Self-awareness and self-confrontation: effects of self-focused attention on members of a clinical population

Research in the area of self-awareness theory has indicated that self-focused attention consistently produces both an increase in perceived intensity of affect and enhanced accuracy of self-reports. The present studies consider these effects in relation to the technique of self-confrontation as used in psychotherapy. In the first study, members of two different clinical populations (alcoholics and general psychiatric patients) either were or were not made self-aware and then were asked to self-report on their psychiatric problems and their mood states. Results indicated that self-awareness did increase the negative mood states for the psychiatric patients, and it also apparently increased the accuracy with which both patient groups reported on their history of hospitalization. In the second study self-awareness once again exacerbated the reported negative affect of a group of depressed psychiatric patients and enhanced the accuracy with which they reported on their hospitalizations. Additional analyses indicated that although the psychiatric patients generally felt worse when self-aware, they were also more accurate in their self-reports, including descriptions of their problems. The effects of self-awareness on members of clinical population are discussed and related to self-confrontation techniques.

Self-awareness and self-confrontation: Effects of self-focused attention on members of a clinical population

Research in the area of self-awareness theory has indicated that self-focused attention consistently produces both an increase in perceived intensity of affect and enhanced accuracy of self-reports. The present studies consider these effects in relation to the technique of self-confrontation as used in psychotherapy. In the first study, members of two different clinical populations (alcoholics and general psychiatric patients) either were or were not made self-aware and then were asked to self-report on their psychiatric problems and their mood states. Results indicated that self-awareness did increase the negative mood states for the psychiatric patients, and it also apparently increased the accuracy with which both patient groups reported on their history of hospitalization. In the second study self-awareness once again exacerbated the reported negative affect of a group of depressed psychiatric patients and enhanced the accuracy with which they reported on their hospitalizations. Additional analyses indicated that although the psychiatric patients generally felt worse when self-aware, they were also more accurate in their self-reports, including descriptions of their problems. The effects of self-awareness on members of clinical population are discussed and related to self-confrontation techniques.

Social anxiety, anxious self-preoccupation, and recall of self-relevant information

Theoretical and empirical efforts concerning cognitive processes associated with anxiety have typically emphasized either cognitive deficits (i.e., reduced learning, memory, and task performance) or cognitive excesses (i.e., increased self-focused, ruminative thought). To date, evidence of these two types of cognitive processes has primarily been based on different types of sources (i.e., performance measures vs. self-reports), which precludes direct comparisons of the extent to which cognitive deficits and/or excesses characterize anxiety states. The present study attempted to directly compare the cognitive excesses and deficits associated with social anxiety by operationalizing both types of cognitive phenomena with similar performance measures. A modified self-referent depth-of-processing paradigm was employed. The results indicated that socially anxious individuals in a socially evaluative situation evidenced a specific type of cognitive excess (i.e., concern over evaluations by others) but not cognitive deficits. The results are discussed in the context of person-by-situation models of anxiety and in the context of the nature and treatment of social anxiety.

Social anxiety, anxious self-preoccupation, and recall of self-relevant information

Theoretical and empirical efforts concerning cognitive processes associated with anxiety have typically emphasized either cognitive deficits (i.e., reduced learning, memory, and task performance) or cognitive excesses (i.e., increased self-focused, ruminative thought). To date, evidence of these two types of cognitive processes has primarily been based on different types of sources (i.e., performance measures vs. self-reports), which precludes direct comparisons of the extent to which cognitive deficits and/or excesses characterize anxiety states. The present study attempted to directly compare the cognitive excesses and deficits associated with social anxiety by operationalizing both types of cognitive phenomena with similar performance measures. A modified self-referent depth-of-processing paradigm was employed. The results indicated that socially anxious individuals in a socially evaluative situation evidenced a specific type of cognitive excess (i.e., concern over evaluations by others) but not cognitive deficits. The results are discussed in the context of person-by-situation models of anxiety and in the context of the nature and treatment of social anxiety.

Person perception and the type A coronary-prone behavior pattern

The present study investigated the influence of the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern on attribution processes. Given the exaggerated achievement striving and competitiveness of Type A's, it was predicted that these individuals would be more motivated to succeed in a prisoner's dilemma game than would Type B's. Increased motivation to succeed was predicted to lead Type A's to exaggerate the amount of dispositional information they would believe they had inferred from observing the behavior of a future opponent, since such a belief would lead to increased confidence about predicting the target's behavior and thus increase subjects' perceived control over the outcome. Results supported the predictions when the hard-driving competitiveness dimension of the Type A pattern was used as the individual difference variable. Moreover, evaluations of future opponents in the prisoner's dilemma game also differed as a function of the hard-driving competitive dimension. Results are discussed in terms of a person by situation interactive model of motivational influences on attribution processes, and in terms of potential interpersonal effects of the cognitive behavior of Type A individuals.

The effect of adult influence on children's preferences: compliance versus opposition

The present study examined the effects of adult influence on the choice preferences of first and fifth grade girls and boys. It was found that when the adult directed the children as to which choice alternative to choose, all children (both grades and both sexes) preferred that alternative advocated by the adult. When however, the adult's influence attempt was followed by another adult's stating that the child should choose whatever he/she wanted, first graders displayed oppositional behavior (preferring the alternative not urged by the first adult), while fifth graders continued to comply with the first adult's influence. These results suggested that oppositional behavior in first grade children may occur as a function of conflict between adults regarding adult control over the child.