Social Anxiety in Affective Personality Disorders

Abstract

The research features social anxiety in people with such affective disorders as internal tension triggered by social and interpersonal communication. The test group involved 28 individuals with various affective disorders. The control group consisted of 28 respondents without affective personality disorder or depressive symptoms. Psychological diagnostics presupposed specific methods for each selected criterion of social anxiety: 1) negative beliefs about social interaction; 2) increased physiological excitability; 3) desire to avoid social situations; fear in distress; 4) deficit of social skills. The study made it possible to describe the features of the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral background of persons with affective disorders: hyperbolization of life difficulties; avoiding stressful situations; deficiency of adaptive defense mechanisms and energy resources to overcome frustration. The study also revealed a defect in the natural self-regulation of the psychoemotional state of social situations in persons with affective disorders. The results obtained are valuable for understanding the possibilities of psychological correction, aimed at reducing the intensity of negative experiences associated with social anxiety.

Keywords

• mood disorders
• dysthymia
• cyclothymia
• bipolar disorder
• social phobia
• social avoidance
• early maladaptive schemes