Directing self-compassion toward maladaptive self-beliefs in social anxiety

Inducing self-compassion has shown benefits for social anxiety. Typically, individuals focus on a past or upcoming stressful social situation generally with self-compassion writing prompts. The present research evaluated the possible benefits of focusing self-compassionate writing on maladaptive self-beliefs.

Across both Study 1 (N = 442 students) and Study 2 (N = 229 students pre-selected for high social anxiety), during a single online session (30 minutes), participants reported their endorsement of maladaptive self-beliefs and then were randomly assigned to reflect on the beliefs within a potential future social situation with self-compassion or control writing prompts. Participants then reported their predicted thoughts and behaviors if the situation were to occur.

In both studies, participants in the self-compassion condition reported greater expected state self-compassion and positive affect, lower expected anxiety/distress, and fewer expected safety behaviors, compared to controls. Further, participants in the self-compassion condition showed significant reductions in endorsement of maladaptive self-beliefs from pre- to post-induction in both studies. Finally, in Study 1, the reduction in the endorsement of maladaptive self-beliefs for the self-compassion condition, led to reduced anxiety, which was further associated with lower predicted safety behaviors. Directing self-compassion to maladaptive self-beliefs specifically appears fruitful for socially anxious individuals.