Exploring Impulsivity, Hostility, and Poor Decision-Making in Social Anxiety: An Externalizing Social Anxiety Subtype?
Individuals with social anxiety disorder have traditionally been conceptualized as shy, withdrawn, and inhibited. This is certainly true for many people suffering from this disorder; however, a nascent body of research has identified one or more subgroups of socially anxious individuals who exhibit approach-oriented and novelty-seeking behaviors in the context of their fears of social situations. This body of research has, to date, relied exclusively on self-report data to make conclusions about the nature of this "atypical" (Kashdan, McKnight, Richey, & Hofmann, 2009, p.559), or, externalizing subtype of SAD. The current study was the first to use real-time behavioral and neuropsychological assessment outcomes in an analogue sample of socially anxious individuals. It attempted to replicate previous findings involving distinct putative subtypes of social anxiety (externalizing versus internalizing) that are characterized by divergent behavioral patterns. Past research has reported that socially anxious externalizers report engaging in impulsive and hostile behaviors and that socially anxious internalizers report engaging in submissive and withdrawal behaviors. Results of the preset study failed to show behavioral differences between the externalizing versus internalizing subtypes of SAD, limiting the generalizability of previous research findings beyond the self-report domain. Furthermore, the two putative subtypes of SAD failed to self-report differences in constructs that have previously been identified as potential explanatory domains for the heterogeneity across individuals with SAD. These constructs include regulatory focus and behavioral inhibition/activation/fight-flight-freeze system (BIS/BAS/FFFS). Theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Clinical Psychology, Psychobiology, social anxiety, SAD, externalizing, atypical, neuropsychological
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