Social Anxiety Formulation

Situation

Thoughts

Current Threat / Social Danger

Self Focus

Safety Behaviours

PSYCHOLOGYT

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Anxiety Symptoms

Social Anxiety Formulation

Situation

Thoughts
High standards for social performance: I must always be fluent
Conditional beliefs about the consequences of performance: If I shake people will think Im stupid

Current Threat / Social Danger

Social situations perceived as dangerous

Self Focus
Closely monitor & observe self.
Use internal information to infer
appearance to other people
I feel anxious so I look anxious
Imagery of how I think I appear
Felt sense of being dierent

Hypervigilance
& checking for

Safety Behaviours

Anxiety Symptoms

Actions or mental behaviours

to prevent or minimise a feared
catastrophe

Bodily & cognitive symptoms

of anxiety

Safety behaviours can lead to

unintended consequences

PSYCHOLOGYT

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Adapted from: Clark, D. M. & Wells, A. (1995). A cognitive model of social phobia.
In R. Heimberg, M. Liebowitz, D. A. Hope, & F. R. Schneier (Eds.), Social phobia:
Diagnosis, assessment and treatment. (pp. 6993). New York: Guilford Press.