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Differential Effect of Mirror Manipulation on Self-Perception in Social Phobia Subtypes

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Abstract

This study employed mirror manipulation to examine differences in self-perception between the DSM-IV subtypes of social phobia (social anxiety disorder). We asked 82 consecutively admitted patients with social phobia to record three positive and three negative characteristics about themselves. Sixty-three percent of them met criteria for a generalized subtype of social phobia (GSP). A random half of the total sample sat in front of a mirror before and during this task. Participants' responses were classified into either positive or negative self-statements concerning their bodily appearance, competence, and socially relevant or nonsocially relevant personality characteristics. The mirror manipulation had a differential effect on self-perception in social phobia subtypes. The presence of a mirror led to more positive and negative self-statements about bodily appearance, and to fewer negative self-statements about socially relevant personality characteristics in participants with GSP. In contrast, participants not meeting criteria for GSP responded to mirror exposure only with fewer negative self-statements about nonsocially relevant personality characteristics. These results suggest that mirror exposure leads to fewer negative self-statements about private aspects of the self, concerning social situations, while it enhances public self-consciousness in individuals with GSP.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts

    Stefan G. Hofmann & Nina Heinrichs

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  1. Stefan G. Hofmann
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  2. Nina Heinrichs
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Correspondence to Stefan G. Hofmann.

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Hofmann, S.G., Heinrichs, N. Differential Effect of Mirror Manipulation on Self-Perception in Social Phobia Subtypes. Cognitive Therapy and Research 27, 131–142 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023507624356

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