Author ORCID Identifier
Document Type
Dissertation
Date of Award
2024
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Christopher Berghoff
Abstract
Frequent and fulfilling engagement in social interaction is paramount to human success and wellbeing. Yet, many individuals do not engage in social interactions of sufficient quantity and/or quality. Though some research indicates shame influences social behavior, the nature of this effect is unclear. Some research suggests shame is associated with effective engagement in social interaction, whereas other work indicates shame is associated with maladaptive avoidance of social interaction. One potential explanation for equivocal results may be a lack of accounting for mental health concerns, such as social anxiety. Social anxiety is positively associated with social impairments and shame, yet research evaluating relations of each of these variables, or their temporal effects, is limited. Accordingly, the present study aimed to identify the relations of social interaction quantity and quality, state shame, and trait social anxiety symptom severity using a daily process experience sampling method in a college student sample (N = 64). Cross-sectional results suggested that state shame was positively associated with trait social anxiety symptom severity, social interaction quantity, and negative social interaction quantity and inversely associated with positive social interaction quantity. Trait social anxiety symptom severity was positively associated with state shame, inversely associated with social interaction quantity, and attenuated the shame-interaction quantity relation, but was unrelated to positive and negative social interaction quality. State shame was not a predictor of social interaction quantity or quality at next timepoint. High social interaction quantity predicted subsequent elevations in state shame at high levels of trait social anxiety symptom severity only. Negative social interaction quality predicted subsequent decreases in state shame and positive social interaction quality was unrelated. Results provide support for the social approach theory of shame and are discussed with consideration of contextual implications and study limitations.
Subject Categories
Psychology
Keywords
shame, Social anxiety, social interaction
Number of Pages
141
Publisher
University of South Dakota
Recommended Citation
C Bock, Rachel, "Shame and Social Interaction Quantity and Quality in Daily Life: The Moderating Effect of Social Anxiety" (2024). Dissertations and Theses. 242.
https://red.library.usd.edu/diss-thesis/242