Blushing and Physiological Arousability in Social Phobia
Introduction
This paper will provide a critique of the article titled “Blushing and Physiological Arousability in Social Phobia,” (Gerlach et al., 2001) located in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (Vol. 110, No. 2). Blushing is defined as: “to become red in the face especially from shame or embarrassment. ” It is believed that blushing involves physiological, behavioral, and cognitive factors which react with one another. The actual cause of one blushing is physiological; the amount of blood in one’s face increases causing the amplification of a red hue in the blush region. The blush region is defined to be the face, forehead, ears, neck, and sometimes the upper part of the chest. The DSM-IV defines social phobia as marked and persistent fear of social or performance situations in which embarrassment may occur. Since blushing occurs when one is embarrassed, the researchers hoped to find a link between blushing and the reasons of in social phobic persons.
Hypothesis
The researches hypothesized that persons with social phobia who complain of blushing would show more blushing as opposed to those who are social phobic without complaints of blushing or the controls. The researches came to this hypothesis because it is believed that if one is aware of their uncontrollable blushing, they have an increased awareness cognitively towards their blushing problem. In turn, one may exaggerate the amount of blushing they are experiencing which in turn will increase the actual physiological process heightening the blush level. Also, because the relation between heart rate and phobic anxiety exists, it was also hypothesized there would be a difference in heart rate between the subgroups. The researchers believe that heart rate reliably shows the amount of phobic anxiety one is enduring. Therefore, it is believed that the participants who complain of blushing will also have a higher heart rate compared to the other two subgroups.
Participants
The study consisted of 44 participants (54% female, 46% male). The mean age of the participants of all three subgroups was 39.9 years of age. The mean years of education among the participants were 16.23 years. The participants all originated within Silicon Valley and the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. All were highly educated and economical...
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...t even though the intended reason for the study did not follow through, the found evidence could be helpful for future studies. Researchers in the future studying this matter would no longer have to test heart rate palpitations; they will now know it does vary on the diagnosis of the person.
I believe the basis of the study was good, but it was carried out in a hurried state. The participants and time spent on testing were both minimal. I think that the subject was unique and would help others studying this factor because it is one that people are curious about. A physiological change by external stimuli in a person is always a topic of concern and curiosity. Surgery has been suggested to those with blushing problems to help lessen the obvious nature of it. As this study and the researchers have suggested, one should be wary of such surgery. They found there is no apparent evidence stating that one with social phobia blushes more than one without. I think this piece of advice in itself shows that this study has had an impact in the scientific world and the human population.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Vol. 110, No. 2. (2001) Page248.
One of the most common anxiety disorder is social phobia, which can sometimes be interchangeable with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD). Marc de Rosnay, and others, states that Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by a clearly noticeable fear and avoidance of most social situations where the individual may be put under scrutiny by others, and by fear in such situations, the individual will behave in an embarrassing manner (de Rosnay). One of the most notable feature of social phobia is that it has an early onset, as early as 7-9 months in most cases. The characteristics of having social phobia, or social anxiety disorder, is that the individuals are shy when meeting new people, quiet in a large group, blush easily, and often avoids making eye contact. There are a lot of concerns/problems with having social anxiety disorder. As a group, individuals with anxiety disorders had the largest burden of role disability compared to other common mental health conditions, exceeding the burden for mood disorders and in some cases, substance abuse (Grigorenko).
“When you're embarrassed… speeding up your heart rate…” (Robertson n.p.). The quote ties in with the topic because not only is it talking about blushing, but it specifically talks about an increased heart rate. This quote not only perfectly fits in with the topic, but it tells about when it happens, specifically when one is embarrassed. According to Charles Darwin, the increased heart rate does not lead to the reddening of the face (Darwin 310). Darwin disagreed with most of the
In general, Social Anxiety Disorder, or Social Phobia, is defined as an anxiety disorder characterized by an overwhelming amount of anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations (“Social Phobia,” 2014). These individuals have trouble with basic communication and interaction, often to the point where they can physically feel the effects of their anxiety. Profuse sweating, stomach ache, and nausea are not uncommon occurrences when a person with Social Anxiety Disorder is placed in an uncomfortable situation. There are several hypothesized causes of Social Anxiety Disorder; however, one of the most
Langer, Ellen J., Susan Fiske, Shelley E. Taylor, and Benzion Chanowitz. "Stigma, Staring, and Discomfort: A Novel-stimulus Hypothesis." Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 12.5 (1976): 451-63. Web.
This book studies closely all factors of social phobia in youth. One of the earliest point is that introverts are much more likely to have SAD than extraverts. Very interesting observation is that every patient has something called behavioral inhibition. It's used to describe fear, avoidance, timidity when in contact with new things or people and way of acting towards them. Most “prevalent social fears included: speaking before others or taking tests, speaking in public, conversing with others, eating or drinking in public” (Kearney, 24) More girls than boys confessed to having these sorts of fears.
Hudson, J. L., and R. M. Rapee. "The Origins of Social Phobia." Behavior Modification 24.1
SAD can lead to avoidance of social situations and interactions with others (Kashdan, Farmer, Adams, Mcknight, Ferssizidis, Nezelf, 2013). The lifetime prevalence rate in the United States is at 12%. When SAD is not treated the disorder will steadily progress overtime (Willutzki, Teismann, Sch...
The term social anxiety is, by most, not associated with being a serious, mental sickness. The common person usually thinks someone with social anxiety is simply not a “people person” However, social anxiety has been defined as either a disorder or phobia. Social Anxiety Disorder is an actual, underdiagnosed psychiatric disorder which should be recognized not as mere shyness, but a psychological illness with symptoms and treatments. It is a disorder which is becoming more and more prevalent as time progresses. Due to the technological advances and appliances that exist in the modern age, there has been an overall change in the average amount of social interactions that the everyday person may have. This leads to an exceeding amount of people who get nervous, frightened even, of being in any type of social situation. Just about half of Americans labels themselves as shy; mostly everyone has had stage fright at some point in his/her life. For a shocking amount of people, that sort of situation is dreadful (“Beyond Shyness and Stage Fright” 1). The stage fright “becomes a disorder when the resulting symptoms make individuals miserable or seriously interfere with their work, friendships, and family life. This crippling dread of certain personal encounters and social situations is called social anxiety disorder or social phobia, and it is increasingly understood to be a treatable condition” (“Beyond Shyness and Stage Fright” 1).
“Social Anxiety.” Mayo Clinic Health Letter May 2011: n. pag. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.
Stein, M. B., & Stein, D. J. (2008). Social anxiety disorder. The Lancet, 371(9618), 1115-25.
Although progress have been made within the past ten years to understand the causes of this disorder, there is still much to be learned. Psychologists have learned that there are biological and environmental factors that may cause a person to develop social anxiety disorder, and through observation they have narrowed the causes and symptoms. By understanding the events that trigger the symptoms of social anxiety, both the individuals suffering from the illness and the medical community can work together in treating and curing the
Some emotional and behavioral signs are being concerned that you’ll offend someone, intense fear or meeting strangers. Another sign is avoiding situations that could result in embarrassment or becoming the center of attention. Expecting the worst possible outcome and even fearing that others will notice that you look anxious are all signs of social phobia. Some physical symptoms may consist of a fast heartbeat, nausea and having trouble catching your breath. Avoiding normal situations such as making eye contact, dating or even initiating conversations are all signs of the phobia. Having all of these fears can dramatically affect someone’s everyday life. It could cause problems finding a job, keeping friends and it can even lead to severe depression.
All of us at one point in our life have had a fear of something, whether it’s public speaking, trying something new for the first time, or even presenting just like we're all going to be doing. I'm sure most of us will be nervous and we try our best to get rid of that feeling. Some people have Social anxiety which is known as social phobia. It is the fear of social interaction with other people and of being judged and looked down upon. It can also be a fear of embarrassment. This leads to feelings of inadequacy, self-consciousness, and depression. Social anxiety is an issue that affects many individuals as it should be taken more seriously and should not be considered as a weakness. Moreover, individuals with social anxiety should not be judged
Wittchen, H. U., Stein, M. B., & Kessler, R. C. (1999). Social fears and social phobia in a
German psychologist Hans Eysenck’s Model of Nervous System Temperament links temperament traits, specifically introversion and extraversion to the Central Nervous System. Introverted people are typically quiet, reserved, and timid whereas extraverts are active, sociable, and outgoing (151). According to Eysenck, introverts have high levels of brain arousal, which is controlled by the ascending reticular activating system (ARAS). Therefore, introverts do not need to seek external arousal leading them to be more reserved. Contrastingly, he argues that extraverts have lower levels of brain arousal and therefore are more sensation seeking in order to make up for it. In this paper, I will aim to synthesize and summarize some of the research regarding introversion and extraversion and their link to the central nervous system and states of arousal. I will synthesize this information to support the idea that while introversion and extraversion are on some level linked to states of arousal, Eysenck’s arousal hypothesis is not alone sufficient to explain the biological differences between introverted and extraverted individuals and their behaviors as such.