Graduate Program

Clinical Psychology

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Semester of Degree Completion

Summer 2019

Thesis Director

Wesley D. Allan

Thesis Committee Member

Jeffrey R. Stowell

Thesis Committee Member

Mariana M. Juras

Abstract

Social anxiety can have a significant effect on adults and adolescents alike, causing significant distress and impairment. Fear of negative evaluation has been found to be positively correlated to social anxiety in adults and adolescents. Thus, an individual who has social anxiety tends to worry that they will be judged negatively by others in social situations. More recently, fear of positive evaluation also has correlated positively to social anxiety in adults (Weeks, Heimberg, & Rodebaugh, 2008); thus, adults with social anxiety tend to also fear when they are given positive feedback, such as a compliment. This study examines the links of social anxiety to both the fear of negative evaluation and the fear of positive evaluation in an adolescent sample; social anxiety was related to both fear of negative evaluation and fear of positive evaluation in this population. In addition, this study adds to the literature by including a related type of anxiety - test anxiety, which also has a social evaluative component. Specifically, this study examined whether social anxiety acts as a moderator in the relationships between test anxiety and the fear of negative and positive evaluation. This was supported for test anxiety and the fear of negative evaluation however, was not supported for test anxiety and fear of positive evaluation. Finally, suggestions for further research and clinical implications are discussed.

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