2018, Vol.4, No.3

Clinical Psychology in Korea: Research and Practice 2023 KCI Impact Factor : 0.83

pISSN : 2466-0787
https://journal.kci.go.kr/cpkjournal

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of being self-compassionate on social anxiety. For this, we investigated whether self-compassion would have a negative correlation with social anxiety, and whether the efficacy of self-compassionate imagery treatment was efficacious in reducing one’s social anxiety levels. In study 1, self-reported data were collected from 236 undergraduates and graduates and used to examine the relationship between self-compassion and social anxiety. Correlation analysis demonstrated that a higher self-compassion score was related to a lower social anxiety score. The results of the mediation analysis also showed that self-compassion could have an impact on social anxiety by facilitating social anxiety acceptance. Study 2 was designed to investigate the effect of self-compassionate imagery treatment on relieving social anxiety relative to one that focuses on cognitive-restructuring. Thirty-two undergraduates and graduates with social anxiety were randomly assigned to one of two conditions(self-compassion or cognitive-restructuring) and practiced each treatment for a week. As a result, the self-compassion group showed a reduction in social anxiety, albeit a non-significant one. On the other hand, the cognitive-restructuring group demonstrated a significant reduction in anxiety about being observed and performing in front of others. After these two groups were combined and the relationship between change in self-compassion and change in social anxiety was analyzed, these two values were negatively related. Thus, the present study empirically investigated the effect of self-compassion on social anxiety and whether a brief self-compassion intervention was efficacious in improving self-compassion and relieving the symptoms of social anxiety. Finally, the implications and limitations of this study and suggestions for future studies were discussed.

This study investigated Rorschach changes before and after short-term cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and examined human movement responses (M) and Color Balance (FC/(CF+C)). Within the process of this study, six clients who complained of depression or social anxiety received 12 CBT sessions over 4 to 6 months. Rorschach testing was done before and after the treatment. In addition, following instruments were administered before and after treatment: Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Social Phobia Scale (SPS), and Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS); the data were analyzed using Wilcoxon singed-ranks test. Results showed a significant increase in the number of M after 12 sessions of treatment and a decrease in CES-D scores compared to those before cognitive behavioral therapy, reflecting an increase in the capacity to use ideation efficiently and a decrease in depression. On the other hand, changes in Color Balance were not statistically significant but showed an increasing pattern. In addition, there was a decrease in SPS and SAIS scores: however, they were not significants. These results indicate that the effect of short-term CBT has been marginal in emotional balance and in reducing social anxiety. In conclusion, M increased on the Rorschach test after short-term cognitive therapy, but no significant changes were found regarding Color Balance. This suggests that the function of thinking changes more adaptively than emotional function through short-term CBT. These findings suggest that treatment results can be effectively verified through the Rorschach test, which raises the need for using this instrument along with the therapeutic process. Finally, implications and limitations of this study were discussed and further research was proposed.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among adult attachment (anxious attachment, avoidant attachment), social anxiety (interaction anxiety, performance anxiety) and mediating variable such as self-compassion. A total of 352 Korean undergraduate university students participated in this study. Participants completed demographic information and the following self-reported questionnaires: Experiences in Close Relationships Revised (ECR-R), Social Interactive Anxiety Scale (SIAS), Social Phobia Scale (SPS), and Korean Self-Compassion Scale (K-SCS). Only 334 students (121 males, 213 females) were chosen for data analysis. SPSS 18.0 and Mplus 6.0 statistical programs were used for performing the analysis. Additionally, bootstrapping analysis was conducted to verify significance. Results of this study are as follows. First, adult attachment (anxious attachment, avoidant attachment) correlated positively with social anxiety (interaction anxiety, performance anxiety). Second, self-compassion had negative correlations with adult attachment and social anxiety. Third, self-compassion partially mediated the relation between adult attachment and social anxiety. Finally, the implications and limitations of this study are discussed and the future research directions are suggested.