous research has shown that high levels of trait social anxiety (SA) disrupt the social repair processes following a painful social exclusion, but the cognitive mechanisms involved in these processes and how trait SA may disrupt them remain unknown. Methods We conducted a preregistered study on Prolific participants (N = 452) who were assigned to experience either social exclusion or inclusion and were then exposed to follow-up opportunities for social reconnection. Results Moderated mediation analyses revealed that irrespective of levels of SA, participants responded to social pain with heightened approach motivation and greater downstream positive affect. Exploratory analyses revealed that heightened desire to affiliate was driven by increased curiosity and attention to social rewards. Moreover, higher SA was associated with lower overall desire to affiliate and this relationship between SA and affiliation was mediated by diminished reward responsiveness. Conclusions Findings highlight the roles of goal pursuit and social reward responsiveness in social repair and how high levels of trait SA may disrupt these processes. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10608-021-10263-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor Hudd
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L-3G1 Canada
| | - David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L-3G1 Canada
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Saint SA, Moscovitch DA. Effects of mask-wearing on social anxiety: an exploratory review. ANXIETY STRESS AND COPING 2021; 34:487-502. [PMID: 34074171 DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2021.1929936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A unique feature of the global coronavirus pandemic has been the widespread adoption of mask-wearing as a public health measure to minimize the risk of contagion. Little is known about the effects of increased mask-wearing on social interactions, social anxiety, or overall mental health. OBJECTIVES Explore the potential effects of mask-wearing on social anxiety. DESIGN We review existing literatures to highlight three preselected sets of factors that may be important in shaping the effects of mask-wearing on social anxiety. These are: (a) people's perceptions of the social norms associated with wearing masks; (b) people's experiences of the degree to which masks prevent accurate interpretation of social and emotional cues; and (c) people's use of masks as a type of safety behavior that enables self-concealment. METHODS APA PsycNet and PubMed were searched principally between September and November 2020 for articles describing the relationship between social anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, ambiguous feedback, and safety behavior use and for research on the relationship between mask-wearing and social norms and social interactions. Information identified as relevant from articles of interest was extracted and included in our review. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS The effects of mask-wearing on social anxiety are likely to be substantial and clinically relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidney A Saint
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
| | - David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada
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Ho JTK, Dupasquier JR, Scarfe ML, Moscovitch DA. Fears of receiving compassion from others predict safety behaviour use in social anxiety disorder over and above fears of negative self-portrayal. J Anxiety Disord 2021; 80:102387. [PMID: 33799174 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Why do people with social anxiety disorder (SAD) engage in the use of safety behaviours? While past research has established that fears of negative self-portrayal are strongly associated with safety behaviour use in SAD, no research to date has investigated the potential role of fears of receiving compassion. Both types of fears could motivate those with SAD to engage in safety behaviours in order to keep others at a distance. In the present study, 150 participants with a clinical diagnosis of SAD completed measures of fears of negative self-portrayal, fears of receiving compassion, and safety behaviour use. Multiple regression analyses revealed that when controlling for self-portrayal fears, fears of receiving compassion significantly predicted increased use of safety behaviours overall, as well as the use of avoidance and impression management subtypes. Furthermore, there was a significant interaction effect in which greater fears of receiving compassion predicted greater use of impression management at lower levels of self-portrayal fears. We discuss the implications of our findings for addressing safety behaviours in the treatment of SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolie T K Ho
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Jessica R Dupasquier
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Molly L Scarfe
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, 200 University Ave W, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
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Williams BM, Levinson CA. Negative beliefs about the self prospectively predict eating disorder severity among undergraduate women. Eat Behav 2020; 37:101384. [PMID: 32320928 PMCID: PMC7246166 DOI: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2020.101384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) and eating disorders (EDs) are highly comorbid. Negative self-portrayal, or 'perceived flaws in the self,' is a key feature of SAD and consists of three self-critical aspects that are presumed to be flawed: social competence, physical appearance, and signs of anxiety. Negative self-portrayal has yet to be studied among EDs, despite research suggesting that individuals with EDs have a greater negative self-image and self-criticism. The identification of negative self-portrayal as a shared risk factor for SAD and EDs may have important implications for both prevention and treatment. The current study (N = 300 undergraduate women) aimed to extend negative self-portrayal theory to the EDs. We found that several aspects of negative self-portrayal were related to ED severity and that physical appearance concerns predicted subsequent ED severity. In a cross-sectional model of shared vulnerability, we found that physical appearance concerns were a shared correlate of SAD and ED symptoms. In a prospective shared vulnerability model, we found that (a) physical appearance prospectively predicted ED severity and (b) symptoms of SAD prospectively predicted all aspects of negative self-portrayal. Concerns about flaws in appearance should be targeted in the treatment of EDs, as this aspect of negative self-portrayal was shown to predict subsequent ED severity. Future research should further investigate the theory of negative self-portrayal as it pertains to EDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenna M Williams
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, United States of America
| | - Cheri A Levinson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Louisville, United States of America.
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Not intended, still embarrassed: Social anxiety is related to increased levels of embarrassment in response to unintentional social norm violations. Eur Psychiatry 2020; 52:15-21. [DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Revised: 02/16/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractBackground:Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with altered social norm (SN) processing: SAD-patients rate stories on SN violations as more inappropriate and more embarrassing than healthy participants, with the most prominent effect for stories on unintentional SN violations (i.e. committing a blunder). Until now it’s unknown how levels of social anxiety (SA) are related to ratings of SN violations in the general population, in which SA-symptoms are present at a continuum. More insight in this relationship could improve our understanding of the symptom profile of SAD. Therefore, we investigated the relation between ratings of SN violations and SA-levels in the general population.Methods:Adults and adolescents (n = 87) performed the revised Social Norm Processing Task (SNPT-R) and completed self-report questionnaires on social anxiety. Repeated-measures ANCOVAs were used to investigate the effect of SA on the ratings of inappropriateness and embarrassment.Results:As hypothesized, participants with higher SA-levels rated SN violations as more inappropriate and more embarrassing. Whereas participants with low-to-intermediate SA-levels rated unintentional SN violations as less embarrassing than intentional SN violations, participants with high SA-levels (z-score SA ≥ 1.6) rated unintentional SN violations as equally embarrassing as intentional SN violations.Conclusion:These findings indicate that increased embarrassment for unintentional SN violations is an important characteristic of social anxiety. These high levels of embarrassment are likely related to the debilitating concern of socially-anxious people that their skills and behavior do not meet expectations of others, and to their fear of blundering. This concern might be an important target for future therapeutic interventions.
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Romano M, Moscovitch DA, Huppert JD, Reimer SG, Moscovitch M. The effects of imagery rescripting on memory outcomes in social anxiety disorder. J Anxiety Disord 2020; 69:102169. [PMID: 31862574 DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2019.102169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Revised: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Imagery rescripting (IR) is an effective intervention for social anxiety disorder (SAD) that targets negative autobiographical memories. IR has been theorized to work through various memory mechanisms, including modifying the content of negative memory representations, changing memory appraisals, and improving negative schema or core beliefs about self and others. However, no prior studies have investigated the unique effects of rescripting itself relative to other IR intervention components on these proposed mechanisms. In this preliminary study, 33 individuals with SAD were randomized to receive a single session of IR, imaginal exposure (IE), or supportive counselling (SC). Memory outcomes were assessed at 1- and 2-weeks post-intervention and at 3-months follow-up. Results demonstrated that the content of participants' autobiographical memory representations changed in distinct ways across the three conditions. Whereas IR facilitated increases only in positive/neutral memory details, IE facilitated increases in both positive/neutral and negative memory details and SC facilitated no changes in memory details. Although memory appraisals did not differ across conditions, participants who received IR were more likely to update their negative memory-derived core beliefs. These unique effects of rescripting on memory representations and core beliefs enhance our understanding of the memory-based mechanisms of IR within the context of exposure-based learning for people with SAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mia Romano
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Canada
| | - David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Canada.
| | | | - Susanna G Reimer
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research and Treatment, University of Waterloo, Canada
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- University of Toronto and the Rotman Research Institute and Department of Psychology, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care, Canada
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Fung K, Moscovitch DA, Rodebaugh TL. Examining the Focusing Illusion as a Cognitive Mechanism Underlying Catastrophic Perceptions of Social Blunders in Socially Anxious Individuals. JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1521/jscp.2016.35.4.289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Moscovitch DA. Early memories in social anxiety: A meaningful and enduring collaboration with my Dad. Neuropsychologia 2016; 90:286-92. [PMID: 26994594 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Revised: 02/26/2016] [Accepted: 03/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
In this short paper in honour of my father's Festschrift, I describe a recent collaboration with him in which we joined forces to investigate the nature of autobiographical images and memories in social anxiety. I outline our work together and the unique insights that were gleaned from our interactive contributions. Then, I reflect on how this collaboration has helped to lay the foundation for subsequent work in my lab and illuminate new directions in my program of research, enhance my career as a scientist-practitioner, and ultimately, enrich both my personal and professional identities. In so doing, I aim to highlight one of the most important and enduring aspects of my father's legacy: the profound positive impact he has on the people with whom he has worked.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research, University of Waterloo, Canada.
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